Professional Services Directory
Standards organizations are special organizations, with special requirements. A limited number of service providers, including Gesmer Updegrove, have made the commitment to learn about these needs, and to provide services specially tailored to meet them. We have worked with many of the organizations listed below for many years and would be happy to provide recommendations.
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Can We Help You?
Gesmer Updegrove LLP is, quite simply, the most experienced law firm in the United States when it comes to representing and creating standards development organizations — more than 100 — to date. If you need advice about participating in the standards development process, representation in standards-related litigation, intellectual property advice, or help creating a brand new SSO or open source foundation, we'd be pleased to help. Contact:
Email:
Tel: 617-350-6800
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To obtain a listing on this page, please send an email to: .
Ruane and Company
An accounting firm that provides audit, tax and business consulting services to many consortia and trade associations.
Applied Testing and Technology (ApTest)
Founded by the President and Chief Technical Officer of 88open Consortium, Ltd., one of the first consortia to develop its own test suites and create and run its own on-site certification testing facility. Aptest develops test suites and/or offers testing services for web sites, application software, system software, middleware and Orbs.
The Open Group
A consortium in its own right, TOG was formed by the union of the Open Software Foundation, the developer of Motif and other software and standards for the Unix community, and X/Open, a world-wide certification testing organization. Besides supporting its own members, it continues to provide worldwide testing services; hosts forums which guide the development of initiatives; organizes conferences where IT customers and vendors meet; and provides support services to other standard setting groups.
Karinch Communications
Karinch Communications has developed public relations and marketing communications strategies for standards organizations and technology companies since 1993. Clients receive on-going tactical support in those areas, including development and placement of articles, brochures, case studies, press releases, and white papers. Maryann Karinch, the author of seven books on a variety of topics, personally assists each client with its projects.
Gesmer Updegrove LLP
Since 1988, GU has helped form scores of standard setting and promotional consortia, and has advised many more — in all, more than 100 standards organizations in a very wide range of technologies. Its advisory services include pre-formation advice on structural, membership, budget, promotional and other matters crucial to ensure a successful launch and ongoing growth; advice on standardization, certification and branding strategies; and advice on restructurings, mergers and alliances to help consortia successfully adapt to changing times. The firm believes that it has represented more standard setting and promotional consortia than any other law firm in the United States, and is the creator and host of this site and the electronic publisher of Standards Today, as well as the Essential Guide to Standards, an on-line, book-length guide to getting the most out of participating in standards development organizations, or to form one yourself. To learn more, contact Andrew Updegrove at 617/350-6800, or by email at (and also see the related entry under Legal Services).
cPubs
cPubs serves as a virtual Technical Publications team, developing the technical documentation and training for members of organizations. cPubs supports management by providing experienced talent on demand. The information they develop is accessible online or in print for local and global distribution, in multiple languages. For 15 years, cPubs has been developing the documentation and training programs that enable technology organizations to launch and support their products, services, and internal systems on a local and global basis.
www.NSSN.org's
Fee-based "STAR" service provides current status reports on more than 270,000 standards under development, revision and maintenance around the world. The service also identifies new project proposals and tracks changes in status. A one-year single-user subscription is $99, while enterprise-wide rights may be secured at a greater cost. Look here for a summary of NSSN's free services. American National Standards Institute ANSI is a non-profit organization that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Founded in 1918, its mission is to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems, and safeguarding their integrity. ANSI provides access to numerous standards and links to SDOs, as well as publishes "Standards Action", an online bi-weekly status report on developing domestic, regional, and international standards.
