After a lengthy, sometimes heated battle, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) approved Office Open XML (OOXML) as a standard. Geneva-based International ISO announced that Open XML got 75% approval and 14% disapproval. It needed two-thirds approval and not more than 25 percent disapproval to pass.

What’s ISO standards status mean for your organization? I means that software that uses Open XML, notably Microsoft’s Office products, will be more attractive to any government agency or business that either chooses or has to use ISO-certified goods.

It also means that development of the specification will be done through the ISO, which counts members from over 100 countries. There were 87 countries which participated in the Open XML vote.

Microsoft and other software companies that support Open XML in their products, such as Apple and Novell, are expected to conform to the standard as it changes over time.

ISO certification was opposed by many open-source advocates who were reluctant to give Microsoft more market power.

Before the vote, members faced considerable lobbying from Microsoft, IBM, and their business partners. However, a host of issues were raised during the process and their resolution led to the ultimate approval.

Tags: ISO, Open xml, open-source, standards