How "Pickles" Got Their Crunch Back: A SaaS Story with a Cloudy Twist
- 友貴 竹内
- May 19
- 6 min read
Updated: May 24
This article is part of a customer case study series by our parent company in Japan, Beyond Co., Ltd., a leading multi-cloud solutions and management expert, featuring real customer experiences and insights. The following is a summary of a collaboration with the customer, Pickles Inc., a SaaS provider & web marketing support company offering two proprietary platforms.
Today, thanks to Beyond GTA Inc., our Toronto-based North American subsidiary, this same Japanese service philosophy—what we call “Beyond-ism”—is now fully available to companies on a global scale.
What sets “Beyond-ism” apart from other cloud infrastructure and operations providers in North America is this: we do not just deliver a service—we stand by our customers through thick and thin. Rooted in the Japanese customer-first culture, our people work with precision, pride, and care—not just for a paycheck. By leveraging the time difference between EST and Japan, our global team is always watching, always ready.
Beyond Co., Ltd. (in Japan) Case Study Summary:
Customer's Name: Pickles Inc.
The name of origin: Pickles Inc.—because just like how a hamburger is better with pickles—more flavorful and memorable—Pickles Inc. aims to enhance their clients' services and help them stand out to a wider audience. It's better with pickles!
Established in: 2003
Overview: Web development, digital marketing, and consulting with two proprietary SaaS platforms.
Use Case: SNS Campaign Tool, "Camtsuku"
Server Environment: Amazon Web Service (AWS)
Utilized Services: Cloud / Server Design, Deployment, Operation & 24/7 Monitoring, and CentOS Server Migration Solution
Interview with Pickles Inc.
Mr. Tanaka, CEO, Pickles Inc.
Ms. Yamashita, Product Development Manager, Pickles Inc.
The Beyond Co., Ltd. Sales & Marketing Team
— Please tell us about your business.
Ms. Yamashita: Our company provides two marketing SaaS tools: the SNS campaign tool “Camtsuku” and the diagnostic content creation tool “Yomitoru.”
Mr. Tanaka: Camtsuku enables marketers to easily run “instant win” campaigns on platforms like X, Instagram, LINE, and TikTok. Yomitoru is used by various companies to create AI-powered diagnostic content for product promotions or e-commerce conversions.
— What led you to introduce Beyond Co., Ltd. services?
Mr. Tanaka: Our previous provider had slow response times, which posed a risk. Even critical server issues could take over half a day for a reply.
Ms. Yamashita: I had been working with them for about seven years and was used to the pace. But Tanaka pointed out the business risks, which made me reconsider.
Mr. Tanaka: Server-related delays are especially risky. That’s why we began exploring faster, more reliable alternatives.
Ms. Yamashita: When I looked into other companies, I realized slow support wasn’t the industry standard. I found that some offered much quicker response systems.
— How did you find out about Beyond?
Ms. Yamashita: Through web searches during our provider review process.
Mr. Tanaka: Beyond was one of the companies Yamashita shortlisted.
— Why did you ultimately choose Beyond?
Mr. Tanaka: The biggest factor was speed. Beyond also stood out for being flexible and open to a wide range of consultations, unlike others who offered very manual, limited support.
Ms. Yamashita: We don’t have an infrastructure engineer, so being able to consult freely and get fast responses was essential. Beyond was technically strong and quick to reply.
Mr. Tanaka: They were also willing to consider new ideas rather than reject them outright. That gave us confidence they’d support new initiatives.
Ms. Yamashita: And importantly, their proposed costs fit within our budget.
— What services are you using Beyond for?
Ms. Yamashita: We asked Beyond to handle the server setup and ongoing maintenance for Camtsuku. It aggregates SNS content and supports platforms like X, Instagram, LINE, and TikTok.
Mr. Tanaka: For instant win campaigns, server load gets high during traffic spikes. Beyond helped us upgrade to a load-balanced, multi-server system with auto-scaling.
Ms. Yamashita: Even when a proposed setup was new to them, they supported our preferred structure and ensured everything worked smoothly.
