What Makes up the Physical Infrastructure Supporting Content Production at Sega Sammy?
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Aiming to Build a Top-Class Network What makes up the physical infrastructure supporting content production at Sega Sammy? Sega Sammy Holdings Inc., a company involved in visual content and games, took the opportunity of a relocation to construct a high-speed and stable network foundation. How did the company construct "an environment capable of expansion and growth for 5 to 10 years to come"? As visual content increases in resolution to 4K and 8K, greater capacity is increasingly required of networks as well. While wireless network offices have expanded among companies in general, for industries that develop and produce voluminous visual content and game content, wired networks that offer high stability and are suited to high-speed lines are vital. Sega Sammy Holdings engages in a wide range of businesses, including the production of many hit digital entertainment titles such as "SEGA Pocket Club Manager powered by Football Manager" (known as "Sakatsuku") and "Ryū ga Gotoku" (also known as "Yakuza") , as well as game machine and resort businesses. To energize human resource interactions and effective group management, between August 2018 and February 2019 the company consolidated its head office functions in an office in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo. The company also took the opportunity to reconstruct its network, building a 10 Gbps wired network covering all 12 of its floors. This article introduces know-how for achieving high-speed networks, taking Sega Sammy Holdings as a case study. Consolidating the Group Office to Achieve the Mission "Continuing to Create Moving Experiences" The Sega Sammy Group engages in the entertainment business under a mission of "Continuing to Create Moving Experiences." The company's three businesses are encompassing Sammy’s pachislot and pachinko machine business; entertainment contents business which focuses on SEGA Group’s digital game business, includes amusement machine development and facility operation, development of video contents and toys; and resort business, which is represented by the development and operation of hotels. With the aim of horizontally deploying know-how across business categories, the company made the decision to integrate its Group headquarters. In February 2019, it consolidated creators and engineers working in amusement machine, visual content, game content, pachinko, and other businesses into one location. Executive Officer Takaharu Kato, who heads the IT Solution Division at Sega Sammy Holdings, described the consolidation as follows. "Our various business companies has been scattered around the Tokyo metropolitan area. At the same time, the term 'inter-business synergy' is increasingly heard in connection with digitization, and joint work among our companies and businesses was increasing. In response, with 'Continuing to Create Moving Experiences' as our goal, we consolidated 20 companies and about 6,500 employees into one location, and Takaharu Kato, Sega Sammy Holdings are now working to create synergies and stimulate the Group." Achieving a 10 Gbps Telecommunications Environment on All Floors to Address the Growing Volume of Digital Content For the new office and its aim of creating group synergy, a stable high-speed network was essential. Despite this, as needs and policies differ by business company, the company had to construct an environment that satisfies each of these. Among the businesses, the entertainment content business segment that handles digital games and visual content had a particularly great need for the network. Digital games are expected to shift to 4K and 8K ultra-high-resolution visuals. The business segment would not be able to adapt to this future without preparing several broadband network environments. "We figured that constructing a high-speed wired network across large floors where about 6,500 employees work was something we could only do now, while relocating offices. As a foundation for business that can continue to expand and grow for the next five or ten years, we wanted to build the highest-class network that we can imagine now, and hand that forward to future employees," said Kato. The main users of the wired networks are the digital content-related development departments on each floor, where developers and creators use dedicated workstations. Enabling these wired networks are Panduit's UTP (unshielded twisted pair) cables that support Category 6A telecommunication speeds of 10 Gbps and higher. On 12 office floors with a size of about 5,490 square meters each, the company ran Yasuyuki Komiya, Sega Sammy Holdings approximately 1.6 million meters, or 1,600 kilometers, of cable to support the production of high-resolution content. Yasuyuki Komiya, head of the Network Section of the Platform Department in the IT Solution Division of Sega Sammy Holdings, described this as follows. "Considering that digital games will evolve to 4K and 8K, we can't secure bandwidth with the 1 Gbps telecommunication speeds of Category 5e and Category 6. So, with an eye toward the future, we adopted