[AWS ceployment, operation and maintenance] Game information media site | Active Gaming Media

This time, we spoke with Mr. Kawase of Active Gaming Media Inc. about the background to their decision to introduce Beyond's cloud construction, operation and maintenance service, and his impressions after actually using the service

--Please tell us about your company's business

Kawase : We are involved in a wide range of businesses, combining games with global expansion. We provide a variety of localization services, including global PR services, customer support, and community management, all specializing in games, as well as publishing for game sales.

I am in charge of the media business department at AUTOMATON. AUTOMATON is a game media site that currently has two versions, one in Japanese and one in English, with a total of 10 to 15 million page views per month. AUTOMATON itself originally started as a personal blog, and there were issues with operating it as a corporate business, but once it began to grow, Beyond began supporting us

 

 

--Please tell us the background behind your decision to introduce our service

Mr. Kawase : Around the beginning of 2020, a media site built using a CMS came under a DDoS attack, making it impossible to view. Losing access to a news site is fatal. Our in-house engineers handled the initial response and restored the site, but it still faced risks. We realized at the time that although we have a variety of engineers in-house, our strengths in web operations were weak. We realized that we couldn't continue like this, so we began considering asking an external partner for help, and decided to use Beyond's services.

-How did you find out about Beyond?

Mr. Kawase : I found Beyond through a web search, and one of the things that initially attracted me was that their office was close to my company. At the time, I thought that if there was a problem, I could just go and ask them directly. In the end, I never had to go to their office for service issues or problems, so looking back, I don't think the location was an issue.

Ayuro Kawase, Division Manager, AUTOMATON, BtoC Business Division, Active Gaming Media Inc

What ultimately made you choose our company?

Mr. Kawase : When I requested a quote, it took a while for them to respond with their status of consideration. From a sales perspective, you want to get moving quickly once you've submitted a quote. However, I was also in charge of editing AUTOMATON and sales, and I was prioritizing various tasks, so I ended up making them wait. I felt sorry for them, but the person in charge was like, "It's fine as it is, we'll wait." When we wanted to move forward with the details, they said, "I'll listen, so let's talk directly," and when they decided to move forward, they moved forward, but they weren't pushy, and I felt that their response was balanced. They allowed me to communicate at my own pace, so I felt they were a generous company and made an immediate decision.

Looking back, I think it was a big deal that they said, "Let's talk in person." By actually coming to see me instead of by phone or email, I felt that they might come if something happened, and I felt that they would put their body on the line to support me in important times, which made me feel that they were very dedicated. I think that was encouraging to me

-What kind of services do you use Beyond's services for?

Mr. Kawase : We are requesting the maintenance and operation of the server for our game media website. Since the server has been separated from the one originally managed in-house, we are also requesting the construction of the new server.

--In what ways is Beyond being useful?

Kawase : First and foremost, the quality of their service is excellent . They respond quickly and clearly state whether they can help or not. I think it's very important not to leave any issues unresolved, and they've always done that very well.

When something happens during maintenance and operations, someone picks up the ball right away, and although the response time varies depending on the case, they clearly state whether they can do it or not, or whether they can do it or not. I think it's quite common for the discussion to just drift away, but I feel like they're proactively picking up the ball and responding. I sometimes ask for advice too, but they're always clear about what they know and don't know, without being vague, so I feel like this is a good fit for me, as I don't like ambiguity very much

Another thing I think is that the engineers are very nice . They're not particularly frank, but even when they give short answers, they'll say something like, "Not at all," which may not be necessary, but it makes me happy. I feel like people are responding properly, and most of the engineers are considerate of others, so I feel like it's okay to ask for advice. When I interact with them, I feel that they all have really good communication skills.

--Please tell us your impressions of using the service

Mr. Kawase : Beyond's maintenance and operation services are not highly dependent on individuals, and I feel that the quality of the service is guaranteed no matter who is there . I imagine there are shifts and the person in charge changes depending on the time, but everyone is able to pick up the baton and respond quickly, so I feel that they provide thorough in-house training.

Before signing a contract with Beyond, I was nervous about what I would do if something were to happen. However, since I started working with Beyond, they provide me with the psychological safety of knowing , so I can't imagine canceling my contract. They even set up a base in Canada to handle nighttime situations.

What is the reason you continue to provide our services?

Mr. Kawase : They protect our lifeline, so there's no reason for us to stop... (laughs)

--What do you expect from us in the future?

Kawase : I think the current quality of service itself is excellent, so I would like to see it maintained. As the company grows, I think it will invest in new things, but I think there is a tendency to not invest much in things that are working well. It would be sad if that caused the company to lose its footing and the quality of service to decline, and I think that the quality of operation is what many people trust, so I would like to see it maintained.

-Please tell us about your future business development plans

Kawase : AUTOMATON is a gaming information website and media born in Japan, but the English version is growing rapidly in Europe and the US, and although it's still some way off, it's possible that the English version will overtake the Japanese version. When that happens, we'll need to consider things like servers.

In the future, AUTOMATON will not only be a news site, but we are also considering creating special landing pages and mini-games within the site, so we will be able to develop it as a web service with a variety of functions. Whatever we do, there will probably be some parts that we will ask Beyond for help with when it comes to actually implementing it, so we hope to continue working together

--Thank you for your valuable insights today!