[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-san: We conduct a wide range of businesses, such as games and global expansion. We provide various localization services, including global PR services specializing in games, customer support, and community management, as well as publishing games.

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, our media site, built with a CMS, was hit by a DDoS attack, resulting in the site becoming inaccessible. Inaccessibility for a news site is a critical issue. Our in-house engineers handled the initial response, and the site was restored, but it was still in a vulnerable state. We realized then that despite having various engineers within the company, we were weak in web operations. Feeling that this situation was unacceptable, we began considering seeking help from an external partner, and ultimately decided to use Beyond's services.

-How did you find out about Beyond?

Kawase-san: I found Beyond through a web search, and initially, one of the main attractions was that their office was close to our company. At the time, I thought that if there were any problems, I could at least go and ask them directly. In the end, I never had to go to their office for any service or trouble issues, so looking back, I realize that location didn't matter at all.

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

What ultimately made you choose our company?

Kawase-san: At the time, when I requested a quote, there was a considerable delay between the quote request and the response regarding the status of the consideration. From a sales perspective, you want to start moving quickly once a quote is provided. However, I was also involved in editing and sales for AUTOMATON, and I was prioritizing various tasks, which resulted in the situation where I kept you waiting. Although I felt sorry, the person in charge was like, "That's fine, we'll wait." When I tried to move forward with specific details, they said, "I'll listen, let's talk directly," and when I decided to move forward, they moved quickly, but without being pushy. I felt there was a balance in their approach. I was able to communicate at my own pace, so I felt that they were a company with great understanding, and I made a decision immediately.

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 server maintenance and operation for our game media website. Since we are separating it from the server that was originally managed in-house, we are also requesting that you handle the server setup at that time.

--In what ways is Beyond being useful?

Kawase-san:the high quality of their service. They are very quick to respond and clearly state whether they can handle the request or not. I think it's very important not to leave things ambiguous in communication, and they have consistently done that 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'd like to mention ishow nice the engineers are. They're not necessarily overly casual, but even in their concise responses, they'll use little phrases like "Not at all," which might not be necessary, but are appreciated. You feel like people are genuinely taking care of you, and many of the engineers are considerate of others, so you feel comfortable asking them for advice. I really feel that everyone has excellent communication skills when I interact with them.

--Please tell us your impressions of using the service

Kawase-san: I feel that Beyond's maintenance and operation servicesare not dependent on individual staff, and the quality of service is guaranteed no matter who is handling it. I assume there are shifts and the person in charge changes depending on the time, but everyone picks up the ball and responds properly, so I feel that the company has excellent training.

Before signing a contract with Beyond, I was always nervous about what would happen if something went wrong. However, since working with Beyond, Iof "psychological safety" knowing thatthere to help. So, I can't imagine canceling the contract. They even established a base in Canada for nighttime support.

What is the reason you continue to provide our services?

Kawase-san: They're protecting our essential infrastructure, so there's no reason for them to stop...(laughs)

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

Kawase-san: I think the current service quality is excellent, so I hope you will maintain it. As the company grows, I think you will invest in new things, but there seems to be a tendency not to invest much in things that are already working well. It would be sad if that caused your foundation to waver and the service quality to decline, and I think the quality of your operations is what has earned the trust of many people, so I would really like you to maintain it.

-Please tell us about your future business development plans

Mr. Kawase: AUTOMATON is a game information website and a media outlet that originated in Japan, but its English version is growing rapidly in Europe and America, and although it may be some time away, it is possible that the English version will overtake the Japanese version. When that happens, we will 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!