a Volume 2, No. 10, November-December 2011 ISSN 1729-8709 IT gurus and gadgets • Guest Interview : Sony and the value of standards th • ISO 34 General Assembly INDIA a Contents Comment Sadao Takeda, ISO Vice-President (policy) Tech-timing – Creating tomorrow’s gadgets today ................................................... 1 ISO Focus+ is published 10 times a year World Scene (single issues : July-August, November-December) International events and international standardization ............................................ 2 It is available in English and French. Guest Interview Bonus articles : www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Update : www.iso.org/isoupdate Ken Wheatley – Sony Electronics, Inc. .................................................................... 3 The electronic edition (PDF file) of ISO Special Report Focus+ is accessible free of charge on the Daring visions – Laying the foundations for innovation .......................................... 8 ISO Website www.iso.org/isofocus+ An annual subscription to the paper edition Gurus and ICT standards – Translating visions into technical success stories ....... 10 costs 38 Swiss francs. Cloud computing – Building firm foundations for standards development ............. 12 Publisher Entertainment of the future – From 3D to virtual reality ........................................ 15 ISO Central Secretariat (International Organization for Zoomed in – The evolving landscape of digital photography .................................. 18 Standardization) 1, chemin de la Voie-Creuse Driving innovation – The challenge of “ bleeding-edge ” Web standards ................ 21 CH – 1211 Genève 20 Switzerland Simpler, faster and better – ISO’s Internet challenges ............................................. 24 Tel. : +41 22 749 01 11 Designing ISO’s new Website – Two designers, one vision ..................................... 28 Fax : +41 22 733 34 30 E-mail : [email protected] Greening IT – How ISO 14001 helps fuse business and environment goals ........... 33 Manager : Roger Frost Centre-fold Editor : Elizabeth Gasiorowski-Denis Assistant Editor : Maria Lazarte Iconic gurus and great ideas – Standards for a new vision ................................ 26-27 Communication Officer : Sandrine Tranchard Artwork : Xela Damond, Pierre Granier Planet ISO and Alexane Rosa Translation : Translation Services, News of the ISO system ............................................................................................ 34 ISO Central Secretariat Management Solutions Subscription enquiries : Sonia Rosas Friot Improved customer satisfaction – Key result of ISO 9000 user survey ................... 36 ISO Central Secretariat Tel. : +41 22 749 03 36 IT service provision – Lockheed Martin achieves ISO/IEC 20000 Fax : +41 22 749 09 47 and ISO/IEC 27001 .................................................................................................... 39 E-mail : [email protected] 360° © ISO, 2011. All rights reserved. ISO 34th General Assembly – ISO standards meet trade The contents of ISO Focus+ are copyrighted and sustainability challenges ..................................................................................... 40 and may not, whether in whole or in part, be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or DEVCO – New meeting format well received .......................................................... 47 transmitted in any form or by any means, elec- tronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, Open Session : Industry and standards – Fostering innovation without written permission of the Editor. and building competitive advantage .......................................................................... 48 The articles in ISO Focus+ express the views New Releases of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of ISO or of any of its members. Information security – ISO/IEC guidelines for auditors to increase confidence .... 52 ISSN 1729-8709 Coming Up 53 Printed in Switzerland Cover photo : ISO, 2011 a Comment Tech-timing Creating tomorrow’s gadgets today The opportunities offered by technology are growing exponentially at public agencies, academia, businesses and a pace faster than most of us can keep up with. The vision and devices other users that make up ISO technical of gurus like Steve Jobs are catalysts bringing an avalanche of techno- committees. In addition, ISO must also cooperate logical innovation. For example, a group of researchers recently con- internally, as these new gadgets and technol- ceived a simple, inexpensive ball lens embedded in a rubber sheet that, ogy rely on the work of different technical when attached to an iPhone lens, turns the device into a microscope. committees. Through this collaboration Practical and low cost, it could be used by doctors in remote and im- ISO brings together experts from different worlds (e.g. IT, ergonomics and cinema- poverished areas. The idea opens up potentially exciting possibilities. tography), to develop the standards that the industry needs to succeed. And this is one None of this would be possible without off consumers. Recent ITU (International of ISO’s greatest benefits: expertise from robust, well-established International Telecommunication Union) standards for a wide range of experts from many fields Standards which provide the base that cellphone chargers demonstrate the huge and countries under one system. enables technology to be interoperable and advantages to be had from compatibility with International Standards will play a crucial encourage investment in new ideas. Cutting- products and services from manufacturers role in helping potentially life-changing edge standards consolidate state-of-the-art and providers around the world. Ergonomic, innovations like cloud computing to mature. know ledge and help foster innovation. safety and other such issues should also be Projects like the ISO Living Lab 1) or new considered globally. But creating the right standards when eServices aim to ensure that the organization they are needed is not easy. Like taking a evolves with the times, and meets global cake out of the oven, standard makers must Cutting-edge standards needs for standards – so that the cake is find the right balance between doing it too taken out of the oven when it is just right. soon when the cake is still uncooked – that consolidate state-of-the- Thirty years ago the Internet was still the is, the technology is not mature enough ; art knowledge and help stuff of dreams ; today we cannot picture life and leaving it too late, when the cake has foster innovation. without it. I can only wonder what the future burnt, and the benefits of standardization will bring next, proud in the knowledge that are lost in a confusing mix of rules, so that whatever it is, ISO helped it get there. standards do not meet international require- However, as is often the case with innova- ments or provide global benefits. tion, competition and proprietary concerns 1) See “ Living Lab – Where ISO grows con- As technology develops at an ever faster can become barriers that get in the way of rate, this becomes a greater challenge for tinual improvement culture ”, ISO Focus+, international efforts. Standardizers must take July-August 2011. standardizers. It is crucial that we work at account of the different consortia or fora to the pace of innovation. Which is why ISO bring all stakeholders on board, in order to is putting continual emphasis on being consolidate resources and knowledge, and faster, simpler, better, and investing in develop truly harmonized systems that cut the latest information and communication across borders. technologies – to meet these goals without A great example of successful collaboration compromising the solid process necessary is joint technical committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, for international consensus. Information technology. Nowhere will we However, timing is not the only chal- find more consortia (and fast-changing tech- lenge. Take, for instance, electric vehicles. nology) than in the world of IT. Many of the Research and development is maturing, experts that participate in JTC 1 also work in and the time for standards is ripe. Without consortia. The committee therefore considers International Standards, industry will find it itself as a platform bringing together efforts difficult to implement innovation and achieve through liaison and cooperation. the efficiencies and cost savings resulting A recent example is the agreement with from economies of scale in production and the World Wide Web Consortium (WC3) supply chains. Having to replicate infra- to fast-track their standards through the structures for the same technologies only ISO/IEC system, while still requiring a vote diminishes competitive advantage and turns of approval from industry, government, Sadao Takeda, ISO Vice-President (policy). ISO Focus+ November-December 2011 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 1 a World Scene 20 years of the Vienna Agreement Twenty years of the “ Vienna Agreement ”, which helps to ensure that international and European standards avoid duplication and make the best use of development resources, were celebrated at an international conference in Participants from 13 countries at the workshop in Bali on how to improve the sustainability of fisheries. the Austrian capital in November 2011. The event was hosted by the Austrian Standards Members of risk management associations to their respective national groups, and carry out Institute (ISO member for the country). around the world were invited to participate