Meet Japanese Companies with Quality

Jack of All IT Kobe Digital Labo Inc. IP

Website: Kobe Digital Labo Inc.
Category: IT

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From ICT to cyber-security and IoT, Kobe Digital Labo has been riding the leading edge of IT since 1995

Since its founding in 1995, Kobe Digital Labo Inc. has ridden the leading edge of IT development. From web systems to Internet of Things (IoT) applications, big data analysis and cyber security, its dedicated security solutions, advanced technology and ICT (information and communications technology) business divisions collaborate seamlessly to offer optimum solutions.

Masakazu Muraoka, Director and General Manager of Kobe Digital Labo’s Business Creation Division, says the company’s status as a medium-sized enterprise gives it the best advantages of both start-ups and major corporations. “We have the ability to move swiftly and launch new business ideas like a start-up while at the same time possessing the financial resources of a large company,” he explains.

The Proactive Defense web assessment service lineup; courtesy of Kobe Digital Labo Inc.

In-house Specialists Spanning Multiple Aspects of IT

The Kobe-based company’s fast reaction capabilities are enabled by a multi-specialist team structure. Data scientists and hardware specialists work alongside programmers to enable comprehensive solutions, connecting everything from hardware to cyber security. Kobe Digital Labo’s Proactive Defense cyber security solutions not only react to security breaches, but include consultation beginning from policy-setting, security requirements and incident response manuals. The company’s “white hat” hackers further diagnose weak points in client systems and provide a comprehensive analysis to enable their elimination.

An overview of Kobe Digital Labo Inc.’s business domain; courtesy of Kobe Digital Labo Inc.

Forecasting the Future with Relatedness Technology

Kobe Digital Labo is also taking an original approach to big data analysis with its patented Relatedness Technology. Developed in conjunction with Associate Professor Ryoichi Shinkuma of Kyoto University, this technology predicts behavior by quantifying physical information expressed by movement history, geographic relation and potential relatedness among people, places, things and machines from online sources.

In a recent test conducted with Kirin Company, Limited, the technology was able to predict which drinks in vending machines would be chosen by consumers, with a 2 percent margin of error. “We see potential for this far beyond simply predicting consumer behaviour,” Muraoka says, adding that he hopes to reach out to government institutions for future applications.

Director and General Manager of Kobe Digital Labo Inc.’s Business Creation Division, Masakazu Muraoka.

Global Outlook for IT Solutions

With a subsidiary in Singapore, non-Japanese employees in its Kobe office and the recent initiation of an information technology assistance program for a technical school in Rwanda, the company is increasingly developing a global outlook.

Present clients range from major international corporations to government agencies, universities and research labs, and over the next few years, Muraoka says the company particularly aspires to hone its cyber security services through partnerships with Israeli firms, which he identifies as world leaders in the field, with the company joining the JETRO Innovation Program (JIP) to open doors to the market. “We are thinking of selling Israeli services here in Japan and also selling our services in Israel,” he says.

Within a decade, Muraoka hopes to expand the company’s security products and services to contribute to cyber security on a global scale. Just as the Internet has helped further global interaction, he says it’s “only natural” that Kobe Digital Labo be open to business around the world.

Based on interview in January 2017