|
The
IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization (IEEE-ISTO)
was established on 1 January 1999 as a not-for-profit corporation,
tax exempt under Section 501(c)(6) of the U.S. tax code. The IEEE-ISTO
is governed by its own Board of Directors,
Bylaws,
and Articles of Incorporation. The organization is affiliated
with the IEEE,
and the IEEE Standards Association.
The formation
of the IEEE-ISTO is indicative of IEEE's recognition and response
to the dynamic standards development environment, and the need
to be able to offer industry increased choice and flexibility
through a complete menu of standards development options and support.
The IEEE-ISTO
offers industry groups (e.g., consortia, special interest groups,
alliances, forums, working groups) an innovative and flexible
operational forum and support for development and post-development
standards and technology development activities. The IEEE-ISTO
operates as an umbrella organization to provide the legal forum
for industry groups to operate, without the need to incorporate
themselves as a legal entity. Programs
of the IEEE-ISTO enjoy the legal protections and insurance
benefits of operating within an incorporated, fully insured, non-profit
organization.
The IEEE-ISTO
enables industry groups to define their unique rules and procedures
(e.g., scope and nature of technical program, membership (dues,
categories), voting, consensus requirements, and structure) to
build a foundation tailored to the technology, the market, the
participants, the required time-frame, and the financial and human
resources available to achieve their goals.
Groups organized
within the IEEE-ISTO are able to develop and publish their outputs
on their own or through the IEEE-ISTO. The resulting publications,
standards, and specifications of each program can then be submitted,
as appropriate, to other standards bodies for approval or adoption
(e.g., IETF, ISO,
IEC, IEEE,
ISO/IEC JTC1, W3C).
Documents and technologies developed may be distributed as freely
as the individual industry groups require and fund.
The IEEE-ISTO
provides a forum not only to develop standards, but also to facilitate
the activities that support the implementation and acceptance
of standards in the marketplace.
The
IEEE-ISTO provides the legal infrastructure (and support) under
which industry-specific programs and related technology development
activities (e.g., Marketing, Certification, Patent and Intellectual
Property Licensing Administration, Standard and Specification
Development, Interoperability Demonstrations, Branding, Conformity
Assessment, Cooperative Research) can be organized. The IEEE-ISTO
is structured to facilitate cost-effective, stable programs in
support of any new or emerging technology that requires rapid
development of standards and specifications to meet product schedules,
and to attain market acceptance.
The IEEE-ISTO
has been established as a self-supporting organization through
fees for support and infrastructure provided to each industry
group. Each group establishes and approves its program budget
and support dependent upon the group's priorities, requirements,
and funding. Operational support may be acquired from the IEEE-ISTO
on an as-needed basis.
The IEEE-ISTO
provides a complete menu of comprehensive management and operational
support, from formation to ongoing facilitation, administration
and management of an industry group's daily activities. The support
required and provided can be customized to meet the needs and
objectives of each group, on an as needed basis.
The IEEE-ISTO
can provide all of the ongoing support functions which allow the
members and leadership to focus their efforts on the goals at
hand. Groups can mobilize quickly and maintain their unique identity
without the need to develop their own "do-it-yourself" organization
where technical staff, including the leadership, perform administrative
and management functions on a daily basis. The earlier that industry
groups engage experienced independent professionals to assist
in the design and management of their organizations, the sooner
the organization's founders and members can focus on the mission,
by leaving the administration and management to an independent,
neutral organization. The staff of the IEEE-ISTO is committed
to providing this support, with a high standard of integrity and
confidentiality, and can be as flexible and creative as necessary
to realize the goals for the program.
Our experience
in association management and governance has proven that industry
groups require access to a core set of support and programs that
allow the organization to create, manage, and distribute its benefits
to its membership and supporters. Core support involves a mix
of traditional association management support, plus the full spectrum
of electronic communications support. The IEEE-ISTO's role in
the following areas could include, but are not limited to:
|
