VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s information technology (IT) development over the last 25 years can be seen in the improved capability of its IT firms.

The biggest technology groups in Vietnam such as FPT, MK Smart, VietUnion and Sao Bac Dau have obtained the international important certificates which not only can confirm their technology capability, service quality and interior management, but can serve as the passports for them to enter the international market.

MK Smart has been known as the first Vietnamese enterprise which is competent enough to provide telecom simcards and smart cards.

The GSM Association (GSMA) has recently extended the SAS (Security Accreditation Scheme Certificate) for Vietnamese MK Smart. This is the highest security standard applied to the smart card manufacturers in the world. MK Smart is the first and the only Vietnamese enterprise which got the certificate.

It is one of the 32 manufacturers worldwide having SAS.

The Corporation of Financing and Promoting Technology (FPT), known as the largest technology group in Vietnam, now has a lot of international certificates.

In 2001, FPT became the first IT firm in Vietnam and South East Asia getting the ISO9000:2000 certificate. The quality management certificate helps the technology group improve its competitiveness in the global market.

Just one year later, in 2002, FPT Software, a subsidiary of FPT, became the first enterprise in South East Asia that received CMM 4, and two years later, the first IT firm that got CMM 5.

In 2011, FPT Software successfully upgraded the CMM certificate to CMMi 1.2 lv 5. This is the highest level in the CMM quality management system of the US SEI (Software Engineering Institute). It is considered the passport for any software firms to join the global software market.

FPT Software, with the passport, has got more business opportunities in the world market and received international investments.

In 2009, FPT transferred all the important documents relating to CMMi 5 it gathered within 8 years to the Ministry of Information and Communication in order to help raise the competitiveness of Vietnamese software industry.

In late 2006, TUV NORD granted the ISO 27001:2005 in information security to a Vietnamese firm – FPT IS, also a subsidiary of FPT.

A report released in March 2013 showed that only 14 out of the 80 operational software firms in Vietnam have met the ISO/IEC 27001:2005 on the information safety management system.

Meanwhile, smaller IT firms remain incapable to apply the standards due to the lack of both the qualified workforce and money.

Sao Bac Dau has become the first and only Vietnamese firm which got Cisco’s CMSP (Cloud & Managed Services Certified Partner -CMSP), advanced level.

To obtain the certificate, the partners have to meet the diversified requirements set by Cisco to prove their development capability, distribution, management and support, thus allowing to introduce to clients the most advanced solutions, and deal with all the rising problems.

Meanwhile, VietUnion has been recognized as the first enterprise in the online payment sector that received ISO27001:2005. It received the certificate in 2010 from TUV Rheinland Japan.

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