Cyber Security Cloud 
The Bridge
Image credit: Cyber Security Cloud
See the original story in Japanese.
Tokyo-based Cyber Security Cloud (CSC), the Japanese startup behind a cloud-based web application firewall (WAF) called Shadankun (originally called Kougeki Shadankun in Japanese), announced on Monday that it has partnered with Future Spirits to expand the solution into Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Future Spirits is a Japanese cloud solution company serving Southeast Asian markets through their regional subsidiary Future Spirits Asia, planning to sell the Shadanukun WAF solution in bundle with Future Spirit’s dedicated server or virtual private server solutions.
CSC has been specialized in developing cloud-based WAF solutions to secure cloud-based web servers, launching Shadankun in December of 2013. The service has seen a steady increase in clients, including NTT Docomo, ANA (All Nippon Airways) and SBI Securities, and has been adopted by 4,000 websites in about three and a half years since the launch as of September in 2017.
In response to our question about the latest trends on cyber attacks, CSC CEO Hikaru Ono told us that more than 1,121 cyber attacks had been detected on Future a Spirits Thailand’s corporate web server in February this year alone. To avoid these attacks, he said more preparation for server management and more secure coding efforts are needed. According to Future Spirits CEO Takahiro Tani, however, his company often receives requests for consulting or advice from Japanese companies in the Southeast Asia region after they face a security issue since many of them have no in-house IT personnel.
Image credit: Cyber Security Cloud
Regarding how to promote global expansion, both companies will focus on expanding into Japanese companies in the aforementioned markets first, subsequently set up local subsidiaries as their users increase. CSC and Future Spirits are planning to promote the Shadankun solution as prevention countermeasure for possible cyber attacks, especially to local subsidiaries of Japanese companies in need of adjusting their security level with that of their headquarters in Japan.
Future Spirits also considering provision of IT infrastructure consulting in addition to proposing security countermeasures with the Shadankun solution. The two are targeting to acquire 500 companies as users out of all 4,800 Japanese companies in the region within two years.
Established in August of 2010 (under the name of Amitie), CSC raised around 100 million yen (about $883K US) from Ambition, Legend Partners, Epsilon Group, Real World and SBI Investment plus other investors in January of 2016. In October of last year, the company launched WafCharm, which uses artificial intelligence to automatically apply a WAF signature (rule set) setting for websites hosted on Amazon Web Services.
Translated by Masaru Ikeda
Edited by “Tex” POmeroy
Masaru Ikeda
