Many domestic firms have digitalised data and applied cloud computing to reduce operation and equipment costs at their information technology departments, heard a recent conference held by VMware Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City.

Firms could save 30 percent of the spending on equipment purchases at their IT departments, and increase security if they digitalise data and use cloud computing services, Phu Quoc Si, Director of the IT division at Prudential Vietnam, was quoted by The Saigon Times Daily as saying.

At the conference on March 10, VMware announced a survey on the application of cloud computing with 445 senior executives of companies in the first two months of this year.

Around 91 percent of respondents, including IT directors, said they will apply cloud computing to at least 30 percent of their data in the next two years.

Notably, the number of firms expected to digitalise 90 percent of data or more will increase from 11 percent at present to 35 percent in 2017.

Huynh Phuc Yem Quan, Director of VMware, said some banks like Asia Commercial Bank (ACB), Saigon Thuong Tin Commercial Bank (Sacombank) and DongA Bank have digitalised over 90 percent of their data.

Quan said Vietnam takes the lead in ASEAN with the highest ratio of firms applying digitalisation and cloud computing.

According to a report of IDC, businesses in ASEAN can save over 92 billion USD in 2014-2020 if they apply the methods.-VNA