Providing one-stop video streaming services, including content production, distribution systems, and website creation

I belong to the Sales Promotion Department at MS&AD InterRisk Research Institute. Around late February 2020, we were assigned a mission to deliver a video seminar on COVID-19 countermeasures within one month to customers of Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., Ltd. and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Co., Ltd., the Group’s two major non-life insurers.

Our department primarily manages commissioned operations from these insurers and had little involvement in digital-related work. Although we had conducted many seminars, most were in person, and we had virtually no experience with web seminars. We therefore searched online for video streaming platform providers and spoke with three companies.

Among them, NTT SmartConnect stood out for the clarity of its explanations and its responsiveness. After preparing a comparison chart, we concluded that “SmartSTREAM” offered extensive experience while keeping both initial and operational costs reasonable, making it a practical and accessible choice for implementation.

In April 2022, the Digital Innovation Division was established. I serve as General Manager of the Digital Marketing Group within the DX Promotion Department. On-demand distribution of seminar videos is an important asset in digital marketing. Accordingly, in April 2022, the responsibilities previously handled by the Sales Promotion Department were transferred to the Digital Marketing Group.

Thanks to the foundation established by the Sales Promotion Department, our video distribution operations are now running smoothly. Following the transition, we built structured workflows within the Digital Marketing Group and now carry out our operations in a systematic manner.

“SmartSTREAM” presents no operational issues whatsoever, and its management interface is highly user-friendly. There is no time lag from uploading to distribution, nor any viewing stress. It has effectively become embedded as an indispensable tool in our daily operations.

As we hold seminars frequently, we distribute an average of three videos per week. In addition, we produce many videos for internal use. For example, we utilize on-demand distribution for new employee recruitment and for employees who were unable to attend events.

Internal use began on April 2, 2020, just before the state of emergency declaration. At the time, the idea emerged that the external streaming setup might also be applied internally, and we moved quickly to implement it. We distributed videos via “SmartSTREAM” to support remote work. In that sense, we began working together at precisely the right time.

Having just transferred from Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance at the time, I found the organization to be highly proactive in pursuing digital transformation. Behind this was the dramatic shift in working styles triggered by COVID-19. On-demand distribution that allows viewing anytime and anywhere has become a baseline requirement. Meeting the level of service our customers expect is a given; the real differentiator lies in how quickly and how effectively we can deliver quality. Even from that perspective, we have no complaints about “SmartSTREAM.” The fact that we receive virtually no complaints from customers or internal stakeholders speaks for itself.