Zeal Supports Okinawa Development Finance Corporation in Building a 'Sustainable Data Analytics Platform' for AI Readiness and Provides Localized Talent Development

Zeal Corporation (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President: Yoshiyuki Numata; hereinafter 'Zeal'), a company under the Avant Group that develops digital transformation (DX) promotion businesses, has supported the Okinawa Development Finance Corporation (hereinafter 'Okinawa Finance') in advancing its data utilization. This support included building a data analytics platform using Azure Data Factory and Databricks, implementing Microsoft Power BI, and providing hands-on training to foster self-sufficient data-literate talent. We are pleased to announce the publication of this case study.

Details of the implementation at Okinawa Development Finance Corporation: https://www.zdh.co.jp/customer/okinawakouko/

▼ Reasons for Choosing Zeal

• Proposed a "sustainably growing data analytics platform" centered on Azure Databricks, with a view toward future data expansion and AI utilization.
• Provided integrated, practical support by embedding experts into the field to understand the Corporation's unique data and business logic, covering both platform construction and talent development.

▼ Effects and Achievements

• Realized an environment where business departments can acquire and analyze necessary data at any time without relying on the IT department.
• Reduced the annual 4,000-hour workload previously required by the IT department for report creation by 1,300 hours.
• Following training, staff created reports and dashboards ready for business use, with plans for company-wide deployment.

【Background and Challenges】

Formulating the 'Okinawa Finance DX Strategy' and prioritizing 'Advanced Data Utilization'

As the only comprehensive policy-based financial institution in Okinawa, the Okinawa Finance Corporation plays a central role in government financial services and supports regional development. With 220 employees across five locations, including the Naha headquarters and remote islands, they provide localized one-stop services.

In March 2023, the corporation formulated the "Okinawa Finance DX Strategy." To translate their commitment to regional development into tangible results, they identified "advanced data utilization" as a key priority.

The corporation faced several barriers: business departments struggled to access data in a timely manner, and siloed legacy systems forced the IT department to spend approximately 4,000 hours annually on system engineering tasks. Additionally, the existing systems had limitations in extracting historical data, creating a need for a more flexible environment capable of advanced time-series analysis.

【Key Adoption Points】

Adopting 'Azure Databricks' for the data platform and 'Microsoft Power BI' for analysis tools.