IECISO

IECISO is not an official organization. It is a term occasionally used to describe a proposed umbrella for closer coordination between the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the development of international standards. In practice, IEC and ISO collaborate through joint committees, most notably JTC 1 for information technology, and many standards are published jointly as ISO/IEC standards, such as ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 20000.

Concept and aims: A formal IECISO framework would unify governance, development processes, and conformity assessment for standards spanning electrical engineering, electronics, and IT. The objective would be to reduce duplication, harmonize terminology, and improve interoperability across products and services.

Governance and process: It would presumably be governed by a joint council with equal representation from IEC and ISO, a joint secretariat, and working groups that follow the standard lifecycle—scoping, working drafts, committee drafts, enquiries, ballots, and publication. Participation would involve member bodies from both organizations and stakeholding industry and academia.

Scope and topics: Potential areas include cybersecurity for connected devices, energy efficiency and smart grids, electrical safety, data communication, cloud and edge computing, IoT interoperability, and conformity assessment methods.

Relation to existing standards: ISO/IEC standards would continue to be developed under the existing arrangements; an IECISO umbrella would aim to streamline processes and broaden reach. Some criticisms might include complexity of governance and risk of slower development due to consensus across two organizations, while benefits would include greater consistency and faster global adoption.

See also: ISO, IEC, JTC 1, ISO/IEC standards.