Case Study: Rectitude, the Alamodome and Large Public Venue Planning

Key Takeaways:

• Running End-of-Life Hardware is a Business and Operational Risk: The primary driver for the network refresh was risk mitigation. For a large venue processing transactions across point-of-sale terminals and self-service kiosks, upgrading was essential to eliminate operational and security vulnerabilities.
• Right-Sized and Standardized Design Over Expensive Over-Engineering: Rectitude’s approach prioritized matching hardware to the venue’s actual workload and budget. They implemented a reliable, supported and right-sized switch model standardized across all locations.
• Successful Venue Planning Requires Post-Deployment Support and Monitoring: A network refresh does not end at installation. To ensure reliability and zero-downtime event operations, the project included transitioning the NOC for proactive monitoring and on-site engineering support during major, high-attendance events following the go-live phase.

The Challenge: When Aging Infrastructure Becomes Operational Risk

Running end-of-life network hardware is not a performance inconvenience, it is a business risk. When the Alamodome’s food and beverage operations and back-office systems were still running on network infrastructure that had passed its end-of-support date, the venue faced a straightforward but urgent problem: The equipment’s manufacturer no longer provided software updates, security patches or technical support. No vendor support means no safety net.

Replacing the legacy system became a critical part of large public venue planning for the future.  

Think of it this way: You wouldn’t drive cross-country in a vehicle where the manufacturer no longer makes replacement parts. The Alamodome’s leadership understood the same logic applies to network infrastructure processing transactions across dozens of point-of-sale terminals and self-service kiosks during high-attendance events.

The primary goal of this engagement was risk mitigation. The Alamodome needed a network it could depend on, built on current hardware with full vendor coverage and supported by a team capable of monitoring and responding to issues around the clock.

The Solution: Why the Alamodome Chose Rectitude 

Rectitude was selected through its established partnership with Legends Global, the venue management company responsible for the Alamodome. Legends Global has worked with Rectitude across multiple venue sites and relies on the firm as a trusted technical resource for enterprise-grade network projects in large public venue environments.

How Does Rectitude Approach a Network Refresh Project?

Rectitude’s network refresh methodology begins with data collection and ends with ongoing monitoring, not just deployment. For the Alamodome, this process unfolded in four phases.

1. Site Visit and Inventory Validation

Before any design work began, Rectitude conducted an on-site visit to validate the venue’s existing hardware inventory. This step is not optional. Inaccurate inventory data leads to under-scoped projects, delayed timelines and cost surprises. The team confirmed switch counts, IDF and MDF locations, firewall configurations and the scope of the food and beverage network, which included point-of-sale terminals, self-service kiosks and back-office systems.

2. Customer Requirements and Budget Alignment

Rectitude’s design philosophy is built on a principle the team states plainly: if you need a Volkswagen, we are not going to sell you a Ferrari. Budget parameters are part of the design brief, not an afterthought. For the Alamodome, the network’s workload, food and beverage point-of-sale transactions, did not require top-tier enterprise switching hardware. It required reliable, supported, right-sized hardware that would perform consistently for years.

3. Standardized Design and Hardware Specification

The engineering team, led by Rectitude’s network design engineers, specified a single standardized switch model across all 22 IDF replacement locations. Standardization reduces complexity in deployment, simplifies ongoing support and controls spare-parts management. New firewalls were included in the scope to enhance the venue’s security posture with equipment under active vendor support.

The design also accounted for the replacement of the venue’s MDF: the central distribution frame that anchors the network architecture. This was a complete network refresh: IDFs, MDF and perimeter firewalls.

4. Deployment and Go-Live

On-site installation was completed in approximately one week. This timeline is consistent with what Rectitude delivers on similarly scoped venue network projects. More complex deployments, such as those Rectitude has completed at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City and the Arvest Convention Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, require additional time commensurate with network complexity.

