SEOUL, KOREA -With the beginning of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2014, eyes are also on large-scale international events, which are scheduled to take place on the sidelines of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, often referred to as the ICT Olympics.
The Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) Software Testing & Certification Laboratory will display Good Software(GS)-certified software products developed by 16 companies at 2014 World IT Show so as to help rekindle interest in Korean software among the 16 Korean software developers are Hankyung I-Net and Metabuild. The GS certification is S. Korea’s official software quality certification system, designed to tell excellent software apart from other mediocre products through strict testing. Thus, it is fair to say that the quality of GS-certified homegrown software has already been proven.
Employing a ‘selection and concentration’ strategy, Hankyung I-Net has grown rapidly, posting over KRW 12 billion in annual sales.
Hankyung I-Net, a S. Korea-based software developer specializing in system integration (SI) and network maintenance and repair, is the developer of the GS-certified Smart Rack; the M-Prime and the U-Prime (both are currently going through tests in a bid to bear the GS mark); and the Smart PDU (a power distribution unit).
“Despite unfavorable IT market conditions, we could manage to gross over KRW 12 billion in sales just five years after the inception of Hankyung I-Net thanks to our ‘selection and concentration’ strategy,” said Tae Hyo-sik, CEO of Hankyung I-Net. Hankyung I-Net has selected proper business projects and concentrated on the selected projects and customers I order to build trust with customers, thereby putting itself on the fast-track to growth. CEO Tae, however, refused to coast. He continued to sink his teeth into R&D (research and development) and the development of new products: he has set up a research institute, resultantly succeeding in the commercialization of the Smart Rack and the Smart PDU.
The Smart Rack, an amalgam of mechanical engineering and information technology
The Hankyung I-Net Smart Rack, regarded as a next-generation rack solution, is one of the ‘convergence’ products, a megatrend sweeping the global IT world. The Smart Rack is an all-in-one rack control system featuring a server rack equipped with a self cooling system. The A/C inside the rack helps maintain the stability of internal IT devices. Since there is no need for installing a separate cooling system, data processing rooms will have more space once the Smart Rack has been installed. In addition, the Smart Rack enables real-time monitoring, responses to glitches and the efficient management of equipment.
As the excellence of the Smart Rack has already been acknowledged in overseas markets, Hankyung I-Net’s overseas market entry is projected to accelerate in the future. Hankyung I-Net has already signed an MoU with Bhutan to strategically share technologies. Since the easy-to-install Smart Rack flaunts affordable installation costs and takes up smaller space than its rivals, it has been in the spotlight. However, rather than going after reaping short-term profits from the sale of its products, Hankyung I-Net is planning to help Bhutan nurture its IT talent through technology transfer because Hankyung I-Net believes that assisting Bhutan in developing information technology will help lay the foundation for developing a lasting bond with Bhutan.
Impressed by Hankyung I-Net’s caring and humane management philosophy, many other Southeast Asian nations are increasingly showing an interest in Hankyung I-Net’s products. Thus, things are looking up for Hankyung I-Net’s future overseas market entry.
Hankyung I-Net’s another strength lies with SI and network maintenance and repair, the two key areas of Hankyung I-Net’s business that have helped catapult Hankyung I-Net’s technologies to where they are today. At the moment, Hankyung I-Net is managing 289 major research networks in and outside the nation; its SI and network maintenance and repair business has continued to serve as a driving force behind Hankyung I-Net’s sustainable growth.
Hankyung I-Net’s people-centered management philosophy
With the recent launch of a new product, Hankyung I-Net has obtained various certifications and won numerous accolades, such as the SMBA (Small and Medium Business Administration) Administrator’s Citation, the MOTIE (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy) Minister’s Citation, etc. Yet CEO Tae reiterated his management philosophy, saying, “Not to become a slacker sitting on his laurels, I will use my brains, take action and take a second look at things.” He also attributed the company’s latest achievements to his hard-working employees.
CEO Tae’s appreciation of his employees’ hard work is mirrored in Hankyung I-Net’s corporate culture. Hankyung I-Net has casual Wednesdays when employees, regardless of rank, are also allowed to get off work at 5:40 pm for some quality family time. What’s more, employees working with Hankyung I-Net for over a year are eligible for five days of paid holidays, two consecutive weeks of holidays and additional vacation bonuses.
