The technology currently used in the area of information security is based on encryption. VDI* and other such systems in typical use keep information (data) in the cloud and do not allow individual users to retain information, but such systems incur substantial management costs and impose exceedingly high levels of burden and responsibility on administrators and individual users. Additionally, it is anticipated that traditional encryption methods will become inadequate as quantum computing becomes more prevalent. In this connection, we see more and more companies and organizations adopting ZENMU Virtual Drive Enterprise Edition (ZEE), a home-grown tool based on the use of secret-sharing technology. This technology is similar to the method known as warifu, which was used for tax remittances during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). Depending on your point of view, you could describe this as a home-grown technology that updates an ancient Japanese method for modern times.
*VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure): System in which a virtual desktop environment built on a server is remotely provided to the terminal to be operated.

As with the concept of warifu, the idea that you can distribute data in such a way that a single fragment on its own is meaningless is itself simple. However, I believe that it’s very significant that we’ve come to the point where we can implement this idea using advanced technology developed by a domestic company.

Moreover, this is a home-grown technology that emerged through collaborative ties among industry, government, and academia. It would appear that this is a rare case in which a new home-grown security technology is created by way of a partnership between a start-up company and a national research institute.

While there are numerous examples of collaborative projects among industry, government, and academia, few such projects result in adoption and implementation by major companies. I believe this is a data security scheme that has emerged from an environment that is highly ideal for Japan. We expect to see this sort of home-grown technology scheme become widely implemented in society.

Thank you. It feels that we have finally come this far on a journey that began with Digital Nippon 2020, which was promoted by Diet member Hirai, that saw technology become enhanced through projects organized by or together with national research institutes AIST and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, and that later involved collaborations with several major companies in the industry. I believe that a major impetus behind this journey was a fundamental rethinking of the issues that arose after the idea that the security environment in Japan also had to change in response to the COVID-19 pandemic became firmly understood and accepted by everyone in the country.

During the height of COVID-19, we saw more cases of employees working from home and a significant increase in teleworking arrangements as well. Major companies nevertheless continued to use thin clients* managed with the use of internal servers. This setup was so slow and obviously restrictive that people are now reverting to the practice of having data kept on individual PCs.
*Thin client: No data is kept on the terminal; data is saved in the cloud using an option like VDI.

Right, so as we see people going back to using fat clients*, security concerns are going to emerge. In this connection, users can use fat clients without having to worry about data security by installing ZEE on their terminals. Since the data has been rendered meaningless, there is no risk of damage from the loss of an individual PC. We are proud of the fact that we have created an environment in which PCs can be used with peace of mind without having to make individual users responsible for security-related matters.
*Fat client: A terminal for which data is saved on the terminal in contrast to thin clients.

Secret sharing does not place a significant burden on the user, such that you can even say that it protects without the user being aware of it. You just cannot maintain the proper presence of mind if you feel that you simply cannot afford to lose your computer. If you can be assured that you will not have to deal with a worst-case scenario in the unlikely event that you do in fact lose your computer, you can enjoy a measure of comfort. Only such devices are feasible in a sustainable society.

And that is the key point of what we are doing here. Previously, we had to weigh the trade-off between security on the one hand and convenience on the other. If one was rated positively then the other one wasn’t. ZenmuTech managed to have both rated positively by using a traditional method known as secret sharing and have created a form of data security that can be likened to killing two birds with one stone.

I am presented with all sorts of data-security proposals all the time, but I certainly get the sense that proposals for which there are speed or convenience concerns are not favored by actual users in the field. In this respect, I figure that ZenmuTech’s products can be described as security tools that actual users love to use.

Thank you. Companies that have adopted our products have indicated that their work performance improved thanks to our security software as did their productivity.

Has there ever been a security product that enjoys support by end users? From the perspective of companies that use these products, it is easy to align such products with security policies from a management standpoint. IT departments find that it’s easier to manage what’s under their purview and users can use PCs casually. This is quite a rare state of affairs, isn’t it?

Yes, it is. I am confident that we offer data security that is good for all interested parties: management, the IT department, and end users.

If we focus on the future, the next stage will undoubtedly involve secret (confidential) computing. If we could reach the point where computing is possible even as data is in a distributed state, then this could be the technology that truly meets the demands of the times, including in terms of the early realization of DFFT* currently promoted by the government, through – for example – the development of new products based on the sharing of data across organizational boundaries.
*DFFT (data free flow with trust): A concept that aims to promote the free flow of data with trust.

We are currently working on secret computing. We have formed partnerships with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and national research institutes and a number of government R&D projects have been launched. We are moving forward each day with a view to making this a reality.

We hope to see ZenmuTech define a global standard with roots in Japan and become a leader in the field of security technology. A major reason why many Japanese start-ups fail to scale up is the fact that they only seek to meet the needs of the domestic market. As ZenmuTech is in possession of a valuable piece of technology, I would like to see it create a business model that reflects global ambitions.