The Results: What the Alamodome Gained

For this large public venue planning many events, there’s now a network it can rely on. Benefits of the upgrade include: 

• Restored vendor support: All network hardware now operates under active manufacturer support, meaning the Alamodome has access to software updates, security patches and technical assistance from the hardware vendor. This is the baseline requirement for any network handling financial transactions.
• Enhanced security posture: The new firewall infrastructure provides the Alamodome with current-generation perimeter security capabilities. End-of-life firewalls cannot receive security updates, which created a gap that the refreshed architecture directly closes.
• 24/7 network operations center (NOC) monitoring: Following the network refresh, the Alamodome joined Rectitude’s NOC. This means our engineers are monitoring the venue’s network environment around the clock, identifying issues before they affect operations, remediating problems remotely where possible and dispatching on-site engineers when required. This is a capability the Alamodome did not have prior to this engagement.
• Dedicated major event support: Our team provided on-site engineering support for the Alamodome’s first major post-refresh events. This practice, which involved deploying engineers on site for high-attendance events immediately following a network change, is standard Rectitude protocol. It ensures that if any configuration issue surfaces under real event load, the team is already present to resolve it.

What Does Ongoing Support Look Like for a Venue Like the Alamodome?

Ongoing support for the Alamodome follows Rectitude’s standard managed NOC model of proactive monitoring of network health, remote remediation for identified issues, coordination with on-site venue staff and escalation to on-site engineering when a problem cannot be resolved remotely.

We support venues and client sites across all 50 states. Geographic proximity to our headquarters in The Woodlands, Texas, was not a prerequisite for taking on this engagement, and it is not a limitation on ongoing service delivery.

Project at a Glance

Detail	Summary
Client	Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Venue Manager	Legends Global
Scope	Network refresh and redesign: IDFs, MDF, firewalls
Equipment	Approximately 22 network switches replaced; new firewalls deployed
Network Coverage	Food and beverage POS, self-service kiosks, back-office systems
On-Site Deployment	Approximately one week
Post-Deployment	24/7 NOC monitoring; on-site major event support
Vendor Approach	Vendor-neutral hardware selection based on budget, specs and performance requirements

Comparable Engagements

Rectitude has completed enterprise network refresh and design projects at large public venues, including the Paycom Center (Oklahoma City) and the Arvest Convention Center (Tulsa, Oklahoma). The firm’s venue technology portfolio spans arenas, convention centers and large public facilities across the United States. For information on services for your entertainment venue, contact us. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Large Public Venue Services

What is a network refresh and why does it matter for a large venue? 

A network refresh is the planned replacement of aging network hardware — switches, firewalls and distribution infrastructure — with current equipment that is under active vendor support. For a large venue like the Alamodome, it matters because the network supports every food and beverage transaction at the facility. Hardware that has reached end-of-life status no longer receives manufacturer security patches or technical support, which increases operational risk and security exposure.

How does Rectitude select hardware for a network project? 

Rectitude takes a vendor-neutral approach, meaning hardware selection is driven by the client’s operational requirements, budget and performance needs; not by vendor relationships. For the Alamodome, the team specified a mid-range switch model that was appropriate for a point-of-sale network workload and standardized it across all IDF locations to simplify deployment and long-term support.

How long does a network refresh project take at a large venue? 

On-site deployment for the Alamodome network refresh took approximately one week. Project timelines from contract signing to deployment readiness typically run four to six weeks, depending on hardware lead times and the client’s scheduling requirements. More complex network environments require proportionally more time.

Does Rectitude provide ongoing support after a network refresh? 

Yes. Following the Alamodome project, the venue joined Rectitude’s managed NOC, which provides 24/7 network monitoring, remote remediation and on-site dispatch when required. We also provide on-site engineering support for major events in the period immediately following a network deployment.

Can Rectitude support venues outside of Texas? 

Rectitude provides managed IT and engineering services nationally, including venues and client sites across all 50 states. The firm’s active client base includes locations in markets well outside its Texas headquarters.