Mr. Tanaka: Now we have a stable foundation that can handle high load, which is vital for our campaigns.
— How has Beyond helped you?
Ms. Yamashita: During server migration, we faced new configuration needs. Beyond answered all our questions clearly and promptly.
Mr. Tanaka: Whenever we make a request, they often respond right away and complete the task within a few hours. That helps keep our work moving without any delays.
Ms. Yamashita: The smooth transition was a big help.
Mr. Tanaka: Their monitoring is also quick and informative. We get Slack alerts with specific causes, which helps us react fast.
Ms. Yamashita: Previously, we’d only notice problems after they happened. Beyond catches them early and reports through Slack, which helps us plan better.
Mr. Tanaka: Even when we made a cron* job mistake that spiked load, their alerts helped us respond quickly. Without that, we might not have noticed for a while.
*A cron job is a scheduled task or script that runs automatically at specified times or intervals on Unix-like systems (like Linux or macOS). It's managed by a service called cron.
Ms. Yamashita: That incident also led us to improve our app’s architecture—so we didn’t just fix the symptom, but the root cause too.
— What are your impressions of the Beyond service?
Ms. Yamashita: Communicating via Slack is a big plus. It fits our internal workflow and allows for real-time collaboration.
Mr. Tanaka: The speed and responsiveness are reassuring. Beyond seems to have a company-wide culture of quick replies.
Ms. Yamashita: With my previous provider, I had to ask very specific questions just to get any help. Now, even vague concerns get thoughtful suggestions and solid technical advice.
Mr. Tanaka: They offer proactive suggestions like, “This setting may be causing load issues,” which helps us learn and optimize.
Ms. Yamashita: Nighttime support is also appreciated. Camtsuku often requires late-night updates, and Beyond handles them smoothly without extra charges.
Mr. Tanaka: That allows us to do maintenance during low-traffic hours and avoid impacting users.
— What do you expect from us going forward?
Ms. Yamashita: We want to grow Camtsuku (SNS campaign tool) and Yomitoru (diagnostic content creation tool) together. Infrastructure and AWS still have complexities, so having Beyond alongside us is reassuring.
Mr. Tanaka: Beyond’s experience with game companies gives us confidence that you can help if we scale rapidly. We’d love to get advice on how to handle, say, 10x more users.
Ms. Yamashita: Even now, we’re preparing for scale, but unforeseen issues could arise. Knowing Beyond will offer architectural or AWS-based solutions is very encouraging.
Mr. Tanaka: That kind of support motivates us to grow. If you say “we’ve got your back,” we feel we can push forward with confidence.
Ms. Yamashita: As our service expands, we expect more collaboration. Just having a “feel free to consult us anytime” attitude really helps.
Mr. Tanaka: We already feel that you’re flexible and capable across AWS needs, so we’re looking forward to continued partnership.
— What are your future business goals?
Ms. Yamashita: We want more users to adopt Camtsuku and Yomitoru. Our goal is to foster great communication between businesses and consumers, so we’ll keep refining features for impactful outcomes.
Mr. Tanaka: We recently added user management to Yomitoru, especially for enterprise clients with strong security needs. We’ll continue lowering the barrier to adoption and making the service attractive to more companies.
Ms. Yamashita: Creating a safe, reliable environment for all users is key—covering performance, security, and data clarity.
Mr. Tanaka: And with Beyond’s support, we feel confident about expanding our services and tackling future challenges together.
Key Takeaways:
When speed matters, you need Beyond Co., Ltd. on your team.
Scaling made simple: With Beyond’s help, Pickles was able to handle massive surges in traffic without a hitch.
Proactive monitoring for the win: No more waiting for things to break. Beyond is always on top of potential issues, fixing them before they even happen.
Ready to Experience "Beyond-ism"?
If your business demands uptime, quality, and a partner that truly stands by you, Beyond GTA Inc. is ready in North America.
Contact us today to learn how we can support your infrastructure with the care, precision, and trust that only we can deliver.
Comments