What Planet Networks does

Planet Networks (プラネットワークス株式会社) is a privately held Japanese IT services company headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, founded in March 1998 by Saruwatari Kazuhide. The firm operates four business groups: IT services (24-hour JapanAid PC Rescue support, custom software development, Asterisk IP-PBX telephony systems, design, and government electronic bidding), medical IT (SmartONS online eligibility verification and SecureMinder VPN circuits deployed at approximately 300 clinics, pharmacies, hospitals, and visiting nursing stations as of December 2023), specialized services (digital forensics investigation and nationwide digital signage maintenance), and consulting (DX/AX transformation and overseas market entry advisory for Asia, North America, and Latin America). Its technology foundation combines an open-source Asterisk IP-PBX on Linux hardware, a SecureMinder-based IPsec/IKE or IP-VPN connection to Japan's Social Insurance Medical Fee Payment Fund and National Health Insurance Federation for SmartONS, purpose-built Windows IoT Enterprise qualification terminals, and a digital forensics toolchain producing evidence that meets the four Japanese legal admissibility standards (relevance, authenticity, legality, objectivity). The company holds PrivacyMark (Reg. No. 10824740), telecommunications carrier registration (A-20-9962), second-hand goods dealer license, government bidding qualification (0000204402), METI Kanto BCP certification (No. 51), and SecurityAction two-star status.

Planet Networks generates revenue through a mix of recurring subscriptions, professional services, hardware sales, and project-based consulting. The principal recurring stream is SmartONS, priced at 66,000 JPY/year plus a 66,000 JPY setup fee, with visiting nursing station packages of 386,000-418,000 JPY and terminal hardware sales (Standard notebook 198,000 JPY; Temasaku desktop 165,000 JPY). Digital forensics is billed per project (100,000 JPY+ per PC investigation; up to 1.5M JPY for complex cases; 200,000 JPY+ for court testimony). Asterisk IP-PBX first-year cost is 600,000 JPY with 50,000 JPY annual maintenance, and on-site work is billed at 9,000 JPY base travel + 21,000 JPY first two hours + 10,500 JPY per additional hour. Go-to-market is sales-led: a specialized medical IT sales team targets clinics and visiting nursing stations, a separate channel handles digital signage maintenance subcontracts with operators lacking field coverage, and a bilingual English/Japanese capability addresses foreign multinationals operating in Japan. The firm sells directly through its website, contact forms, and phone (03-5728-3575) while leveraging its 17-year partnership with Mitsubishi Electric Digital Innovation (formerly MIND) for the underlying SmartONS VPN, Cisco channel partner status for networking hardware, and multiple NTT entities for last-mile connectivity. The customer base is a fragmented mix of SMBs, SOHOs, medical institutions, government accounts (Yokota Air Base, FAMIC), and consumer PC-rescue transactions, with no single customer disclosed as dominant and no revenue figures publicly reported.

Name

Planet Networks

Legal name

プラネットワークス株式会社

Website

https://planetworks.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Planet Networks is a Japanese IT services company founded in 1998 that delivers 24-hour PC support, SmartONS online eligibility verification for medical institutions, digital forensics, digital signage maintenance, and DX/AX consulting to SMBs, government, and foreign multinationals in Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Managed IT Services & Consulting

NAICS

Computer Facilities Management Services (541513)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) & Secure Data Erasure (BPAEAOAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical-Grade Device Connectivity & Device Management (MDM) (HLACAFAG), Data Privacy, Consent & Compliance Management (HDAEADAG)

Keywords

• Managed IT services
• Medical IT systems
• Digital forensics
• Digital signage maintenance
• IT consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Shibuya

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Forensics Investigation Services: Forensic investigation services billed by project type: evidence preservation (50,000 JPY+/unit), investigation and analysis (300,000–1,500,000 JPY), report preparation (50,000–150,000 JPY), emergency response (100,000 JPY+), and court testimony (200,000 JPY+). Small-scale investigations start at approximately 100,000 JPY per PC.
2. SmartONS Online Eligibility Verification: Annual VPN network service (66,000 JPY/year) plus initial setup fee (66,000 JPY). Also sells online eligibility verification terminals (specialized Windows IoT Enterprise laptops) as hardware sales. Approximately 300 facilities deployed as of December 2023. Visiting nursing station service packages priced at 386,000–418,000 JPY including terminals, installation, and annual network service.
3. IT Support & On-Site Maintenance Services: 24-hour computer rescue service (JapanAid PC救急隊), managed IT outsourcing, remote hands services, and on-site hardware break-fix support. Revenue generated through recurring maintenance contracts, per-incident fees, and project-based engagements.
4. Asterisk IP-PBX System Sales & Installation: One-time system build including on-site consultation (50,000 JPY), system construction (350,000 JPY), hardware procurement (150,000 JPY), and annual maintenance (50,000 JPY). Total first-year cost: 600,000 JPY. Recurring annual maintenance generates repeat revenue.
5. Design & Creative Services: Graphic design, logo creation (from 15,000 JPY/logo), brochure design (approx. 10,000 JPY/A4), digital signage content creation (from 20,000 JPY), and banner advertising design. Project-based one-time service revenue.
6. Consulting Services: DX/AX consulting, overseas business consulting, and intellectual property consulting. Billing structure not publicly disclosed; project-based engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Planet Networks provides managed IT support and on-site maintenance services for enterprises and SMBs, medical IT solutions centered on SmartONS online eligibility verification via SecureMinder VPN, digital forensics investigation and evidence preservation, nationwide digital signage maintenance, Asterisk IP-PBX telephony systems, custom software development, and DX/AX and overseas business consulting. The firm operates JapanAid PC Rescue Team as a 24-hour consumer-and-SME-facing IT support brand, and serves foreign companies in Japan through bilingual engineering staff.

