Basic Thoughts About Standardisation

Abstract

Standards tend to be inconvenient: they replace existing proprietary solutions and cause huge migration efforts. They show their value only after these initial investments have been made. Often they are not even the “best solution” to the single individual problem. However, the strength of a standard does not come from its genius but from the fact that it is taken up by all. Once a standard has been established or even endorsed by official authorities, it is almost unstoppable. It creates reliable interfaces and promotes decentralised work. Extensive data and process standards enable the development of completely new approaches, such as blockchain technology. In our view, standardisation has the potential to trigger comprehensive and targeted data usage both within and beyond companies.