What is the Purpose of ISO?

With all of this talk about ISO standards, it is common to wonder what ISO is all about. The International Organization for Standardization (referred to as ISO, as this is the Greek word for “the same”) is an international organization that creates standard sets of requirements and guidelines to help organizations around the world to act in a more consistent manner. The ISO organization develops, publishes, and maintains more than 22,450 standards through technical committees that include members from all over the world. These standards provide information on how to design and build products, perform specific testing, and create management systems.

It is important to note that the ISO does not provide certification or conformity auditing or assessment. The ISO is strictly involved in the maintenance of the standards, and it leaves the assessment of companies against the standards to external certification bodies.