Executive Summary

Grand Valley State University (GVSU) sought to modernize its academic research computing infrastructure while reducing IT overhead and improving student accessibility. With an aging on-premise virtual lab system, increasing demands from faculty and students, and resource-intensive IT management, GVSU needed a solution that provided scalability, efficiency, and ease of use. By partnering with Propeller, GVSU successfully transitioned its Engineering School to a fully managed cloud-based virtual desktop environment, significantly improving performance, accessibility, and IT efficiency. They plan to transition the rest of the campus to Propeller in May 2025. 

1. The Challenge: Balancing Growth with IT Constraints

GVSU faced multiple challenges that made sustaining their existing virtual desktop infrastructure increasingly difficult:

• Aging On-Premise Infrastructure: The university relied on an internally managed Windows-based virtual lab environment that demanded extensive IT resources for software updates, maintenance, and provisioning.
• High IT Workload & Limited Resources: With a small team handling virtual machine provisioning, software updates, and patch management, IT staff struggled to keep up with the growing demands of the university’s research and academic computing needs. As Eric Bellmore, Director of Academic Research Computing at GVSU, noted, “We have three or four folks managing images, app deployments, updates, and patches across eight colleges. It’s a lot to handle.”
• Scalability Issues Amidst Growing Enrollment: The rapid expansion of GVSU’s computer science and cybersecurity programs meant that the university needed to support a growing number of students without additional physical lab space.
• Performance Bottlenecks for Engineering & Research: Engineering students required high-performance computing (HPC) for complex simulations. Their existing infrastructure forced students to wait up to four hours for computations to complete. “One of the best things that’s come so far is hearing from our students that this project that was taking three and four hours previously is now taking 20 minutes,” Bellmore explained.
• Accessibility Challenges for Students & Faculty: Lab-dependent software limited students’ ability to complete coursework remotely, creating barriers to learning for hybrid and online students.

2. The Solution: A Fully Managed Cloud-Based Virtual Desktop Platform

To address these challenges, GVSU implemented Propeller’s cloud-based virtual desktop solution, which provided:

• Fully Managed Virtual Lab Infrastructure: Propeller took over the complexities of virtual machine provisioning, software packaging, and ongoing system maintenance for the College of Engineering.
• Persistent Windows & Linux Virtual Desktops: Students could seamlessly switch between different computing environments, reducing the need for multiple software configurations.
• Cloud Scalability with AWS Integration: By leveraging AWS-based workloads, GVSU eliminated hardware constraints, ensuring reliable performance and reducing IT overhead.
• High-Performance Computing (HPC) Capabilities: Propeller enabled seamless integration with GVSU’s HPC cluster, allowing engineering students and researchers to offload computationally intensive tasks. Bellmore emphasized the impact: “We have researchers setting up their models in Propeller, and then when they’re ready to run it, it kicks over to our high-performance computing environment. It’s seamless.”
• Remote Access to Specialized Applications: Students gained on-demand access to industry-grade software such as Ansys, and SolidWorks removing the constraints of physical lab locations.

3. Measurable Results: Increased Efficiency, Lower Costs, and Improved Accessibility

✅ Significant Time Savings for Students:

• Engineering simulations that previously took 4+ hours now complete in 20 minutes using GPU-backed virtual desktops.
• Students can work on assignments anytime, anywhere, without being restricted by lab availability. Bellmore highlighted the shift: “They can now log in from home and not have to come into campus to find a machine to do their work.”

✅ Enhanced IT Efficiency & Resource Optimization:

• Eliminated the need for IT staff to manually provision 500-600 virtual machines per semester.
• Software updates and patches now deploy in under 48 hours, compared to weeks under the previous system.
• IT staff can now focus on strategic initiatives rather than routine maintenance.

✅ Cost Savings & Infrastructure Reduction:

• Avoided a six-figure capital investment in new on-premise infrastructure by shifting to a scalable cloud-based model.
• Projected to free up three full-time IT staff members once in full production who were previously dedicated to virtual lab management.

✅ Seamless Faculty & Student Adoption:

• Faculty initially hesitant about the transition became strong advocates after experiencing improved performance and ease of use.
• Integrated OneDrive support simplified file storage and collaboration for students.

✅ Long-Term Strategic Impact & Future Expansion:

• GVSU plans to extend Propeller usage to additional departments, including biology, geosciences, and business analytics.
• As part of the continued modernization and digital transformation strategy, GVSU is optimizing physical and virtual computing environments and finding Propeller to be a great fit.

4. Conclusion: A Scalable and Future-Ready Academic Computing Environment

GVSU’s adoption of Propeller’s cloud-based virtual desktop solution marks a pivotal step in modernizing the university’s academic computing infrastructure. By eliminating IT bottlenecks, improving accessibility, and enabling scalable high-performance computing, GVSU has positioned itself as a leader in higher education digital transformation.

Looking ahead, GVSU plans to further integrate Propeller’s capabilities across multiple disciplines, ensuring that students, faculty, and researchers have access to cutting-edge technology that supports academic success and innovation.