FPT and Cisco Empower Manufacturers to Achieve Secure Digital Transformation and Boost Operational Performance in the AI Era
Recently, FPT, in collaboration with Cisco Vietnam, hosted the “Secure Smart Manufacturing: Modernize – Protect – Transform” seminar in Hung Yen Province, attracting more than 30 business leaders and technology experts from manufacturing and foreign-invested (FDI) enterprises operating in the province. The event provided comprehensive insights into how leading manufacturers are modernizing their IT infrastructure, strengthening cybersecurity, and leveraging advanced technologies to optimize operational efficiency, enhance competitiveness, and drive sustainable growth.
According to Deloitte’s Smart Manufacturing Survey 2025, 88% of manufacturing enterprises plan to maintain or increase investment in smart manufacturing over the next year. As organizations accelerate data connectivity and IT/OT convergence, safeguarding critical infrastructure, production data, and manufacturing operations against evolving cyber threats has become a strategic priority. Against this backdrop, FPT and Cisco introduced modern networking and cybersecurity solutions that enable manufacturers to establish secure smart manufacturing foundations, improve operational performance, and prepare for the AI era.
Mr. Le Xuan Luu, representing FPT, delivers the opening remarks at the event.
Opening the seminar, Mr. Le Xuan Luu, Director of the Enterprise Business Center at FPT IS, FPT Corporation, emphasized that as information technology becomes increasingly embedded across manufacturing and business operations, cybersecurity is no longer merely a technical concern but a critical factor in ensuring business continuity. He expressed his expectation that the practical insights shared by experts from FPT and Cisco would help enterprises in Hung Yen proactively identify risks, develop robust digital infrastructure protection strategies, and strengthen operational capabilities amid accelerating digital transformation.
Mr. Ho Viet Dung of Cisco Vietnam reaffirms Cisco’s partnership with FPT in supporting enterprises to modernize IT infrastructure and strengthen cybersecurity.
Representing Cisco Vietnam, Mr. Ho Viet Dung, Partner Organization Manager, reaffirmed Cisco’s commitment to partnering with FPT in helping enterprises modernize their IT infrastructure and enhance cybersecurity capabilities. According to him, connectivity infrastructure and cybersecurity are the two key priorities in building smart factories, as they provide the foundation for maintaining stable operations, improving production efficiency, and adapting to the evolving demands of digital transformation.
In his presentation, “Modernizing Network Infrastructure: Enhancing Operational Agility and Resilience,” Mr. Truong Vu, Solutions Engineer at Cisco Vietnam, shared key digital transformation trends in the manufacturing sector and highlighted common challenges, including fragmented IT and OT systems, workforce capability gaps, and increasing cybersecurity risks as data becomes seamlessly interconnected across systems. To address these challenges, Cisco introduced its IT-OT convergence strategy, combining Cisco Validated Design (CVD) architecture with integrated security solutions to strengthen infrastructure protection, improve operational efficiency, and enhance organizational resilience. These solutions have already been successfully deployed across manufacturing enterprises worldwide, helping optimize operations and minimize risks throughout digital transformation journeys.
Mr. Truong Vu, Solutions Engineer at Cisco Vietnam, presents Cisco’s IT-OT convergence strategy and a four-step OT security roadmap for protecting critical manufacturing infrastructure.
Focusing on securing connected devices within critical infrastructure, Mr. Truong Vu also introduced Cisco’s four-step Operational Technology (OT) security roadmap for manufacturers. The roadmap encompasses OT visibility, network segmentation, secure remote access, and unified OT-IT monitoring through a Security Operations Center (SOC). This approach is powered by the Cisco Industrial Threat Defense ecosystem, which integrates directly into existing network infrastructure and eliminates the hidden costs associated with traditional SPAN-based solutions. The comprehensive security framework combines Cisco Cyber Vision for real-time visibility, automated network segmentation through Cisco Identity Services Engine (CISE) and Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (CSFMC), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) for secure remote connectivity, and Splunk’s advanced attack chain analytics. Through his presentation, Cisco further underscored the importance of end-to-end operational visibility in enabling enterprises to proactively protect their critical infrastructure.
Continuing the seminar, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Global Cybersecurity Consultant at FPT IS, FPT Corporation, delivered a presentation titled “Comprehensive Cybersecurity for Smart Factories: From Regulatory Compliance to Operational Security.” He analyzed emerging cybersecurity challenges as the boundaries between Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) continue to converge. While this convergence significantly improves operational efficiency, it also expands the attack surface, increases cybersecurity risks, and creates potential disruptions across manufacturing value chains. Beyond internal threats, supply chain attacks have also emerged as a growing concern, with numerous high-profile incidents affecting major manufacturers worldwide.
Dr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Global Cybersecurity Consultant at FPT, introduces a comprehensive cybersecurity architecture and service ecosystem designed to secure smart factory connectivity.
To help manufacturers address these challenges, FPT proposed a cybersecurity architecture based on the extended Purdue Model and the IEC 62443 international standard for industrial automation and control systems. Within this architecture, each security level corresponds to specific devices and system components spanning operational technology (OT) and enterprise IT environments, while an additional Level 3.5 demilitarized zone (DMZ) serves as a protective buffer between IT and OT networks. Furthermore, FPT recommends applying the Zone & Conduit design philosophy across OT environments to strengthen access control and minimize the lateral spread of malware and cyberattacks. Complementing this architecture, FPT also advocates implementing endpoint control, data flow and process control, OT network monitoring, and digital asset management solutions to enable early threat detection. This security model has already been implemented across numerous industrial projects globally and in Vietnam. In addition, FPT provides an end-to-end cybersecurity services ecosystem covering risk assessment, regulatory compliance consulting, security testing, incident response exercises, and cybersecurity awareness training, enabling enterprises to build comprehensive cyber resilience while ensuring uninterrupted manufacturing operations.
The seminar concluded with practical discussions on digital infrastructure modernization and cybersecurity best practices for the manufacturing sector.
By combining Cisco’s advanced technology solutions with FPT’s consulting and implementation expertise, the seminar equipped manufacturing enterprises with valuable insights and practical experience in building secure IT infrastructure, optimizing operational performance, and strengthening competitiveness in the AI era.
