ELI5: What are Industry Standards?
These are like the safety rules for a specific sport — swimming pools have different rules than basketball courts. Each industry has its own set of security rules that companies agree to follow to show they take safety seriously.
Definition
Industry standards are security frameworks and requirements established by industry bodies or consortia that may be voluntary or contractually mandated based on the nature of an organization’s business. Examples include PCI DSS (required for organizations handling payment card data), ISO 27001 (international ISMS standard, often required by enterprise customers), and NIST CSF (voluntary but widely adopted in US critical infrastructure). Adherence to industry standards demonstrates security maturity and often provides a competitive advantage.
Key Details
- PCI DSS: mandatory for payment card processing; enforced through card brand agreements (Visa, Mastercard)
- ISO 27001: internationally recognized ISMS certification; increasingly required by enterprise and government customers
- NIST CSF: voluntary for most US private sector organizations; mandatory for some federal contractors
- SOC 2: industry standard for service organizations demonstrating security/availability controls to customers
- Standards may be incorporated into contracts, making them de facto mandatory for suppliers and service providers
Connections
- Parent: compliance — industry standards are a pillar of the compliance landscape
- See also: pci-dss
- See also: iso-27001-27002