by Michelle Hunt, Director, Alliance Management Operations, ISTO

As a federation of member programs consisting of consortia, alliances, and trade groups, ISTO offers world class support for collectives involved in standardizing technical solutions which aim to improve technology or development for industry ecosystems. From drafting standards development processes that are open and consensus-based to ensuring strict compliance to processes as a neutral third party to supporting platforms and mechanisms for easy standards distribution and adoption, ISTO supports today’s standardization efforts for technology-focused industry alliances.

Many ISTO member alliances have successfully developed standards that have been highly impactful to industries, including lighting, mobile technology, wireless power charging, satellite transmission, voice recognition, and high-performance computing.  However, there also exists the opportunity for those same standards to be adopted by the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) for expanded global recognition providing acceptance and awareness within the international Standards Development Organization (SDO) community. Adoption as an IEEE standard provides  global branding, supported by the IEEE’S marketing and  distribution network, for the adopted standard.

The IEEE SA Industry Affiliate Network (IAN) provides a program for bringing together consortia, alliances and other industry communities for rapidly evolving their industry standards or specifications into global IEEE standards. IAN is open to consortia, industry alliances or other trade groups seeking to broaden the market adoption of a standardized technological solution via an IEEE standard.

The IAN program provides mentorship for the adoption of industry specifications in becoming globally recognized IEEE Standards.  Consortia, alliances and trade groups have the opportunity to have their specifications adopted in either an unmodified or modifiable format, in line with the industry community’s goals, and without risk to the integrity of the industry community.

IAN provides an open and strategic framework to identify and actively engage organizations to:

  • Foster strategic activities to achieve greater impact on standards development process
  • Drive global market visibility and acceptance through the creation of industry standards
  • Enable the creation and release of new market-relevant standards
  • Accelerate paths from specifications to standards development

Benefits of IAN participation include:

  • Accelerating the development and acceptance of your industry specifications as IEEE Standards
  • Leveraging IEEE global branding, publishing and distribution to support your IEEE standardization activity
  • Potential collaboration opportunities through IEEE joint events, including, conferences, workshops and webinars
  • Utilization of IEEE offerings, such as:
    • Standards Certification and Compliance programs via IEEE Conformity Assessment Program (ICAP)
    • Engagement with over 37 IEEE Societies & 9 Councils and relevant programs for increased audience for your solutions
    • IEEE SA Open Source program

Here’s How IAN Works

If your ISTO industry alliance has drafted and ratified industry

specification(s) and is seeking to drive  global adoption,  the following supported and expedited process is employed.

  1. Contact ISTO for initiation support (ieee-isto.org) or contact IAN directly at https://standards.ieee.org/products-programs/industry-affiliate-network/
  2. Discuss the IAN process including IEEE SA expedited work group formation and ballot initiation, IEEE SA Corporate membership to ensure voting rights in the Work Group, and whether the Standard is to be adopted “As Is” or with possible slight edits to be detailed and listed separately.
  3. Submit your standard to the work group as its initial Draft Standard to be balloted by the balloting Group (per IEEE SA procedures). Once returned from the balloting group, review comments, if any, and address these comments and/or move ahead to IEEE SA Board Review Committee approval.
  4. Upon Review Committee approval of the Standard, the Standards Association Board (SASB) will vote on final approval of your Standard as an IEEE Standard.
  5. From there, your Standard leverages the IEEE Distribution channel for further exposure and global distribution acceptance.

As an example, in 2020, the ISTO MIPI Alliance member Program took advantage of the IAN program and submitted one of its many industry specifications (MIPI A-PHY Specification Version 1) for adoption as an IEEE standard  via an IAN Agreement . Following a nine month adoption process, the MIPI Standard was adopted by IEEE as an IEEE standard in 2021. Through IAN, the MIPI Alliance leverages visibility for its specifications across and beyond more than 419,000 IEEE members in over 160 countries and an unmatched range of technology spaces.

The IEEE adoption of industry standards also benefits the IEEE SA  by introducing market relevant industry specifications, not currently addressed by IEEE Standards Work Groups, into the IEEE portfolio of standards.

“IAN is designed to facilitate IEEE adoption of industry-recognized, market-relevant specifications from industry consortia, toward the goal of advancing standards development and market adoption that address technological innovations and market advancements,” said Dr. Konstantinos Karachalios, Managing Director of IEEE SA. “The contribution of MIPI A-PHY will add a new asymmetric approach to our existing portfolio of IEEE automotive standards. We are excited to work with MIPI Alliance to bring this standardized solution to the automotive ecosystem.”

For more information, contact: Contact ISTO to get the ball rolling (www.ieee-isto.org) or contact IAN directly at https://standards.ieee.org/products-programs/industry-affiliate-network/