Standards are rules that define the ways in which a product performs. They provide a basis for reuse, inter-networking, cooperation, and portability. Standards are specified by a large number of formal and informal organizations. This can lead to problems with competing standards for the same technology area. This is especially true in emerging technologies. Vendor alliances are formed with the hope of setting a de facto, if not actual, standard in the hope of closing the market to competing vendors. Some standards are never formalized but become de facto standards due to market dominance of a particular product or service. Standards allow different products from different vendors to interact. This level of interaction may vary from an interface between products to true product integration. The level of specificity of standards varies greatly from standard to standard. Some standards will have very detailed technical specifications while others will be much broader and more general. A standard can be a specification or a specific product used for comparison, either formally or informally, by which the validity of others can be determined. The two types of standards are de jure (according to law) and de facto (as a matter of fact).

De jure standards are generally known as public or industry standards, established by public bodies. These standards are endorsed and disseminated by official standards organizations. .

De facto standards are generally created by a single vendor with market dominance or a highly specialized niche product. They may be widely used and implemented, but controlled by a single vendor or group.

Standards for the definition and use of data are another important type of standard. These standards are even more important in a large complex environment such as the University. Data definition and usage standards are essential to consistent and accurate data reporting and analysis. Data definition standards often encompass standard values for a data field, in addition to a standard definition for that piece of information. In this arena, a significant amount of work remains to be completed to facilitate data sharing.

Support costs are a very significant portion of the cost of ownership in information technology. A well-defined set of standards can provide for needed levels of flexibility while, at the same time, providing for reduced support costs and economies of scale. Standards are essential in ensuring that systems can communicate. Standards such as network protocols and interfaces between applications allow systems on a variety of hardware and operating systems platforms to share information.

As defined by the GartnerGroup, a typical total cost of ownership (TCO) model for IT investments include five direct cost elements (hardware and software, IT management, IT support, development and communications) and two indirect cost elements (end-user IT costs and downtime). A significant portion of the five-year cost of ownership of a desktop computer is related to support costs. These costs can be minimized by setting standards for desktop configuration, software, network connections, and backup procedures. Training costs can be reduced substantially by standardizing on certain applications that will have widespread utilization. Purchase costs can be reduced by being able to leverage volume purchases with a few vendors, wherever possible.

The University has adopted a set of standards that provides some level of flexibility while at the same time ensuring compatibility across the enterprise. Standards may indicate a particular vendor or even a particular product from that vendor. The University may adopt a specific product standard based on performance in the marketplace and a technical evaluation of the product. In other cases the standard may be more generic such as compliance with an international, national or industry standard.