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Leapfrogging

  • Glossary

"Leapfrogging"

This glossary explains various keywords that will help you understand the mindset necessary for data utilization and successful DX.
This time, let's think about how real change happens as the world changes in the digital age.

What is leapfrogging?

The term "leapfrogging" is a combination of the word "leap" (jump), as in "time leap," and "frog," and refers to progress or evolution occurring in a single leap, like a frog making a jump.
This phenomenon is known as a phenomenon seen in technological developments in developing countries. It is a word that has become popular as it is used to think about how developing countries, which are expected to grow, are attracting attention as huge markets of the future and how innovation occurs.

What exactly is the "leapfrog phenomenon"?

The leapfrog phenomenon is a metaphor for progress or evolution occurring in a single leap, based on the image of a frog leaping. It refers to the phenomenon in which technology spreads in developing countries in a different way than in developed countries, skipping an intermediate stage of development from the perspective of developed countries.

This term was coined from an unexpected phenomenon that actually occurred in developing countries, so let me first introduce some concrete examples of what kind of phenomenon (or what kind of surprise) "leapfrogging" or "skipping intermediate steps" means.

Examples in communications technology

Contrary to popular belief, new IT can spread unexpectedly in developing countries, but the order in which it spreads and the way it evolves can be quite different from the way technology spreads in developed countries, or the way technology develops in society as we normally think of it.

Let's take the development of communication technology as an example. In a society where only primitive information transmission was possible, telegraph technology emerged, spreading communication networks across the entire country and enabling the use of telegrams. This was followed by the development of telephone lines, the establishment of fixed-line internet connections, the emergence of mobile phones, and then the era of smartphones, which is what we consider to be the appropriate order of technological development and spread.

In developing countries, the spread of communication technology is occurring in a way that is very different from this "image of the spread of communication technology." Fixed lines are not in place, and many homes still do not have electricity, let alone telephone lines. Despite this, 4G and 5G communication networks are being developed, and smartphones are becoming widespread and are being used extensively.

The "new technology" has spread like a frog leaping, skipping over things that would normally be thought of as happening first, such as the development of landline telephones. Just like us, the smartphone era has arrived, but the circumstances leading up to its spread are quite different. This phenomenon or situation is called the "leapfrog phenomenon."

Cashless payment example

In some cases, IT utilization in Africa is more advanced than that of developed countries, and not just a leap forward. M-Pesa, which is used in Africa, is a well-known example of this.

M-PESA is an electronic mobile payment service that began in Kenya, Africa. It allows users to easily make payments and transfer money using only their smartphones. Users can start using the service by depositing cash at an M-Pesa agent. They can then transfer money and make purchases with simple operations such as sending an SMS on their smartphone. Because of its low remittance fees, M-PESA has become widely used in Kenya, replacing cash.

M-Pesa was developed and launched in 2007, and has become widely known as a successful example of digital transformation (DX) in developing countries, as it has taken a leap from a situation where even basic social infrastructure related to money (such as the ability to safely use cash and the availability of bank counters and ATMs) to a situation where digital payments can be made easily using mobile devices.

From our perspective, this is a very strange situation, with many areas in a "backward" state where there are not even enough fixed-line connections or electricity, yet smartphones are widely used and mobile electronic money payments and remittances are widespread throughout the country, making the situation seem "more futuristic than that of developed countries."

Similar phenomena of "adoption occurring ahead of developed countries" can also be seen in other areas such as the use of biometric authentication and the ITization of social systems, such as procedures at public institutions.

Why leapfrog occurs

I think this is a surprising phenomenon. I think you now understand why it is called the "leapfrog phenomenon." So, why does this happen? It is thought that the leapfrog phenomenon is more likely to occur in developing countries precisely because they are developing countries.

If the social infrastructure for cash settlement and payments is in place and there are no inconveniences with it, there will be little motivation to use new services even when they appear. Also, if the fixed-line network is not in place, mobile lines can be expected to expand in usage without being exposed to competition with fixed-line lines.

