Driven by national digital transformation ambitions, Việt Nam has in recent years strengthened legal frameworks and scaled up cybersecurity investment, but incidents remain on the rise. In 2024, nearly half of organisations suffered breaches, while Kaspersky blocked over 19.8 million web-based threats nationwide.

Globally, 88 per cent of companies faced network incidents and 42 per cent admitted human error played a role. Many still rely on basic antivirus or firewalls, while employees often lack cybersecurity skills and in-house IT teams are too small to cope. Cybercriminals exploit these gaps with AI-driven phishing, ransomware, and data theft.

Recovery is also costly. Large enterprises worldwide now spend an average of USD6.2 million a year on remediation, often more than on prevention. While the exact figure for Việt Nam may differ, the lesson is clear: investment and regulation alone are not enough. What is needed is an operating model that translates effort into resilience. Security Operations Centres (SOCs) provide that missing layer, enabling industries to compete with confidence in the digital economy.

Security Operations Centre as an optimal model

An SOC centralises cybersecurity operations. It combines people, processes, and technology to provide 24/7 monitoring, detection, investigation, and response. Beyond collecting logs or triggering firewall alerts, SOC teams use analytics such as SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) and XDR (Extended Detection and Response), conduct threat hunting, and apply automation to contain threats before they escalate. The value of SOCs becomes clear when viewed through the lens of Việt Nam’s key industries:

• Finance depends on trust. A single breach can undermine confidence in digital payments and erode years of customer loyalty. SOC provides continuous surveillance that prevents fraudulent transactions from spreading.

• Energy and utilities require uninterrupted continuity. An attack on operational systems can disrupt power or water supply. SOC delivers the rapid response needed to keep essential services running.

• Telecommunications forms the backbone of the digital economy. DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks can cripple connectivity on a massive scale. SOC enables carriers to detect and mitigate these threats before networks collapse.

• Manufacturing and supply chains drive exports and employment. Ransomware in one facility can cascade through global partners. SOC isolates and contains incidents, protecting both production and reputation.

Each sector faces different risks, yet they all share the same need for uninterrupted vigilance. By closing the gap between limited IT capacity and sophisticated adversaries, SOCs transform fragmented defences into a proactive operating model for resilience across the economy.

“Cybercrime remains a persistent challenge in Việt Nam, and the adoption of SOC will be critical for industries that must safeguard continuity and credibility,” said Ngô Tấn Vũ Khanh, Country Manager for Việt Nam at Kaspersky. “Our purpose is to guide Vietnamese businesses to stay ahead of threats and protect what matters most: their people, their customers, and their future.”

Kaspersky SOC empowering Việt Nam’s businesses with trusted global protection

For most organisations, building a mature SOC in-house is unrealistic. It requires large capital outlays, scarce expertise, and continuous staffing. Kaspersky addresses this challenge with SOC as a managed service, combining decades of research with localised intelligence for Việt Nam.

Kaspersky SOC rests on three pillars: global threat intelligence to anticipate risks before they reach local markets, machine learning analytics to detect unknown attacks, and expert response teams to contain incidents rapidly. These technical foundations translate into clear business advantages for businesses in these critical areas:

• Business Continuity and Resilience: Instead of spending heavily on internal infrastructure, enterprises access enterprise-grade protection as a managed service. What may appear costly compared to basic defences is, in practice, a safeguard against disruptions that could erase growth and erode trust.

• Layered Defence: As IT and OT (Operational Technology) systems converge, attackers gain new entry points. Kaspersky SOC integrates global threat intelligence, real-time analytics, and cross-domain detection to secure endpoints, networks, and industrial environments. In 2023, the service reduced average response time to high-severity incidents to 36 minutes, a 17 per cent improvement year on year.

• Scalability and Credibility: The model adapts as businesses grow, embedding compliance into workflows and helping enterprises meet tightening regulations. By protecting supply chains and operations, it also strengthens credibility with regulators, partners, and customers.

“Kaspersky’s SOC is not just technology but a partnership,” Khanh Ngô added. “We stand with Việt Nam to secure their growth and strengthen the resilience of the country’s digital economy.”

The future of Việt Nam's digital economy demands a new mindset. Cybersecurity is not an afterthought but a cornerstone of competitiveness. Through SOC adoption, Vietnamese organisations can move from vulnerable to vigilant, securing both growth and long-term sustainability./.