ISO/IEC 20000-1 certification in Vietnam

ISO 20000-1 certification in Vietnam at a glance

Software and IT outsourcing firms in Vietnam that serve overseas clients are frequently asked to prove that their service delivery is managed, not improvised. ISO/IEC 20000-1 answers that with a certified service management system: service catalogue, service level management, incident and problem management, change and release control, capacity, continuity and supplier management. Banks are a domestic driver too. Circular No. 09/2020/TT-NHNN obliges covered institutions to select cloud providers against minimum criteria and to put information-security commitments into third-party contracts, and providers that can evidence managed processes are easier to approve. Certification is issued by a certification body; BoA's published IAF MLA programme list does not include IT service management, so confirm the body's accreditation for ISO/IEC 20000-1 from BoA or from another body within the international recognition arrangements. Sterling's Ho Chi Minh City office maps the service lifecycle and builds the processes with the client's team, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included. Questions follow.

Who needs ISO 20000-1 in Vietnam, and what happens without it

In Vietnam the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Software and IT outsourcing companies serving overseas clientsClients ask for evidence of managed service delivery.
• Cloud and managed-service providers to banksBanks select providers against Circular 09/2020 criteria and contract commitments.
• Internal IT departments of banks and large enterprisesService management discipline for regulated systems.

ISO 20000-1 requirements in Vietnam

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO/IEC 20000-1 requires a company to prove six things about how it plans and delivers IT services.

In Vietnam these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: ISO/IEC 20000-1 explained →

• ISO 20000-1 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 20000-1 expects

How to get ISO 20000-1 certified in Vietnam

One team from the Ho Chi Minh City office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Delivery across Vietnam from the Ho Chi Minh City office, on-site and remote.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against ISO/IEC 20000-1 and the Vietnamese requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• The ISO 20000-1 certification process, step by step
• ISO 20000-1 internal audit

How long does ISO 20000-1 certification take in Vietnam?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Vietnam these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Number of services and service locations in scope
• Maturity of incident, problem and change records
• Scheduling around the Tết break

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does ISO 20000-1 certification cost in Vietnam?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Vietnam these factors move both.

• Number of services, sites and supplier interfaces
• Service management tooling
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of ISO 20000-1

ISO 20000-1 consultants and certification bodies in Vietnam

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers ISO 20000-1 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Vietnam are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

ISO 20000-1 in Vietnam: questions clients ask

More on ISO 20000-1 for Vietnamese organisations

• ISO/IEC 20000-1: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement ISO/IEC 20000-1
• Sterling in Ho Chi Minh City
• ISO 20000-1 certification in Vietnam and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Vietnamese businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Vietnam often combine ISO/IEC 20000-1 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 20 standards Sterling delivers in Vietnam →