Also, if existing technologies are not widely used in society, there is often insufficient government regulation, making it easier to try new things. For example, even if someone came up with an idea for a "money-related service" in Japan, it would be difficult to get started because it would be illegal without obtaining a license. On the other hand, in countries where laws are not yet in place (where citizens are not yet adequately protected by law), such problems are less likely to occur.

In other words, being late can sometimes have a positive effect.

Thinking about the leapfrog phenomenon for us

If we think about it this way, the leapfrog phenomenon can be seen as a mechanism and example of how being behind can become an advantage. Furthermore, thinking about the essence of this phenomenon can be useful not only for understanding developing countries, but also for our own future.

There was a time when Japan was developing and leading the world in many fields. However, that momentum has now completely disappeared. Even in IT, it is often said that Japan is "lagging behind." What about in the field in which you are involved?

For example, what if the topic of "Japan's cloud computing is lagging behind" comes up? If you think about it carefully, you'll tend to think, "Japan can't compete with the cloud anymore," and give up on cloud computing where you can't win, and voluntarily withdraw from the field, saying, "We need to be selective and focus." Or, without thinking carefully, people say that Japan will turn things around, but it's just a plan based on purely spiritualism that ignores reality.

However, in the case of M-Pesa in Kenya, they did not think that digital money was impossible in Africa, nor did they try to make up for their lagging behind and "catch up" with developed countries.

  • If there are things that can be done in Africa, then perhaps we, who are lagging behind, can create a leapfrog phenomenon and jump ahead.
  • Even in areas where we think we are ahead, other countries may leapfrog and overtake us in an instant.

Conversely, it may be that in areas where people think they can't make it, existing constraints have been removed, creating a situation where they can turn their delays into positives. If this is the case, it may be that a frog's big leap can occur in situations that seem difficult.

Legacy IT example

Using IT systems as an example, we will show how it is possible to catch up in one go from a situation where you think you are behind and there is no hope.

There are still many IT systems in Japan that are called "legacy systems." The fact that IT systems that were developed long ago and are still in use today is sometimes criticized as a sign that Japan's IT is lagging behind.

A typical example of a legacy system is a mainframe system developed in COBOL that was created a long time ago and is still in operation today. Even if the technology is not that old, it is often the case that a similar situation occurs due to the amount of time that has passed since its development.

There is a widespread argument that such systems should be abolished, but in reality, there are various reasons why this is difficult. In fact, there have been cases where companies have jumped on the bandwagon of abolishing systems and tried to switch to packaged software or cloud services all at once, only to find that their operations came to a halt.

Change your mindset

Let's change our perspective and consider a system that is still in operation as a system that is still functioning well. If that's the case, can't we preserve it in a constructive way? If we think about it from this perspective, we can even consider whether "updating the system" has become an end in itself.

Is there no problem? Unfortunately, that is not the case. The main problem with stable mainframes is that they are not compatible with new IT. This is an issue that needs to be addressed.

So, is it possible to preserve existing systems in a good way and jump straight into introducing a "modern cloud" system? For example, it shouldn't be that difficult to introduce kintone or Salesforce separately. But what happens if you then "integrate the mainframe and kintone systems"? Wouldn't it be possible to create an environment that allows you to enjoy the benefits of new IT in the cloud era of 2020 while preserving the benefits of your legacy systems?

The means to achieve this big leap: "connecting" technology

The dramatic change that can be achieved by linking "existing systems" with "the latest IT" is a concept that can be used in many situations, not just when you want to use kintone or Salesforce, but also when you want to "use machine learning" or "use generative AI."

However, to achieve this, it is necessary to be able to firmly link systems and data at a level that can support business operations. The next problem is how to create this part. If there are enough engineers, the system will not remain outdated. You may wonder where you can find such capable engineers. However, there is a good solution: utilizing "connecting" technology.

