Case Study: Western Carolina University scales for 50% enrollment growth and modernizes data-center operations with VMware

University Scales to Support North Carolina’s Promise to Increase Access to Higher Education

Western Carolina University (WCU), a technology-focused member of the UNC system with about 10,800 students, faced an anticipated 50% enrollment increase after North Carolina’s Promise Tuition Plan reduced tuition at select campuses. WCU needed to scale its data centers and digital workspace services quickly while maintaining security, high service quality, and managing fluctuating IT budgets without building new facilities.

WCU deployed a VMware stack (vSphere 6.5, NSX, vRealize Operations and Log Insight, Horizon, Site Recovery Manager) and engaged a VMware technical account manager to modernize operations, enable micro‑segmentation, automate disaster recovery, and provide proactive monitoring. The upgrades reduced admin time, strengthened security and compliance, delivered a 20‑minute RTO for tier‑A apps, avoided millions in data-center costs, enabled DR and virtual desktop services for other UNC schools, and saved more than $1.5 million in hardware, power, and cooling over ten years.

Western Carolina University

Patrick McGraw

Virtual Infrastructure & Tier Three Engineer