Why is it so important to always follow standards?

In general, following standards is always the best option, and even more so in the integration of information technologies. This practice always has multiple advantages including cost and investment returns. Here we will underline some of the main advantages of using standards:

• Many experts in the field have worked on a standard and together they have agreed on the best technical solution based on discussions and their technical experience. It does not seem logical that a private solution can technically improve a standard.
• When a solution that follows standards is implemented, its maintenance and progress is guaranteed, whether by the same provider that implemented it or by a different one. As a rule, when working with private solutions the transitions from one provider to another can be traumatic and very expensive.
• Standards are accepted by a large community of suppliers, which leads to a proliferation of compatible, complementary products to the benefit of clients. When a proprietary solution is implemented, its growth always involves following new proprietary solutions or a high cost of integration with other standard solutions.