The client
The Goddard School is a trusted leader in early childhood education, with a network of over 600 franchised schools across 37 states. The network, franchised by Goddard Systems Inc. (GSI), provides high-quality education and care to more than 75,000 children, from infants to kindergarteners.
GSI works hard to support its franchisees with innovative technology solutions, comprehensive operational frameworks, and a commitment to making sure every child receives exceptional care in a nurturing environment.
The challenge
As GSI’s network grew, so did the complexity of their IT infrastructure. Their school management systems and Azure cloud environment struggled to keep up with the growing demand, creating operational hurdles that needed immediate attention.
Delayed incident resolution frequently disrupted system availability, making it difficult for administrators to manage operations smoothly. As a result of their previous support provider’s reactive approach, critical issues went unresolved for extended periods, causing frustration for school operators and parents alike.
A lack of robust monitoring and predictive analytics left IT teams reacting to performance issues rather than preventing them, leading to operational blind spots. Slow response times in critical systems negatively impacted the educational experience, while inefficiencies in resource allocation drove up operational costs.
With mounting administrative strain and recurring service interruptions, the overall experience for Goddard’s students and parents suffered. It became clear that GSI needed an IT partner who could offer a forward-thinking approach and provide the support necessary to sustain their expanding network.
The solution
To tackle these challenges, GSI partnered with Just After Midnight to overhaul their IT infrastructure and provide a more resilient and responsive system.
Recognizing the critical need for reliable performance across their network, we introduced our signature 24/7 application support: this provided immediate response capabilities, ensuring that any technical issues – whether peak-hour system slowdowns or a critical system outage overnight – were resolved swiftly to minimize disruptions for school operators and staff.
Security was a top concern, so we deployed automated patch management systems to eliminate manual intervention, reduce human error, and ensure continuous compliance with security standards. This allowed GSI to maintain a secure IT environment without disrupting school operations, effectively addressing the common challenge of balancing security with uptime. It also ensured GSI stayed compliant with stringent sector regulations while reducing compliance complexity.
We also introduced a structured incident management framework to streamline problem resolution. This included clearly defined escalation procedures and comprehensive root cause analysis, enabling faster resolution times and preventing recurring issues that had previously frustrated franchisees.
To tackle performance bottlenecks, we rolled out advanced Application Performance Monitoring (APM) tools, offering granular insights into the performance of applications critical to school operations. These tools helped GSI identify and resolve system health issues and fine-tune for optimal performance.
The results
With these solutions in place, GSI saw significant improvements across their IT landscape.
They experienced a major boost in uptime, with fewer disruptions and franchisees having more reliable access to critical systems. Security was also greatly enhanced, with automated patching and continuous monitoring safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
Performance also improved dramatically with faster, more responsive applications and improved infrastructure efficiency, all while reducing operational costs.
Having a single, dependable managed service provider simplified IT operations, easing the pressure on internal teams and ensuring consistent service quality across all school locations. This allowed GSI to focus more on supporting their franchisees and delivering excellent education and care to children.
Thanks to these improvements, GSI can now confidently rely on their IT infrastructure to support their mission, knowing that their technology is in expert hands and ready to scale as their network continues to grow.
With 24/7 support, automated security, and proactive monitoring, GSI now operates with a more resilient and scalable system, ensuring seamless education delivery. If your school network faces similar challenges, get in touch to see how we can help.
