Case Study: University of Arkansas achieves secure, open campus access and streamlined network security with Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Security Platform

University of Arkansas Cuts Through Complexity to Strengthen Security While Enabling Open Network Access for Unrestricted Learning

The University of Arkansas, a leading public research institution serving more than 27,000 students, experienced network instability as explosive student growth outpaced its legacy monolithic firewall. The university needed a more reliable, efficient and flexible security architecture that would preserve open campus access for learning while protecting critical data center assets and private information.

U of A deployed the Palo Alto Networks Next‑Generation Security Platform—multiple high‑availability NGFW pairs with Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, WildFire and Panorama, integrated with VMware NSX and App‑ID—to separate campus and data center traffic. The deployment enabled secure, unrestricted application and web access with granular, application‑aware controls and minimal false positives, consolidated visibility for faster incident response, simplified policy administration (reducing rules from ~1,000 to 100), and extended visibility and control to non‑IT teams.

University of Arkansas

Elon Turner

Director of Infrastructure