Case Study: Goodstart Early Learning achieves submillisecond SQL performance and faster reporting with NetApp All Flash FAS

Goodstart Early Learning Giving Children the Best Possible Start

Goodstart Early Learning is Australia’s largest not-for-profit early‑learning provider, caring for about 71,500 children across 643 centres. The organisation relies on QikKids and SAP for core operations and analytics, but growing, I/O‑intensive financial reporting was degrading application performance and complicating IT support—threatening day‑to‑day childcare workflows and the CIO’s goal to keep technology focused on learning rather than troubleshooting.

Goodstart deployed NetApp All Flash FAS (AFF8020) systems with clustered Data ONTAP and SnapMirror to host its Microsoft SQL Server databases, running production and DR/test clusters on flash storage. The move delivered sub‑millisecond latency, ensured QikKids and SAP reports run faster without impacting other workloads, freed DBA time for strategic work, and sped up development and QA—supporting smoother centre operations and continued growth while maintaining high standards for early learning.

Goodstart Early Learning

Chris Williams

Team Leader, ICT Infrastructure and Applications