Dear members,
I recently ran into an ongoing clinical study on happiness that
devotes a
special segment to gratitude (http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/labs/emmons/PWT/index.cfm).
It
turns out that a daily practice of gratitude can increase a
person's well-being
and translate into tangible health benefits. At OASIS, we have
much to be
thankful for, first and foremost your continued participation in
standards
which drive technical innovation and meet the needs of end users
around the
globe. You are the reason for OASIS' continued success - and you
deserve a
break. Enjoy the Holidays and stay away from the electronic
tether!
Now that we are closing the books on 2010, I am happy to report
that our
finances are in excellent shape. While our renewal rates dipped
slightly
towards the end of the year, our new business has been strong
throughout, which
demonstrates that more and more organizations see value in
standards work
generally, and in the OASIS standards environment in particular.
The seeds of
this success have been sown by you, the members and Board members
of OASIS. By
sustaining a fair and transparent container for standardization,
based on an
innovative and clear IPR policy, straightforward process and a
beautifully
democratic governance model, you have ensured that excellent
projects are
brought to us. This in turn makes it easier for our dedicated
OASIS staff to
invite others to join. We fully intend to perpetuate this virtuous
cycle in
2011 and would strongly encourage you to keep bringing your best
and brightest
ideas to us. We love smart people.
We have many exciting plans for 2011. We'll be transitioning to a
Kavi-hosted
environment by mid-year. At this stage, Kavi, with help from a
third-party
integrator has successfully migrated all of our data to their
updated
environment.
In the TC Support group, we’ve been closing the customer service
gap that arose
from the explosion in new TCs and specification submissions. Mary
McRae will be
leaving us soon to embrace exciting opportunities. We wish her
well on her new
journey and will be actively seeking a replacement. Suggestions
from our
community are welcome. Meanwhile we will create a transition team
to provide
continued support and service to the TCs.
Another welcome change in our way of doing business has been our
new events
cycle: we now do twelve very focused events that speak to the
technical and
promotional needs of our members. We have been partnering with
other events
organizations to create OASIS tracks in the areas that matter:
Identity,
Security, Smart Grid, Cloud. We have new work in each and every
one of these
promising areas and can all be proud as a community of the breadth
of our
offering.
Here are some other ways in which we have and will continue to
safeguard your
investment in standards:
In the US, we have joined ANSI as a member, and will become an
ANSI-accredited
organization some time next year. This offers a direct benefit to
any group
that wishes to have their standard evolve into an ANSI standard.
In Europe, legislation is being
finalized to
create an updated framework for interoperability. For the past
decade there has
been pushback from the "de jure" European Standards Organization
on
the validity of output from "fora and consortia" (translate: SDOs
such as OASIS and the standards you painstakingly create). Thanks
to our indefatigable
diplomacy, we have made an excellent case for OASIS and the
market-driven
standards. The European Commission has the same regard for us as
it accords to
the W3C and IETF, and I believe the upcoming legislation will
reflect that
esteem and allow OASIS Standards to be referenced in public
procurement. This
would be a tremendous win for our members. We will be monitoring
developments
and keep you informed throughout the year.
In Asia, China is becoming a driving force in standardization, but
not always
in the arenas that we are familiar with. Many standards
organizations have
given up on recruiting Chinese members, and it is my firm belief
that this
creates an opportunity for OASIS. We have prominent Chinese
members: Huawei,
Founder, Sursen, Primeton and others, and they have clearly shown
their ability
to master the market-driven standards process. We must engage
Chinese
organizations at large and convince them of the value of
participation. I
will personally be at the forefront of this effort in 2011,
identifying the
most effective local Chinese partners.
On the international scene, with our Publicly Available
Specification status in
JTC1 (a joint committee of ISO and IEC) now renewed for five
years, we continue
to demonstrate the importance of the "de facto" standards track to
our most prominent "de jure" partners. We offer speed, agility and
market validation.
True, we have no visibility into the economy for 2011. The good
news is that we
have managed to make our business "non-cyclical", which simply
means
that our membership growth has less to do with the economic
environment than
with the relevance of our standards work. There is no question
that it is more
relevant than ever, across the globe. We have much to look forward
to in 2011.
Peace, Happiness and Prosperity in
2011 from all of us at OASIS.
--
Laurent Liscia, Executive Director
OASIS: Advancing open standards for the information society
+1.781.425.5073, extension 201
Take a tour of OASIS at:
http://www.oasis-open.org/home/tour.php