Technisch
On October 14, the Day of Interoperability took place in Driebergen (UT). The event is organized by Forum Standaardisatie, best known for its 'Comply or Explain' list of information standards used within the Dutch government, and as the initiator of initiatives such as Platform Internetstandaarden, the organization behind the well-known website internet.nl.
Photo via Pexels
Standards and topics like interoperability are not things most people think about every day, yet we all use them daily, often with ease and enjoyment. Standards play a vital role in the digital systems that our society relies on. The opening question of the conference highlighted not only the importance of standards but also who truly owns them and how they are applied.
Email is a good example of a set of open standards, it allows anyone to build a service and communicate with any email address in the world. On the other hand, there are standards that are not so public, mainly benefiting a handful of big tech companies. These companies keep control over how such standards are implemented, giving them an almost state-like power over groups of people larger than many democracies.
At the same time, this opens up opportunities to connect these powerful players to more public standards, standards that serve the public good and are developed collectively by a broad group in society. Standards that allow you to make your own choices, move your data freely, and communicate with whoever you want. Standards that ensure your files can be read anywhere.
One of the most fundamental standards we have is our language. The Dutch language has been under pressure for some time, and AI is accelerating this by replacing skilled human translators with AI-generated translations that are increasingly seen as the norm.
With a touch of realism and my head held high, I return to the real world. A world where these signals are being heard, yet still raise many questions. Much like the energy transition and climate challenges, many organizations are still searching for the best solutions, trusted references, and a sense of being fully supported. Believe me, it will come. But for now, what's most needed is time and critical customers.
The key message that echoed during the opening session was that leaders have an important role to play. We need to start by finding out what an organization truly needs, where its data is located, what the IT department thinks, and which products or services can serve as a starting point. And one final note from us: define your own narrative and build an IT setup that works for your organization, rather than the other way around.