Hà Nội - Telecom

Starting as a telecom enterprise support

About 10 years ago, the concepts of “information security” and “cybersecurity” were not widely recognized in Vietnamese society.

The establishment of the Vietnam Network and Space Security Technology Joint Stock Company (VNCS) in 2011 drew attention because it was associated with Hanoi Telecom, a major player in the telecommunications industry. Hanoi Telecom had previously partnered with Hutchison Telecom to invest in, establish, develop, and manage the Vietnamobile mobile information network.

At that time, Hanoi Telecom was one of the first major telecommunications companies in Vietnam to establish a dedicated information security division (the precursor to VNCS).

Two individuals were entrusted with leading VNCS from its inception: Mr. Khong Huy Hung as the CEO and Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dat as the Deputy CEO.

Mr. Khong Huy Hung, CEO of VNCS.

“At that time, I had six years of experience studying and working abroad, with significant experience in computer engineering and business management. Mr. Dat had just graduated from the Academy of Cryptography Techniques with a focus on information security. During that time, the common term used in Vietnam was not digital transformation but rather ‘the fourth industrial revolution.’ We believed that information security was an essential element in this revolution. While there were some information security companies in Vietnam, none of them had truly stood out. Recognizing the potential of information security in the future, the leadership of Hanoi Telecom decided to establish VNCS with the hope that VNCS would become a leading information security company in Vietnam,” Mr. Khong Huy Hung recounted the beginnings of his journey with VNCS.

Founded within the framework of a major telecommunications company, VNCS had several advantages compared to other startups.

“Being born within Hanoi Telecom, we inherited professional work processes and ways of thinking that we could apply to VNCS right from the beginning of its establishment. It has been 12 years since then,” the CEO of VNCS continued.

A unique DSD business model

The information security market is becoming increasingly competitive with the entry of many domestic and international companies. However, VNCS maintains its position with a unique business model: DSD (Distribution, Service, Development).

VNCS owns a comprehensive ecosystem of information security products and services that cater to a diverse range of market needs.

“We are almost the only information security company in Vietnam operating according to the DSD model. We distribute information security software with a high level of expertise, while most other companies in Vietnam only distribute hardware security solutions. Additionally, we provide comprehensive and advanced information security services in Vietnam. Furthermore, we have our own research and development products related to web vulnerability scanning, malware analysis, which have been highly regarded in the market for many years,” Mr. Hung proudly stated.

The ecosystem developed by VNCS includes products and services from leading global providers such as Splunk, Radware, Crowdstrike, as well as an impressive portfolio of “Made in Vietnam” products and services. These include Security Operations Center (SOC) monitoring and management services, penetration testing, incident response, compromise assessment, threat intelligence, digital threat monitoring, and more.

The products and services offered by VNCS help organizations and businesses reduce costs, optimize processes, and make prudent investments in information security. This ultimately enhances overall information security for their systems and contributes to the general growth of the economy.

One of the key success factors of VNCS, as revealed by Deputy CEO Nguyen Thanh Dat, is their emphasis on both human resources and products: “The VNCS team is young, passionate, and always ready to work together at any time to solve the ‘difficult problems’ of organizations and businesses. We strive to select the best talents and new products that can bring significant value to customers and partners.”

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dat, Deputy CEO of VNCS.

“In VNCS’s latest slogan, there is a phrase, ‘Secure your growth.’ We hope that VNCS will become a reliable brake for customers as they accelerate their business growth. You can’t go fast without a good brake. A good brake will provide peace of mind during the digital transformation and growth process,” added CEO Khong Huy Hung.

Recognized contributions to national cybersecurity

The 12-year journey of VNCS has been acknowledged by many Vietnamese organizations and businesses.

“When Techcombank was looking for partners in the security field, we conducted market research and found that VNCS, although a relatively young company, had a lot of experience. We highly value the expertise of VNCS’s team of experts who truly understand the field of cybersecurity and the security market in Vietnam. We were very impressed with the experiences that VNCS’s products and services provided,” shared Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the Information Technology Division at the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Techcombank).

The VNCS team is ready to assist organizations and businesses with solving “difficult problems.”

Representing the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam, a company that has used VNCS’s infrastructure monitoring, service quality monitoring, and information security event monitoring solutions from 2016 to the present, Deputy CEO Nguyen Hung Nguyen affirmed, “This solution has brought many practical benefits. The most significant benefit is the transparency of information on incidents in the service infrastructure. The quality of VNCS’s human resources is excellent. I hope VNCS can fulfill its ambition to expand internationally and become one of the reputable security solution service providers in Vietnam on the world market.”

Recognizing VNCS’s contributions to national cybersecurity over the past period, Mr. Tran Dang Khoa, Deputy Director of the Information Security Bureau at the Ministry of Information and Communications, hopes that in the future, “VNCS will continue to grow stronger, both in the domestic and international markets, contributing to making Vietnam one of the strong countries in terms of cybersecurity.”

Ambitions to go global

The year 2020 marked a significant milestone for VNCS when it formed a joint venture with Terilogy, a Japanese network and security company, to establish VNCS Global.

“Terilogy holds great respect for the people of Vietnam, understanding their enthusiasm and spirit. They wanted to find a partner in Vietnam to expand into the Southeast Asian market and other countries worldwide. VNCS, on the other hand, sought a partner who could provide support in terms of processes and market development, both in breadth and depth. These two companies came together to establish VNCS Global. We aim to combine the Vietnamese expertise with Japanese technology and processes to bring even greater value to the world,” recalled Mr. Dat.

“Establishing VNCS Global is the ‘first shot’ in VNCS’s journey to enter the global market. We jokingly say that we have found a Japanese wife. A year ago, we also established VNCS Asia to reach markets in Cambodia, Laos, and beyond. Our philosophy is to enhance partnerships and collaborations because we understand that alone, we cannot accomplish everything we aspire to. In the future, we hope to find more international ‘spouses’ to shine a spotlight on the VNCS brand, and to bring Vietnamese expertise in information security to the world,” shared Mr. Hung, envisioning the path forward.

The VNCS team is aiming for the global stage with big aspirations.

Heading towards the global stage in the digital age, the leadership of VNCS understands that there are many opportunities and challenges ahead. The ever-evolving technology landscape.

The head of VNCS has defined a clear mission for the next 5 years: “VNCS aims not only to serve customers well in Vietnam but also to expand its operations to many international markets, bringing the intellectual products of Vietnamese people in the field of information security to the world; Accelerating the realization of the ambition to build the number one cybersecurity ecosystem in the region.”