Product overview

Planet Networks is a Japanese IT services company offering a diverse portfolio of technology solutions across four main business segments: IT Services (including Asterisk IP-PBX telephone systems, software development, help desk support via Japan Aid PC Rescue Team, and design services), Medical IT (centered on SmartONS online qualification confirmation system with SecureMinder VPN connectivity and specialized terminals for healthcare institutions), Professional Services (digital forensics investigation and digital signage maintenance nationwide), and Consulting (DX/AX transformation and overseas business consulting). The SmartONS medical IT product line is the company's flagship offering, providing comprehensive online eligibility verification for medical institutions including VPN line services, configured terminals, and on-site installation. The digital forensics service offers cyber attack investigation and legal evidence preservation. Digital signage maintenance covers on-site support across Japan for display systems. All services emphasize 24/7 support capability and English language accessibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SmartONS: Online eligibility verification VPN circuit service for medical institutions, providing connection to Social Insurance Medical Fee Payment Fund and National Health Insurance Associations
• JapanAid PC救急隊

Products and services

• SmartONS Online Qualification Verification Service Online eligibility verification service for medical institutions (clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, dental clinics, visiting nursing stations) using My Number Card or health insurance card to confirm patients' insurance status in real-time. Connects to national insurance payment systems via SecureMinder VPN, deployed at approximately 300 facilities as of December 2023.
• SecureMinder VPN Line Service VPN network connection service for online qualification confirmation using Mitsubishi Electric Digital Innovation's secure network. Enables encrypted communication (IPsec/IKE or IP-VPN) over existing internet connections without additional wiring, connecting medical institutions to insurance databases. Annual fee 66,000 JPY plus 66,000 JPY initial setup.
• Digital Forensics Investigation and Analysis Service

Quantifiable outcome

• ~300 medical facilities using SmartONS online eligibility verification as of December 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 三菱電機デジタルイノベーション株式会社 (Mitsubishi Electric Digital Innovation)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 April 2008Strategic technology partnership for online eligibility verification and medical insurance claims network services. Since April 2008, Planet Networks has partnered with MIND (formerly Mitsubishi Electric Information Network, which merged with Mitsubishi Electric Information Systems and Mitsubishi Electric IT Solutions in April 2025) to provide SecureMinder VPN-based online eligibility confirmation services to medical institutions across Japan. Planet Networks handles terminal sales, installation, and on-site support while MIND provides the underlying secure VPN network infrastructure. Approximately 300 medical facilities deployed as of December 2023.
• データウェア (Dataware)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Dataware established May 2009 to provide one-stop services for government bidding (electronic auction/submission services) targeting public institutions.
• CTO株式会社minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as an alliance partner in the company profile. Nature of partnership relates to IT product distribution or channel collaboration.
• 株式会社クレアスライフminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as an alliance partner. Business relationship involves product/service collaboration, specific details not publicly disclosed.
• ソフトバンクBB株式会社minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as an alliance partner. SoftBank BB is a major telecommunications and IT solutions provider in Japan.
• ダイワボウ情報システム株式会社minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as an alliance partner. Daiwa Bow Information System is an IT product distributor in Japan.
• 三星物産システムズ (Korea)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKorean partner involved in Asia-Pacific market collaboration; supported internship exchange. Planet Networks dispatched two student interns to an Indian partner company in August 2007.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• TIS Inc. Japanese IT services and consulting firm. Comparable on managed services, IT outsourcing, and digital transformation (DX) consulting — a broader incumbent addressing many of the same enterprise and financial-services buyers.
• SCSK Corporation: Major Japanese systems integrator and IT services subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation. Overlaps with Planet Networks on enterprise IT outsourcing, network services, and medical IT delivery to large Japanese customers.
• Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ): Large Japanese managed network and IT services provider. Comparable on managed IT services, network integration, and English-language support for multinationals in Japan, though at much larger scale than Planet Networks.
• Otsuka Corporation: Japanese SMB-focused IT sales, support, and managed services company. Comparable to Planet Networks on PC break-fix, on-site support, and IT infrastructure sales to Japanese SMB and mid-market buyers.
• NS Solutions: Japanese IT services subsidiary of Nippon Steel. Comparable on systems integration, managed services, and digital forensics/cybersecurity offerings, though at significantly larger enterprise scale.

Direct peers

• Net One Systems: Japanese network infrastructure specialist. Comparable to Planet Networks on Cisco-channel partnership, network design/WAN/WLAN deployment, and English-language support for foreign enterprise customers in Japan.
• FRONTEO: Japanese digital forensics and legal-tech AI company. Overlaps with Planet Networks' digital forensics and litigation-support offering; comparable niche specialist serving Japanese legal and corporate clients with AI-assisted evidence analysis.
• Bell System24: Japanese IT helpdesk, contact center, and managed services provider. Closely comparable to Planet Networks' JapanAid PC救急隊 24-hour helpdesk and on-site IT support model, particularly for enterprise and SMB customers.
• Digital Hearts Holdings: Japan-headquartered digital forensics and content QA company. Most directly comparable to Planet Networks on the digital forensics line — both serve Japanese corporate and legal clients with court-admissible evidence and investigative services.
• Yokogawa Bridge Holdings: Regional Japanese IT services and software company with a similar SMB/mid-market enterprise IT services profile. Comparable on localized IT support, software development, and managed services delivery in Japan.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pnw.biz
• Xx.com/saruwat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/planetworks-k-k-

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Planet Networks