Zeal Provides Hands-on, Region-Specific Support for Okinawa Development Finance Corporation to Build a 'Sustainable Data Analytics Platform' with AI Readiness and 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 provided hands-on support to the Okinawa Development Finance Corporation (hereinafter 'Okinawa Finance') to realize advanced data utilization. This included building a data analytics platform using Azure Data Factory and Databricks, introducing Microsoft Power BI, and fostering self-sufficient data-literate talent. We are pleased to announce the publication of this implementation case study.

Details of the implementation case at Okinawa Development Finance Corporation:

https://www.zdh.co.jp/customer/okinawakouko/

▼ Reasons for choosing Zeal

・Proposed a 'sustainable data analytics platform' centered on Azure Databricks, designed with future data expansion and AI utilization in mind.

・Provided integrated, practical support by embedding into the field for both platform construction and talent development, ensuring a deep understanding of the corporation's unique data and business logic.

▼ 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 workload of approximately 4,000 hours previously spent by the IT department on report creation by 1,300 hours.

・Following training, staff successfully created reports and dashboards 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, Okinawa Finance handles the operations of government-affiliated financial institutions in the prefecture and supports Okinawa's development through unique financial assistance programs. With 220 employees across five locations, including the head office in Naha and remote islands, they provide localized one-stop services across a vast region.

In March 2023, they formulated the 'Okinawa Finance DX Strategy' to advance digitalization. A key priority for translating their commitment to Okinawa's development into tangible results was the 'advancement of data utilization.'

Several barriers existed in promoting this advancement. Business department staff struggled to obtain and use data in a timely manner, and due to siloed legacy system designs, the IT department was spending approximately 4,000 hours annually on system engineering tasks. Furthermore, the existing system had limitations in extracting data from specific points in the past, creating a need for an environment capable of more flexible and advanced time-series analysis.

【Key Factors for Adoption】

Adoption of 'Azure Databricks' for the data analytics platform and 'Microsoft Power BI' for analysis tools.