What Linkage does

Linkage (株式会社リンケージ) is a privately held Japanese IT services company founded in September 2004 in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, and led by Representative Director Hirofumi Hasegawa (長谷川 博文). The company serves small and medium businesses in the Hokuriku region with an integrated portfolio spanning system development, hardware and network sales, and web production and management. Its customer base is concentrated in Ishikawa Prefecture and includes local enterprises in food manufacturing, sake brewing, trading, and wholesale.

The company's service offering rests on three pillars. The system development pillar includes time and attendance management implementations (TimeP@CK, CYBERXEED すまっと勤怠, KING OF TIME), OBC 奉行 series accounting/business software sales and customization, custom software development in VB.NET, C#, Java, ASP, PHP, Perl, and XML, and an EC-CUBE-based net order system that integrates self-operated EC sites with Rakuten marketplace and customers' core sales management systems. The hardware and network pillar covers FORTINET and Check Point UTM/firewall solutions, ESET endpoint security (under ESPP certified partner status), office equipment sales through Fuji Xerox, and server and network construction with VMware/Hyper-V virtualization and AWS/Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. The web pillar provides SSL certificates (GlobalSign, DigiCert), WordPress/EC-CUBE website production, and self-operated hosting and housing services from a data center located at Hokuriku Electric Power in Kanazawa.

Linkage's business model is a hybrid of professional services, recurring subscriptions, and reseller/hardware sales. Revenue streams include project-based software development fees, recurring hosting (Link Web Light ¥3,000/month, Pro ¥8,000/month, Premium ¥20,000/month), BCP remote backup subscriptions, attendance system per-user fees (~¥220-300/user/month), SSL annual subscriptions, and hardware/network resale margins. Distribution is primarily direct, with on-site consulting sales to local SMBs, supplemented by sports sponsorship (Yokohama B.Corsairs 2023-2024 and 2025-2026 seasons) and channel partnerships with Oracle, ESET, FORTINET, Fuji Xerox, and AWS. The company has not raised external funding, operates with approximately 6 employees and ¥3.5 million registered capital, and has not disclosed revenue.

Name

Linkage

Legal name

株式会社リンケージ

Website

https://www.linkage-jp.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Linkage (株式会社リンケージ) is a private Japanese IT services firm founded in 2004 in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, providing software development, hardware and network sales, web production, and managed hosting to small and medium businesses in the Hokuriku region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Services and System Integration

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Facilities Management Services (541513), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Helpdesk & End-User Support Services (BPAEABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional Services Automation (PSA) & Services ERP (HDAEAEAF), Data/Apps Connectivity & Adapters (Connectors, Drivers, SDKs) (HDAEAIAK)

Keywords

• IT system development
• Network infrastructure services
• Managed IT security
• Web hosting services
• Business software implementation

Headquarters

HQ city

Kanazawa

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. System Development: Custom software development from requirements definition to programming. Services include package system customization, scratch development, and addon development for business software like 奉行 series.
2. Hardware & Network Sales: Sales of security products, OA equipment, server construction, and network infrastructure setup.
3. Hosting & Housing Services: Monthly hosting services (shared, VPS, dedicated), housing services at company-operated data center.
4. Web Production: Website design, development, and management services including SSL solutions and CMS implementations.
5. BCP Remote Backup Service: Cloud-based backup service with initial setup fee and monthly subscription, including 100GB storage and incremental pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Linkage is a Kanazawa-based Japanese IT solutions integrator that sells system development, hardware and network infrastructure, and web services to small and medium businesses. Its core offerings span custom software development (time and attendance, OBC 奉行 accounting addons, EC-CUBE online order systems), security products (FORTINET UTM, ESET antivirus, Check Point firewalls), office equipment and server/network construction, SSL certificate sales, website production, and self-operated data center hosting/housing with a managed BCP remote backup service.

