Fujitsu Develops World's First Cloud Platform to Leverage Big Data

Tokyo, August 30, 2011

Fujitsu today announced that it is currently developing a cloud platform-tentatively named the Convergence Services Platform-that will leverage "big data." Fujitsu will offer this platform in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011, followed by a phased service release.

The Convergence Services Platform is a PaaS platform that accumulates data collected from a variety of sensors or data that has already been collected, integrates it, processes it in real time, and uses it to make future projections. With the Convergence Services Platform, Fujitsu will be the first in the world to deliver a PaaS platform that can securely leverage different types of large data sets on one platform.

Through the use of this platform, customers can enhance the value of their products and services, quickly bring new information services businesses on line, and enhance collaboration by aggregating information from a particular region, thereby creating new value and bringing new dynamism to regional communities.

The Convergence Services Platform is a key technology to realize Fujitsu's vision of a secure and prosperous human-centric intelligent society by leveraging the power of information and communication technology (ICT). Going forward, Fujitsu is committed to do more than just offer ICT platforms-it strives to deliver comprehensive and focused convergence services, including with operations centers and expert staff that support the utilization of customer data to provide management of customers' new businesses and in diverse regions.

In recent years, as people's lives and the nature of business have become increasingly varied and complex, the requirements demanded of ICT increasingly extend beyond traditional industry boundaries into realms such as the efficient use of energy, the resolution of such urban problems as traffic jams, and the reduction of spending on healthcare. As its approach to contributing to resolving these types of issues and delivering new value, Fujitsu works to provide convergence services in which large volumes of data are collected, stored, analyzed, and integrated with knowledge in a feedback loop to society.

Fujitsu has been developing its Convergence Services Platform that is essential for making convergence services a reality. It is an integrated platform that can accumulate and analyze big data, process it in real time, and perform contextual processing of data⁽¹⁾. Fujitsu plans to be the first in the world to offer this type of Convergence Services Platform as a PaaS platform.

Features of the New Platform

1. Comprehensive service that integrates all required technologies

The platform integrates, via the cloud, all of the technologies required to leverage big data, including compound event processing⁽²⁾, parallel distributed processing, data compression and anonymization, and data mashups⁽³⁾.

2. Different types of large data sets can be integrated

Because different types of large data sets, including data collected from a variety of sensors, business transaction log data, text data, and binary streams⁽⁴⁾, can be integrated for a variety of purposes, it contributes to the creation of new value.

3. Delivery as a cloud service enables compatibility with all required computing resources

Depending on the requirements of the service employed, it can be used starting from even a small scale in terms of data volumes and number of servers employed. Only computing resources that are required are used, making for appropriate operational costs.

Platform Functions

The Convergence Services Platform is comprised of the following six-function suite.

1. Data collection and detection
   By applying rules to the data streaming in from sensors, an analysis of the current status can be performed and, based on that analysis, decisions can be made with navigation or other required procedures performed in real time.
2. Data management and integration
   A huge volume of diverse data in different formats constantly being collected from sensors is efficiently accumulated and managed through the use of technology that automatically categorizes the data for archive storage.
3. Data analysis
   The huge volume of accumulated data is quickly analyzed using a parallel distributed processing engine to create value through the analysis of past data, future prediction, or simulations.
4. Information application
   Using service mashup technology, the analytical results from the platform are integrated with multiple web services to easily create new navigation services. The analysis and judgment results are made visible and used to inform recommendations⁽⁵⁾ that are made to support end users.
5. Data exchange
   Using data federation⁽⁶⁾ technology in which the data can be accessed in compliance with authorizations, secure data convergence among tenants (customers) is available in the required format when needed.
6. Development support and operational management
   Development support functions and operations management functions for the entire platform are provided in a user portal. As a result, all development resources can be managed and operated in an integrated manner.

Delivery Formats for the Platform

The Convergence Services Platform is expected to be provided in the following three formats.

• Integration format: Fujitsu provides the platform as a PaaS and develops the customer's proprietary applications on the platform
• Application services format: Fujitsu provides each type of application service (such as SPATIOWL⁽⁷⁾) via the platform
• Data format: Fujitsu utilizes the environment for analyzing the customer's data as well as the data accumulated on the platform