A NashTech View on Vietnam

Harvey Nash supports London Chamber of Commerce & Industry Trade Mission to Vietnam

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 11:25:33 +0000

Paul Smith - UK Ambassador Dr. Anthony Stokes - Hoang Van Dung, President Vietnam Chamber of Commerce

Managed by London Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) and sponsored by Harvey Nash, the trade mission aims to help British companies establish links to Vietnamese companies and demonstrate the opportunities the country has to offer. Twenty five British businesses visited Ha Noi and HCMC in November 2012 to discover trade opportunities and to explore export opportunities in Vietnam.

At a reception attended by ninety guests at the Embassy residence with the Guest of honour, Mr. Hoang Van Dung President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce, UK Ambassador Dr. Anthony Stokes for Vietnam said, "The relationship between Vietnam and UK is at a stronger place than it has ever been, however, the commitment is not enough between the two countries. In the context that both countries are suffering difficult economic crisis, there is a need for both countries to seek for new opportunities."

UK delegate and Harvey Nash Ha Noi at Embassy dinner UK delegate at Harvey Nash Ha Noi

UK delegate at Harvey Nash Ha Noi

A number of questions were raised to the Ambassador. Why Vietnam? What support do UK businesses receive from UKTI and The British Embassy? What challenges do UK businesses face when doing business in Vietnam? All these questions were answered during the five-day Trade Mission.

The delegates came from a number of different sectors including: manufacturing, technology, education, retail, finance and more.

Mr. Tran Thien Cuong, Head of Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) also confirmed that Harvey Nash is a successful example and instructs how to do business in Vietnam. Paul Smith's local knowledge, network and support benefited UK businesses during the trip since Harvey Nash has been promoting opportunities for 13 years.

Paul Smith, Executive Chairman of Harvey Nash Outsourcing, who is leading the delegation from UK, confirmed that Vietnam is easy to do business with, thanks to its young, educated population, infrastructures, low-cost economy and the Vietnamese 'can-do spirit' that values UK businesses. Our large Vietnamese IT workforce is world class. Paul Smith, Executive Chairman of Harvey Nash Outsourcing on a live television interview

Paul Smith, Executive Chairman of Harvey Nash Outsourcing on a live television interview

On the last day of the trade mission, a number of technology delegates decided to engage Harvey Nash and many of the other delegates have moved business relationship with Vietnam to a new level.

Useful links:

Written by

Huong Nguyen Thi Lien

Marketing Executive, Harvey Nash Vietnam

Tablets in the Enterprise

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 10:25:51 +0000

Read the overview of recent technology event "Tablets in Enterprise"

by Kishore Meda

In just a span of 2 years, more than 200 million tablets have been sold. Tablets have found new uses and new users - from boardrooms to playrooms, from corporate to leisure. Tablets are the driving force behind consumerisation of IT. Tablets underscore the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend. Increasingly, tablets are being used to access the enterprise network. What does this mean to the IT department? How can applications be device-agnostic? How can enterprises benefit from this inflection point?

NashTech invited three industry thought leaders to reflect on their experiences at an event 'Tablets in the Enterprise' hosted and sponsored by NashTech on 14th June in London.

Steve Reynolds, the President of Mobile Data Association, presented some interesting statistics:

UK is the top selling country by volume, followed by Germany and France
Tablet ownership is concentrated at the older age groups, especially 35-44 and over 55s
At least 10% of the employees are now using tablets to access IT systems
Financial Services, IT, Marketing/Media are the sectors with the highest acceptance of tablets at workplace
In 24 months, tablet ownership will overtake PC ownership

Chris Minas, the MD of nimbletank observed that the idea of working using tablets have been around for 50 years...from Star Trek. The pros for tablets in the enterprise are:

Ease of use in addition or instead of Desktop
Surge in enterprise level apps
Mobility for Field and remote workers
Sales teams love iPad

The cons for tablets in the enterprise are -

Security concerns
TCO tend to be higher, at least in the initial years
Lack of proper backup/data access
Additional support needed for device management

I liked the quote, 'Tablets are the new laptops. Laptops are the new desktops. Desktops are the new doorstops'

Josh Hart, Head of Innovations at Chelsea Apps Factory talked of 2012 being the year when businesses bought more iPads than consumers.

The takeaways from the session are clear for adopting tablets in the enterprise: -

Businesses need to plan and embrace consumerisation and the new opportunities this brings
Start planning for a mixed-ownership mobile environment
Mobile device management and security are the key elements to success
Take a platform approach to mobility
Consider the power of the mobile app on your brand, sales and marketing

Read the overview of recent technology event "Tablets in Enterprise"

Harvey Nash 2011 CIO Survey results - a first in Asia

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:49:06 +0000

Posted by Julie Nock, Account Director

I've just got back from a busy week in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam which is one of NashTech's two software development centres in Vietnam. The rainy season there has just started and we experienced some really spectacular rainstorms but at least it's accompanied by ~38oC , sunshine and blue skies beforehand. Unfortunately, back in England the rain, although giving Vietnam a run for its money in terms of quantity, just feels cold, wet and a little dreary.

