HGTC Modernizes Infrastructure with Nutanix and Lenovo
About This Project
Horry–Georgetown Technical College
Client
65+
Academic Programs
Myrtle Beach, SC
Location
Partner Technologies Used
Nutanix Enterprise Cloud, AHV, Prism Central, Lenovo ThinkAgile HX, Oracle, Banner ERP, Cisco, VMware
Project Highlight
HGTC modernized its infrastructure with Nutanix and Lenovo, improving app performance, security, and saving over $1M in budget costs.
Overview
Horry–Georgetown Technical College (HGTC), a two-year community/technical college in Conway, South Carolina, serves thousands of students across 65+ academic programs. As student demand and application performance expectations increased, HGTC turned to eGroup Enabling Technologies to modernize its infrastructure.
The result: A hyperconverged Nutanix and Lenovo solution that eliminated latency and downtime, reduced operational costs by over $1 million, and unlocked new opportunities for innovation across the college’s IT environment.
Challenge
“We were getting calls from our end users nearly every day, complaining about the lag in our student applications and core Banner ERP system and its underlying Oracle database. Unfortunately, our legacy infrastructure was no longer able to meet the demands of our students, faculty, and administrators.”
HGTC’s previous IT environment was composed of aging HPE blade servers and a mix of Dell and Nimble storage systems spread across three sites. These legacy systems:
Frequently failed and caused performance issues
Produced daily complaints from users accessing the Banner ERP and Oracle database
Led to outages during high-demand periods, including student registration
“We didn’t just take eGroup’s advice to go with Nutanix and Lenovo and immediately change everything in our data center; we brought in other vendors and did additional assessments.”
John Dove (VP of Information Technology, HGTC)
Solution
HGTC worked with eGroup Enabling Technologies, a Master Level Nutanix Partner, to design and implement a new infrastructure built on:
Nutanix Enterprise Cloud with AHV virtualization
Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series hardware
Prism Central for unified management and visibility
The chosen solution was already on the South Carolina state contract, helping the college bypass long RFP delays.
“We used to receive help desk tickets every day from end-users working in the ERP system. Since moving to Nutanix and Lenovo, we haven’t received a single trouble ticket. Our end-users and students are much happier, and for those of us in IT, it was a lifesaver.”
Outcomes
Eliminated Latency and Downtime
Latency dropped from 4ms to 1–1.5ms
Banner ERP and student systems now run smoothly with zero help desk tickets
Over $1M Budget Avoidance and Ongoing Cost Savings
Avoided expensive legacy refresh
Reduced VMware licensing by over 50% by migrating workloads to AHV
Savings redirected to training and innovation
Simplified Management with Prism Central
“We now have full visibility across the environment. Deploying a server takes seconds. It’s night and day compared to our legacy stack.”
— Terry Quaresimo
Hands-On Boot Camp Accelerated Buy-In
Nutanix and eGroup conducted on-site training at HGTC
Enabled internal IT team to evaluate and champion the solution with confidence
Data Center Consolidation
Retired two satellite infrastructure sites
Centralized operations at the Conway data center
Reduced travel time and bandwidth consumption
More Strategic Projects in Motion
With infrastructure stabilized, HGTC is now exploring:
Cloud adoption
BYOD expansion
Enhanced Wi-Fi
ERP and voice system improvements
“We are now able to go down the path of improving our applications and enhancing the front-end, whereas previously we were just working to maintain things and keep the lights on,”
John Dove (VP of Information Technology, HGTC)
Why eGroup Enabling Technologies
With 30+ years of experience and a 100% customer satisfaction score, eGroup Enabling Technologies delivers:
Strategic infrastructure planning
Deep expertise in Nutanix, Lenovo, and virtualization
White-glove service and hands-on support
End-to-end modernization—from design to deployment to adoption
“The project’s success was due to the strong partnership between Nutanix, Lenovo, and eGroup Enabling Technologies, and the technical superiority of the hyperconverged solution.”
— John Dove, VP of IT, HGTC
“Modernizing our infrastructure while saving money—what more could a college president ask for?”
— Dr. Marilyn Fore, President, HGTC
Transform Your Campus IT with Confidence
Explore Our Infrastructure & Data Center Services to see how eGroup Enabling Technologies helps institutions like HGTC modernize with performance, simplicity, and cost savings in mind.