Please utilize "connecting" technology

There are methods that allow you to efficiently develop data environments that connect to a wide variety of systems and data on the cloud, read, process, and transfer data as needed, all with just a GUI.These are "connecting" technologies such as "DataSpider" and "HULFT Square," also known as "EAI," "ETL," and "iPaaS."

Can be used with GUI only

Unlike regular programming, there is no need to write code. By placing and configuring icons on the GUI, you can achieve integration with a wide variety of systems, data, and cloud services.

For example, in the example of linking "mainframes such as AS/400" with "kintone," COBOL engineers can generally use DataSpider without any problems. Combined with the fact that kintone and Salesforce are designed to be used by the business itself, this opens the door to "not only achieving cloud computing, but also in-house development using existing personnel."

Being able to develop using a GUI is also an advantage

​No-code development using only a GUI may seem like a simple compromise compared to full-scale programming. However, being able to develop using only a GUI allows on-site personnel to proactively work on cloud integration themselves. On-site personnel are the ones who know the business best.

Full-scale processing can be implemented

There are many products that claim to allow development using only a GUI, but some people may have a negative impression of such products as being too simple.

It is true that things like "it's easy to make, but it can only do simple things," "when I tried to execute a full-scale process it couldn't process and crashed," or "it didn't have the high reliability or stable operating capacity to support business operations, which caused problems" tend to occur.

"DataSpider" and "HULFT Square" are easy to use, but also allow you to create processes at the same level as full-scale programming. They have the same high processing power as full-scale programming, as they are internally converted to Java and executed, and have a long history of supporting corporate IT. They combine the benefits of "GUI only" with full-scale capabilities.

No need to operate in-house as it is iPaaS

DataSpider can be operated securely on a system under your own management. With HULFT Square, a cloud service (iPaaS), this "connecting" technology itself can be used as a cloud service without the need for in-house operation, eliminating the hassle of in-house implementation and system operation.

Related keywords (for further understanding)

Keywords related to data integration and system integration

  • EAI
    • It is a concept of "connecting" systems by data integration, and is a means of freely connecting various data and systems. It is a concept that has been used since long before the cloud era as a way to effectively utilize IT.
  • ETL
    • In the recent trend of actively working on data utilization, the majority of the work is not the data analysis itself, but rather the collection and preprocessing of data scattered in various places, from on-premise to cloud.
  • iPaaS
    • A cloud service that "connects" various clouds with external systems and data simply by operating on a GUI is called iPaaS.

Are you interested in "iPaaS" and "connecting" technologies?

Try out our products that allow you to freely connect various data and systems, from on-premise IT systems to cloud services, and make successful use of IT.

The ultimate "connecting" tool: data integration software "DataSpider" and data integration platform "HULFT Square"

"DataSpider," data integration tool developed and sold by our company, is a "connecting" tool with a long history of success. "HULFT Square," a data integration platform, is a "connecting" cloud service developed using DataSpider technology.

Another feature is that development can be done using only the GUI (no code) without writing code like in regular programming, so business staff who have a good understanding of their company's business can take the initiative to use it.

Try outDataSpider/ HULFT Square 's "connecting" technology:

There are many simple collaboration tools on the market, but this tool can be used with just a GUI, is easy enough for even non-programmers to use, and has "high development productivity" and "full-fledged performance that can serve as the foundation for business (professional use)."

It can smoothly solve the problem of "connecting disparate systems and data" that hinders successful IT utilization. We regularly hold free trial versions and hands-on sessions where you can try it out for free, so we hope you will give it a try.


Why not try a PoC to see if HULFT Squarecan transform your business?

Why not try verifying how "connecting" can be utilized in your business, the feasibility of solving problems using data integration, and the benefits that can be obtained?

  • I want to automate data integration with SaaS, but I want to confirm the feasibility of doing so.
  • We want to move forward with data utilization, but we have issues with system integration
  • I want to consider data integration platform to achieve DX.

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