I'm fortunate to visit our offices in Vietnam about twice a year as I have a number of project teams based there. Last November was spent mainly in Ha Noi in the north; so this time I stay in Hoi Chi Minh. Normally, my time and energy is taken up getting back in touch with the local management team and my project managers on project specifics and direction; often coinciding with client visits which I host.

This visit was different in that it had an external focus which I was particularly looking forward to. On the Thursday evening, I had been invited to present the Harvey Nash 2011 CIO Survey results - a first in Asia - to the prestigious CEO / CIO Club www.cxo-club.com in Ho Chi Minh City.

The CIO Survey http://www.harveynash.com/ciosurvey/ is one we undertake annually and attracts over 2,500 respondents from the UK, Europe, USA and, increasingly, other regions. I'm pleased to say the results and my invitation requesting their contribution to the next one was very well received. As well as fulfilling my promise to Marketing to help increase the survey's global footprint.

Bruce Flanagan, Chairman of Vietnam Coaching Institute and experienced Executive and Leadership Coach followed with a very stimulating session on the traits, competences and behaviours of successful leadership.

For the Q&A panel session Bruce and I were joined by Dr. Tran Hong Quan - Former Minister of Training & Education of Vietnam to discuss 'Breakthrough Leadership' and how it influences HR management. Unlike the UK; the Vietnamese are never reticent about putting forward challenging questions and I am kept on my toes for a good hour or so.

What are the strengths and the challenges to working in Vietnam and what should Vietnam do to attract more outsourcing?
Any differences between Vietnam and other countries in terms of leadership? What changes in style of leadership in Vietnam have you seen during the time you've been in business here?
Views on whether the current education policy meets business's expectation? What are your top 3 recommendations to improve the education status to fix this issue? What kind of training is required to improve the skills of graduates?

The whole evening turned out to be a most convivial event, surpassing my own expectations, with some 60-80 very interesting, influential senior executives, many of whom are entrepreneurs in their own right, from a range of industries and companies. The club is demonstrably an excellent opportunity to make new connections and refresh acquaintances. The format helped. A delicious formal dinner being served halfway through: after the presentations but before the panel session. And co-sponsorship by Johnny Walker Blue Label whiskey - a very popular exclusive brand in Vietnam and Asia - was a definite plus!

Ho Chi Minh City, April 2012

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 11:24:16 +0000

Posted by Julie Nock, Account Director

My last visit to our offices in Vietnam was in November 2011; so my list of 'reasons for a trip' was getting to the point to justify fitting in a Spring trip. Fortunately my desire to get back out to Ho Chi Minh in particular also coincided with Alistair Copeland (NashTech MD) asking me a couple of times when my next trip was planned. Not one to miss a hint or ignore an opportunity, I soon had it all arranged.

In all of our accounts, the day to day project work and client interface is managed by our UK Engagement Manager and the local Project Manager; but it is always useful to everyone for me to come over and reset the scene on client business drivers; the future roadmap and engagement and to listen to their perspectives to ensure I've set them and their teams up for success. I don't want teams limited by constraints which are artificial or can be changed e.g. different resource profiles; ways to engage etc. So I say to them - if you don't ask you don't get - if you see ways to do things better to achieve what our client and NashTech want and it's outside your control to change; raise it with me and I will try to make it happen. And I come away with a number of areas to investigate further.

Usually, the UK team tries to spread our trips around so that we end up with someone in Vietnam most weeks of the year. This time was different. I'd purposely made my trip coincide with Stan Minter's (UK Delivery Director) so we could work together on some project and management briefings. It also turned out to be a good week for Tony, the CIO from one of my UK clients, to be in Vietnam. And given where we were in this project, Vince Dooher (UK Technical Architect) was already over doing his technical reviews and knowledge transfer.

Although we've been working together since last summer this is Tony's first visit to the Vietnam. He arrived on Tuesday evening thoroughly looking forward to seeing what NashTech and Vietnam had to offer. The fact he was sporting a black eye from playing rugby at the weekend caused some mirth with the Vietnamese throughout the week.

As with all first visits, the first day is spent getting to know NashTech; where we impart our corporate capability & processes; introduce him to all the senior management team; and demonstrate our wider capability to provide the context and platform to make his time working with his direct team the most productive. A favourite part of this, for me, is the office tour as I also get to see the new projects we're working on and, often as not, yet another additional new floor of eTown we've spread into. This time BPO and mobile applications are of particular interest. After that I leave well alone and let him work directly with our Vietnamese colleagues to cover off his agenda in the next two days; touching base each lunchtime and evening.

On his last night in Vietnam, Tony very kindly takes the whole team - all 34 of them - and Vince out to dinner whilst Stan & I are at the CEO-CIO Club. We meet up in the hotel bar for a nightcap before retiring and it is very obvious that both of them have fallen in love with the country, the food and the people.

So all in all, a successful visit for everyone made even easier by the fact we flew direct with Vietnam Airlines into London cutting a good 5 hours off the entire journey. Can't wait to go back.