Catawba Valley Health System Success Story
Breaking Free from the Microsoft Support Bottleneck
Success Story Overview
Catawba Valley Health System (CVHS) is one of North Carolina’s few remaining independent healthcare systems. With a central hospital and 30 ambulatory practices, its IT team supports more than 2,500 employees across the state. At the heart of that team is Daniel Whitener, who oversees server infrastructure, networking, security, and desktop support—all critical functions that power daily operations in a demanding, patient-focused environment.
When Microsoft Unified Support became more of a liability than an asset, CVHS made the leap to US Cloud. The results have been transformative.
Quick Stats
Organization: Catawba Valley Health System
Location: North Carolina (United States)
Industry: Healthcare
Size: Large (1,000 – 10,000 employees)
Why They Replaced Unified: Poor service, low proactive support, ineffective communication, time zone issues
Challenges
Despite having a capable internal IT team, Microsoft’s sluggish and disconnected support experience became a recurring obstacle. The team submitted only three support tickets in a year—largely due to how unproductive the engagement process had become.
- Poor responsiveness from Microsoft Unified Support: Average closure time per ticket was ~90 days.
- Lack of time zone-aligned support: Responses often arrived outside of CVHS work outs, slowing progress.
- Low-quality communication: Language barriers and unclear written responses frustrated the internal team.
- Minimal proactive engagement: Most support was reactive, with little collaboration or insight.
- Employee hesitation to submit tickets: Past negative experiences led to internal delays in reaching out for help.
- Cost vs. value imbalance: The high price of Unified Support delivered diminishing returns.
A Lightbulb Moment: “Wait—There’s an Alternative?”
Experts at CVHS first heard about US Cloud through a podcast—a moment they now describes as a turning point.
Despite some internal nervousness about moving away from the original vendor, the IT team agreed: support couldn’t possibly get worse. What they didn’t expect was just how much better it could get.
From Bottleneck to Breakthrough: The US Cloud Experience
The onboarding process with US Cloud was smooth, fast, and deeply collaborative.
What stood out most to the CVHS team was how seamlessly US Cloud blended into the CVHS team culture.
“It feels like I’m working with people on my own team. Communication is natural. You’re not just a vendor—we talk like we work in the same office.”
In just a few weeks, CVHS had opened as many tickets with US Cloud as they had in an entire year with Microsoft—and with better outcomes. Response times improved dramatically. Communication became clear and consistent. Support techs were knowledgeable, responsive, and easy to engage with.
Lasting Impact
The switch to US Cloud unlocked a dramatic improvement in both speed and support quality for Catawba Valley Health System. What was once a source of frustration and delay is now a responsive, reliable partner that empowers their IT team to act faster, solve issues proactively, and support the organization more effectively. Here’s how US Cloud third-party Microsoft support positively influenced the IT infrastructure at CVHS:
- Ticket resolution speed: Increased from months to days—or even hours.
- Team engagement: Support requests are now encouraged, not avoided.
- Operational velocity: Faster troubleshooting and deployments.
- Strategic reach: Considering expanding support access to more staff, including help desk.
- Confidence in support: No longer a bottleneck—now a strategic advantage.
Conclusion
Switching from Microsoft Unified Support to US Cloud has been a game-changer for Catawba Valley Health System. What started as a leap of faith has become a trusted partnership that’s unlocked real, measurable IT improvements across the organization.
For healthcare organizations that rely on secure, reliable, and fast-moving IT systems, responsive support isn’t a luxury—it’s mission-critical. With US Cloud, CVHS finally found the support partner they always needed.
Ready to reclaim your IT momentum? Let’s talk about replacing Microsoft Unified Support with US Cloud.
| Support Benefit | Before US Cloud (Microsoft Unified Support) | After US Cloud (Third-Party Microsoft Support) |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket Response Time | ~1 response per day (often at 2:00 AM ET) | Multiple responses per day during working hours |
| Ticket Resolution Time | Average ~90 days | Resolved within days (sometimes same day) |
| Communication Quality | Poor; language barriers and unclear written responses | Significantly clearer responses; seamless communication |
| Proactive Engagement | Limited and inconsistent | Fast, proactive, in-time-zone support |
| Support Team Integration | Felt disconnected; “vendor on the other side of the world” | Feels like an extension of internal IT team |
| Employee Willingness to Engage | Low; engineers hesitant to open tickets | High; engineers and help desk now encouraged to open tickets |
| Support Portal/Process | Slow, rigid, and frustrating | Streamlined and easy to use |
| Operational Impact | Bottleneck to productivity and deployment | Accelerated problem-solving and project delivery |
| Value for Cost | Poor ROI; expensive with little usable benefit | Cost-effective with high satisfaction and real results |
| Escalation Path to Microsoft | Available but slow and difficult to leverage | Maintained through US Cloud, but rarely needed |