Category 6A. Panduit has an extensive track record of adoption in data centers. Looking five or ten years ahead, Panduit's 25-year warranty for its wiring systems was one of the points we rated highly," said Komiya. Adopting Ceiling Grids and 2-Post Racks to Reduce Operational Load In constructing the new office network, the company selected a partner in Panasonic Life Solutions Networks Co., Ltd., which has extensive experience in large-scale installations. The company performed construction of the environment and installation in two stages, with the first extending from March 2018 through full-scale relocation in August, and the second occurring in February 2019. The company faced extremely difficulties, such as addressing the individual requirements and security policies of 20 Group companies, but overcame these through a cooperative structure between the construction team and Panasonic Life Solutions Networks. During construction, one of the points realized through suggestions by Panasonic Life Solutions Networks was "all-grid wiring," with wires laid not only under the floor but also through a fixed spacing in the ceiling. Toru Kobayashi, Director of the Platform Department in the IT Solution Division of Sega Sammy Holdings, spoke about this. "With a ceiling grid, we would be immediately able handle any additional installations that came up after the launch of the headquarters, just by running lines. With the addition of wireless access points and ceiling- Hide Kobayashi, Sega Sammy Holdings hanging digital signage in mind, we adopted the idea." To enhance maintainability after construction, in the network room accommodating edge switches and UTP cables on each floor, Sega Sammy Holdings adopted Panduit's 2-post rack system to lessen the operational burden of cabling management. "A 2-post rack offers access from both the front and back, letting us confirm things in the case of any problem. Compared with general racks with doors, the cost of the racks themselves is also lower," said Kobayashi. For cables, in addition to Category 6A UTP cables the company selected fiber optic cables with multi-conductor MPO connectors. Using multi-mode on OM4 fiber optic cables let the company achieve speed and reduce costs. Single-mode is able to handle long distances, but at a higher cost. Accordingly, for office interiors, the company had the use of multi-mode in mind. "As the office is large, we had to run fiber optic cable between floors that are separated by many floors, centered on the 7th floor, and we were not sure whether the distance would reach far enough while suppressing attenuation using multi-mode. Panasonic Life Solutions Networks persistently acquired evidence and performed verification of the cables, right to the end. With their endorsement, we performed the implementation with confidence," said Komiya. Network room in the new office Maturing Hardware and Software to Invest Resources in More Creative Work Through the recent IT infrastructure investment, Sega Sammy Holdings expects significant reductions in the work burden accompanying future layout changes. Kobayashi explained, "In the Development Department in particular, there have always been many changes in layout and seating. We struggled with wiring work at the old office, where wiring was mainly below the floor. At the new office, reductions in operational man-hours are moving forward." By making the network virtual, physical network switchovers are eliminated even when personnel transfers span businesses, improving the flexibility of the network. This means that the company has readied an environment that lets people work fluidly. "We had earlier made wireless access points more dense, but by making the wired network faster, we no longer need to worry about bandwidth. In the past, we placed restrictions on sending large files and video conferencing on wireless networks, but now we don't need those restrictions. With Category 6A ceiling grid wiring, we'll be able to introduce Wi-Fi6 (IEEE 802.11ax) in the future without requiring installation work," said Komiya. The company has completed network construction at the head office, and is now looking to mature the hardware and software. Kato explained this. "The relocation to a head office that brings together 6,500 employees has led to greater satisfaction by employees in their workplace environments, and the reaction has been positive. From here on out, while making good use of the new environment, we hope to create an environment in which resources can be put into more creative work. We're also looking to undertake automation of work driven by AI and other technologies, to create workplaces that motivate employees." Wiring systems are often overlooked even during the construction of networks, but they are increasing in importance as visual content shifts to higher resolution and greater volume. From the perspective of operational aspects after construction, too, cabling that is easy to handle and that places no burden on maintenance leads to reduced man-hours of labor. When reconstructing networks due to office relocation or other reason, quality and performance should be taken into account in selecting the best products.