Product overview

Linkage is a Japanese IT services company offering an integrated portfolio of system development, hardware/network infrastructure, and web services. System development includes time & attendance management (TimeP@CK, CYBERXEED, KING OF TIME), OBC Bugyo accounting solutions, EC-CUBE-based e-commerce/order management systems, and custom software development. HW&NW covers UTM/firewall security (Fortinet, Check Point), ESET antivirus, office equipment, server construction (on-premises/cloud/AWS/Oracle), and network infrastructure. Web services include SSL certificates (GlobalSign, DigiCert), WordPress/EC-CUBE website production, and hosting/housing at their data center with three service tiers. Custom development supports VB.NET, C#, Java, PHP with VMWARE/Hyper-V virtualization capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Time and Attendance Management Solutions (勤怠管理ソリューション) Subscription-based attendance management solutions for SMBs requiring optimal labor management and workstyle-reform compliance. Includes IC card and time card systems plus cloud-based multi-location deployment with overtime/leave workflow functions.
• OBC 奉行 Series Solutions (奉行ソリューション) Implementation, customization, and after-sales support services for OBC's business software suite (商奉行, 蔵奉行, 勘定奉行, 給与奉行) targeting Japanese SMBs that need addon development and integration with existing systems.
• Net Order System / Online Order Management (ネット受注システム) E-commerce order management system built on EC-CUBE 3.0 that integrates self-operated EC sites with Rakuten marketplace, providing shipment processing, invoice generation, customer management with targeted direct mail, and synchronization with the customer's core sales management system.
• Linkage Custom Software Development (リンケージのシステム開発) Custom software development from requirements definition through programming for SMBs, covering sales systems, customer management, RFID logistics, and addon modules for OBC 奉行 and Yayoi accounting software.
• UTM / Firewall Solutions (UTM / ファイアウォール導入)

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ESET (キャノンITソリューションズ社)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2017ESET認定パートナー (ESPP認定パートナー)。認定技術者を有し、ESET製ウイルス対策ソフト的销售・導入支援・アフターフォローを提供。ESETは日経コンピュータ顧客満足度調査で6年 연속1位を取得している。
• 日本オラクル株式会社coreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 20142014年10月にパートナー契約を締結。Oracle Cloud Infrastructureの構築サービスを提供している。
• 富士ゼロックス北陸株式会社coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor富士ゼロックス特約店として、プリンター・複合機的销售・導入支援を提供している。
• 北陸電力coreOthers自社データセンターを北陸電力（金沢市本多町）3階に設置。24時間365日の有人監視、無停電電源装置、ディーゼル自家発電装置を完備。
• VMware / MicrosoftcoreTechnology or Integrationオンプレミスサーバの仮想化服務でVMwareおよびHyper-Vを採用。クラウドシフト対応としてAmazon AWS、Oracle Cloud Infrastructureの構築も可能。
• FORTINET (フォーティネット)coreTechnology or IntegrationUTM製品（FortiGate等）を使用したセキュリティソリューションを提供。次世代ファイアウォールとして採用されている。

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ITFOR Inc. Listed Japanese IT solutions company providing system development, hardware resale, and cloud services to enterprises and SMBs. Much larger scale, but follows a comparable integrated IT-vendor model similar to Linkage's one-stop Kanazawa approach.
• JBCC Holdings: Japanese IT services group offering system development, managed services, security, and cloud solutions through vendor partnerships. Operates an overlapping IT services and reseller model at significantly larger scale than Linkage.
• Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ): Major Japanese IT infrastructure and managed services provider covering hosting, network, security, and cloud — overlapping with Linkage's hosting/housing, network construction, and UTM/security product lines.
• Future Corporation: Japanese IT consulting and solution provider offering system integration, managed services, and digital transformation support. Comparable consulting-led, multi-product model targeting Japanese enterprise and SMB clients.
• TIS Inc. Large Japanese system integrator offering consulting, system development, and managed services across industries. Comparable IT services breadth and vendor-agnostic integration orientation to Linkage.
• Nihon Unisys: Long-standing Japanese SI providing system integration, outsourcing, and cloud services across enterprise and public sectors. Overlaps with Linkage's system development and managed services lines at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• ITbook Holdings: Smaller Japanese IT services and consulting company focused on regional IT solutions for SMBs and public sector. Most directly comparable in scale and customer orientation to Linkage's SMB Kanazawa focus.
• Wap Co. Small Japanese IT services company offering custom development, web services, and consulting to SMBs. Closest analog to Linkage in headcount, breadth of services, and SMB target market.
• members Inc. Small Japanese IT services firm providing system development, web production, and infrastructure support to regional SMBs. Operates a comparable one-stop IT services model at similar small scale.

Others

• WingArc1st: Japanese business software vendor specializing in forms, workflow, and document management software. Adjacent to Linkage's Bugyo implementation and custom workflow development work, often implemented by IT partners like Linkage itself.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Linkage