IEEE-ISTO


The IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization is a 501 not-for-profit federation of industry alliances, consortia, and trade groups that has the mission to serve as the trusted partner to industry in the development and market adoption of industry standards and technical solutions that serve the global technology community. Formed in 1999, ISTO has an affiliation with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, although it is a separate legal and autonomous entity incorporated in the State of Delaware, USA.
ISTO offers industry associations, trade groups, and consortia a means to form technical organizations - and a vehicle to develop specifications, promote technologies, gain market acceptance. ISTO works with collective startups and established entities alike to provide the legal infrastructure and operational support and tools required to accomplish specific goals.
By contracting to join the ISTO federation, alliances and other collective startups are able to form a legal and autonomous not-for-profit collective entity. ISTO’s legal infrastructure offloads from member alliances the annual obligations of entity insurance coverage, annual financial audits and annual tax filings. On a daily basis, ISTO provides operational support to its member programs.

IEEE-ISTO History

In January 1999, after eighteen months of planning and development, an IEEE press release announced the formation of a new, independent, not-for-profit corporation named the IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization.
The formation of the ISTO was approved by the IEEE Board of Directors in November 1998, based upon a five-year business plan. The goal of the ISTO was to provide a link between standards development activity in informal consortia and the formal standards activities of the IEEE. By offering a wide variety of management, operational and technical support to industry participants setting specifications outside of the traditional process used by SDOs like the IEEE Standards Association, the ISTO would meet an industry need while maintaining an affiliation with IEEE.
When the ISTO was formed, the IEEE was the sole founding member. IEEE provided the ISTO with a line of credit to fund initial operations which was repaid years later as ISTO continued to grow. The ISTO headquarters was located within the IEEE Operations Center in Piscataway, NJ.
In 2000, the ISTO Staff and the Board of Directors undertook a marketing and promotion campaign which resulted in the Medical Device Communications Industry Group, the Printer Working Group, and the Nexus5001 Forum becoming the first three programs of ISTO.
As the year 2000 drew to a close, the number of Programs supported by the ISTO had grown to eight .
The concept of the ISTO as an umbrella organization under which industry standards activities could be performed efficiently and successfully had been demonstrated and the opportunities for new Programs continued to grow. The addition of three more Programs in 2001 brought the number of Programs to eleven.
With the ongoing increase of new ISTO programs over the years, it became necessary to add staff resources and tools to provide exceptional professional support.
Today, ISTO is in its approaching its 20th year of operation with a solid portfolio of serving over 50 industry alliances and trade groups since its inception, some still in existence today. Although its staff has grown and extends to remote locations, ISTO continues to be headquartered in Piscataway, NJ. Its federation of Programs continues to grow as ISTO adapts to new and changing market realities to serve industry worldwide with new emerging technologies.

Market Adoptions

The staff give advice on strategic and tactical program management, ISTO has cooperated with over 50 industry alliances and trade groups and worked on these technologies:
ISTO offers the following:
Infrastructure – ISTO's legal framework enables its not-for-profit legal status to be shared with its member alliances. ISTO also fulfills IRS obligations for member alliances as it includes member alliances in its annual financial audit and annual tax filing.
Liability Insurance/Indemnification – ISTO carries a comprehensive package of insurance policies to cover all member alliances organized under its legal umbrella. Coverage includes policy clauses such as Directors and Officers, Errors and Omissions and general liability.
ISTO Membership – The ISTO Federation allows for member programs to participate in cross-program activities such as ISTO Program Leadership Caucuses, the ISTO Annual Member Meeting and the nomination and election of ISTO Director candidates.
Independent Formation – ISTO manages the self-incorporation of member alliances and oversees the submission and filing of IRS Form 1024 for member alliances to apply for not-for-profit status. ISTO is knowledgeable of all legal, tax and audit requirements for 501 entities, and ensures legal compliance for new not-for-profit organizations.

Strategic Consulting and Program Management

Formation Assistance – ISTO supports the formation of industry alliances, assisting with membership structures, mission statements, and Board formation as well as drafting governing documents including Bylaws, Intellectual Property Rights policies and Membership Agreements. ISTO sets up bank accounts, financial statements, contract templates and develops brand identity.
Board Secretariat – ISTO serves as Board Secretariat for a number of organizations around the world.
Association Management– ISTO provides executive-level strategic and tactical support to meet organizational goals and committee/working group objectives, respectively.

Standardization and Certification Programs

ISTO supports the setup and ongoing administration of various models for standardization, compliance/interoperability test programs, and licensing by its member alliances.

Financial/Accounting Management

ISTO provides accounting and financial management support that adheres to GAAP and has received top ratings in its annual financial audit. ISTO supports daily AP/AR and invoicing requirements for member Programs as well as the annual obligations of financial audits and tax filings.

Membership & Contract Administration

ISTO provides membership administration from recruitment to processing to retention, managing member relations and analyzing membership trends.

Event Planning and Management

ISTO supports member meetings around the world and plans for high-profile symposiums and technical summits.

PR and Marketing Communications

ISTO manages member alliance PR, social media, blogs, vlogs, e-newsletters, surveys, evaluations, webinars, white papers, webinars, member surveys, infographics, branded materials, and website and logo development.

Legal Registrations, Licensing, Compliance

ISTO handles registrations a licensing of member Program IP.

Partial List of ISTO Member Programs

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https://ieee-isto.org/