International Organization for Standardization - ISO

The International Organization for Standardization is a group of standards bodies from approximately 130 countries whose aim is to establish, promote and manage standards to facilitating the international exchange of goods and services.

The term 'ISO' is not an acronym for the IOS, it is a word derived from the Greek word 'isos' which means 'equal', which is the root of the prefix 'iso-'. For example the word isobar links together areas of equal atmospheric pressure.

In Information Security the ISO standard 17799 has recently been established. Formerly, it was a British Standard - BS 7799.