Gesmer Updegrove LLP
Gesmer Updegrove believes that it has represented more standard setting and promotional consortia than any other law firm in the United States. Since 1988, it has helped form scores of standard setting and promotional consortia, and has advised many more — in all, more than 100 standards organizations in a very wide range of technologies. Its legal services for standards organizations include initial formation and structuring; securing tax exemptions and ongoing tax compliance; antitrust compliance monitoring and advice; administering worldwide trademark, service mark, and certification mark registration programs; structuring and documenting technical processes; advising on intellectual property rights issues and creating IPR policies; advising on licensing and technology transfer matters; addressing international issues; negotiating and documenting restructurings, mergers and alliances; addressing management and employment issues; and litigation. For individual companies, the firm provides advice relating to participation in standards organizations; standards-related litigation services; preparation and filing of amicus briefs in standards litigation; and expert witness services. The firm is the creator and host of this site and the electronic publisher of Standards Today. To learn more, contact Andrew Updegrove at 617/350-6800, or by email at (and also see the related entry under Consulting Services).
Alliances Management
Alliances Management is a professional services firm that delivers operations management, administrative services, and strategic consultation to trade associations and standards organizations. Founded by Tono Aspinall, with ten years of experience in operations management, the company leverages streamlined processes and best practices to deliver its clients financial/budget management, board services, executive committee management, legal/compliance management, conference management, website management, general administration, and more. Alliances Management believes that while a professional services organization should leverage its best practices for efficiency's sake, it should also tailor its approach to each client's manner of doing business so as to achieve the best possible results.
Association Management Solutions (AMS)
AMS is a full service management firm specializing in technology-focused industry associations. AMS provides a turnkey infrastructure for an association's day-to-day business, allowing the association's members to concentrate on developing and implementing strategic programs. Areas of service include membership recruitment and support, business development, administration, financial management, MIS management, marketing program development, legal coordination, and comprehensive event and meetings services.
Global Inventures
Global Inventures has 15 years experience in creating and managing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) standards development organizations. Global Inventures range of professional consulting and management services includes strategic guidance, incubation consulting and launch services, ongoing alliance/member operations and program management, marketing and event planning and execution, IT and web services, and compliance/certification program management.
Virtual Inc.
Virtual provides a complete range of outsourced services for consortia and trade associations, including member recruitment and communications; membership fee invoicing and financial management; marketing strategy design and deployment; web design and administration; electronic and in-person meeting planning and hosting; and all other services necessary to permit an organization to operate without its own staff. Virtual is often retained before an organization is formed, and handles all aspects of its formation.
Owen Media
Owen Media was founded in 1997 when IBM, Intel and Microsoft asked the company to launch and promote a new standards body for messaging technology. Since then the agency has launched and promoted more than 100 technology organizations, including leading standards bodies and industry groups. The agency's previous and current clients include Climate Savers Computing Initiative, Desktop Management Task Force, Electronic Messaging Association, Home Plug Powerline Alliance, InfiniBand Trade Association, Itanium Solutions Alliance, Open Fabrics Alliance, The Green Grid and the Transaction Processing Performance Council. Owen Media has offices in Seattle, Portland and Boston with remote managers in Tokyo, Hong Kong and London to service global technology brands and clients worldwide.
GTW Associates
This site carries news and alerts of current meetings, hearings and breaking news affecting the standard setting community, as well as articles on matters of interest to the same group. Also includes white papers and policy positions. In includes particularly good coverage of European and US government initiatives and European standards body activities. The site is hosted by GTW Associates, a Maryland based consulting firm which advises business, consortia, governments and trade associations regarding standards policy and assessment. George Willingmyre, the founder, is a former Vice-President/Public Policy of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Kavi Corporation
Kavi has created a range of web-based products and services specifically designed to address the communication and management needs of associations. The base website package provides password protection, membership management and content editing, while its more sophisticated offerings add features such as content collaboration and meeting registration.
Posting a linking request form on the World Wide Web is a bit like installing a pet port in your door. While you intend it for use by a given species (i.e., a dog or cat), there's nothing to prevent any other type of similarly-sized animal from enjoying the comforts of your home. Herewith, a sampling of some of the more bizarre linking requests received by ConsortiumInfo.org… Enter Shameless Linking Requests