Bird discusses “open standards” that can be implemented in products without encumbrances, royalties, or excessive charges. Buyers and users benefit from increased flexibility, freedom of choice, lower costs of integration, and easier, simpler purchases. Software authors and integrators benefit because they can add value rather than resolving differences between products. Vendors should not fear standardization, since value comes from product features and relevant services.

Achieving standards requires businesses to “define the business needs and strategy for the IT group,” “implement a strategy of buying and implementing products that conform to the specified standards,” and be certain that their “developers use only standard APIs and services from the standard base [they] define.” The payoff is a shortened procurement cycle, increased flexibility, and the use of the best technology. This article contains a commonsense approach for those arguing for standards.