“The early days of Hankyung I-Net were far from smooth sailing. So I thought that group cohesiveness would deteriorate if I didn’t create an employee-friendly corporate culture,” said CEO Tae. He was right. The creation of an employee-friendly corporate culture enhanced work efficiency, reduced turnover rates and boosted revenue creation.
Hankyung I-Net has set a goal of achieving KRW 100 billion in sales within four years. “We will continuously have our products GS-certified and invest for business stabilization. In line with our well-thought-out long-term growth strategy, we will focus on laying the groundwork for increasing sales by over 100%,” CEO Tae added.
Metabuild, a Korean software developer who ranks 1st in domestic market share
Many nations are benchingmarking against the S. Korea government’s Government 3.0 vision, which allows wider public access to government data. Metabuild’s MESIM Indigo ESB (Enterprise Service Bus), one of the key infrastructure technologies for the Government 3.0 vision, has been used by the Ministry of Security and Public Administration, the Ministry of National Defense, Korea Expressway Corporation, Incheon International Airport Corporation, Seoul National University, Nonghyup (NH), etc. Metabuild’s MESIM Indigo ESB -- which boasts excellent high-volume data processing, perfect data transmission, high-dimensional monitoring and the provision of convenient development tools -- has been viewed as an important cog in the Government 3.0.
The MESIM Indigo ESB takes center stage in the Government 3.0
The functionality, performance, convenience and stability of the GS-certified MESIM Indigo ESB have outwitted its rivals, both domestic and foreign, in ESB BMTs (benchmark tests). As a result, the GS-certified MESIM Indigo ESB has been supplied to nearly 2,500 customers, including government agencies and financial institutions, thus taking the largest piece of the domestic ESB pie.
“The MESIM Indigo ESB’s major features include data integration and relay; data format transformation; protocol conversion; service orchestration; data conformity; message routing, message monitoring; and various built-in adapters,” said Cho Poong-yeon, CEO of Metabuild
Besides, since The MESIM Indigo ESB is a highly scalable integration infrastructure solution featuring a service-oriented SOA (Service Oriented Architecture), it can turn a variety of application systems and data, held by companies or the government, into services based on web service standards and also can produce and utilize new services. By doing so, it enables swift responses to changes in customer needs and the business environment.
The Smart-IDS, the world’s first radar-based road traffic information system
Metabuild has developed the world’s first radar-based road traffic information system ‘Smart-IDS,’ which uses radar in detecting cars and rockfalls on the road and monitors the occurrence of sudden incidents.
“The Smart-IDS is capable of detecting all the incidents occurring within 1km ahead of it in real time, such as rockfalls, standing vehicles, cars travelling in the opposite direction of the other cars on the lane, passengers and wild animals. Ad it provides road safety managers and drivers with the information to prevent traffic accidents,” CEO Cho said.
In fact, the Smart-IDS has been put to good use in a pilot ‘smart highway’ section of Gyeongbu Express Way. The installation of the Smart-IDS will be gradually expanded starting from 2015.
Metabuild’s other attention-worthy products include the MESIM Indigo IoT Platform, the MESIM Indigo GCS (a solution for controlling unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) from the ground), a radar technology supporting a next-generation intelligent traffic environment, a WAVE-based wireless communication technology that furnishes drivers with information in real time. Metabuild is consistently developing technologies in response to rapid changes in the IT market.
Metabuild is determined to score a success.
“Metabuild has been keen on exporting its products to overseas markets,” said CEO Cho. Metabuild is pressing on with the export of the MESIM Indigo ESB and EAI (the No.1 products in the domestic market in terms of market share) through its US branch and agencies in China, Southeast Asian nations, Brazil, etc. Also, Metabuild has been participating in the International Road & Traffic Expoin order to expose the Smart-IDS to intentional buyers.
The goal of Metabuild’s management is ‘success.’ Metabuild is growing into a pioneer in the development of IoT software platforms. It is now determined to explore new markets by pushing for the standardization, mass production and economic efficiency of its successful convergence technologies (e.g. radar-based traffic information systems and UAV control technology), with a view to equipping roads, the airways, national defense systems, etc. in and outside the nation with its various solutions in large quantities.
By Kim Yu-na(yuna@koreaittimes.com)
