Modern technologies are important in all branches of industry because they are the newest and most optimal means of achieving the business goals a company has. Technological advances are responsible for the immense achievements of the humankind and most obstacles that have come our way. Over the course the last few decades, technology has changed multiple times over and there are struggles to keep up with these seemingly never-ending and sudden changes. However, it is a good thing because it means things can be done faster, better, and safer.
However, there needs to be some sort of a body or an organization, at least a set of rules and guidelines when modern tech is in question. Like any other major thing the whole planet depends on like food and health, there are certain international standards for the use and adoption of modern technologies. These have been thought of, developed, and widely accepted because they benefit all no matter who the users are and where they are located in the world.
In this article, we are going to talk in much greater detail about these international standards and see how important they truly are. You will be able to learn exactly what they are and why they were introduced in the first place. In case you wish to learn additional info about them, for more details you can consult with the professionals of international standardization.
Purposes of Standardization
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The term “international standard” is an umbrella term for a lot of different patterns, ways, and practices that do not all deal with technology. These standards exist in order for everyone to be equivalent and work towards a common goal, again beneficial to all. Things like using the same symbols, having tools that look and feel the same, measuring units that are common everywhere, and one and the same markings are all standards without which there would be too much confusion and downtime.
Just like we have overcome the language barrier thousands of years ago when ancient civilizations began to learn each other’s ways of communication, the modern times called for a unification of some sorts in terms of doing the most across the board. Standardization is a way of overcoming barriers as well, and with technology it helped us overcome technical and technological barriers. Independent and separate standards within businesses and countries can work, but on a larger scale there will always be problems here and there simply because different teams use different methods.
If people are to work together and benefit from one another, standards are a must. It is as simple as that. And since all of us use modern technologies equally both in private and for business purposes, international standards have never been more important.
History of Standardization
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The first batch of standards in the modern sense of the word came in commerce and industry with the onset of the Industrial Revolution. Once machine tools with numerous interchangeable parts became widely available and used, everyone wanted the newest and most efficient means of doing their job. This called for a new way of doing things and developing new tools, technologies, and machines that would be used in the same way no matter where the worker may be. For much of the 19th century this was the norm until everyone knew the best way to accomplish the task at hand.
International organizations that regulate and observe the standards came into picture in the 20th century. The first international organization of this sort appeared in 1906, the International Electrotechnical Commission. Members from 14 countries sat at the first meeting in London. Some two decades later in 1926, the ISA was founded. The International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations was established to ease the cooperation for all the different standards and specs across the number of organizations that appeared up until then. In 1946, after the war, the ISA and the new UNSCC (United Nations Standards Coordinating Committee) merged and the still-standing and operating International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was born.
Modern Technology Standards
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Modern needs and new tech required modern standardization which is why we now have things like the Binary code and the Unicode used for most information technology related jobs and tasks. Without them there would be an incredible amount of additional work needed from all sides to find some kind of middle ground. With standardization there is no middle ground because everyone studies, learns, and does the same things with miniscule variations that do not really matter with the end product.
In communications, we have numerous standards like the Morse code, the Brevity code, the Q code, and all sorts of aeronautical, maritime, and other signals. In modern sciences that rely heavily on the use of expensive and intricate lab equipment like lasers, cells, and hazardous material, one and the same type of identifying and marking is used no matter if the scientists and experts come from Europe, Asia, Africa, or anywhere else in the world.
The same goes for where they work. Without the International System of Units for example, or the Standard mathematical notation and the Metric system, we would not be where we are. Now when everyone uses computers and carries gadgets on their body 24/7, there was the need for new standards surrounding the Internet, the language used in social media, standard specifications used in computational assignments from programing and video editing to gaming and other entertainment. There is a reason why people are hyped and on the edge of their seats when new flagship smartphones, new consoles, or a new series of CPUs and GPUs hit the stores. It is because the standards change and the market becomes different for the better.
Much of the same happens behind the scene in terms of safety at work, in all sorts of industries, from the most difficult of factories to work in and the most troublesome of materials and tools, to the more traditional and orthodox jobs like serving others, caring for others, or teaching them. Technology is everywhere and standardization has to follow close by. Even the operating system on your PC, that is probably Windows, is there because of some kind of standard in the industry you are in. If it is Mac or Linux, you know exactly why that is. That is right, because the standard for your job is different.
