Introduction

Working Groups were created to work and write standards and are open to anyone to participate. They strive for broad representation of all interested parties and encourage global participation. IEEE standards have a comprehensive listing of working groups but not all have public viewable websites. I will focus on the Information Technology working group with the sub-directory of Software and Systems Engineering.
The IEEE Computer Society is the largest association for computer professionals in the world and was founded more than 50 years ago. The Software and Systems Engineering Group/Committee mission is to develop and maintain a family of software and systems engineering standards that are relevant, coherent, comprehensive and effective in use. These standards are developed for use by practitioners, organizations, and educators to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their software engineering processes, and also to improve communications between acquirers and suppliers and the quality of delivered software and systems containing software. They also work to support and promote a Software Engineering Body of Knowledge, certification mechanisms for software engineering professionals, and other products contributing to the profession of software engineering.

Justification of IEEE 802 standard used in networking
Looking from the outside it looks simple to connect computers through networks. But with everything in life, there should be rules and standards to follow. One such set of rules for the networking traffic to follow is IEEE802 standards. It was developed by IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) The standards such as IEEE 802 helps industry provide advantages such as, interoperability, low product cost, and easy to manage standards. The IEEE 802 Standard comprises a family of networking standards that cover the physical layer specifications of technologies from Ethernet to wireless. IEEE 802 is subdivided into 22 parts that cover the physical and data-link aspects of networking. The better known specifications include 802.3 Ethernet, 802.11 Wi-Fi, 802.15 Bluetooth/ZigBee, and 802.16 (Rouse, 2006).
Ethernet is better known as the granddaddy of the 802 specification. It provides asynchronous networking using CSMA/CD (carrier sense, multiple access with collision detect) over coax, twisted-pair copper and fiber media between the current speed range of 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps. 802.15 is a communications specification that was approved in early 2002 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEE-SA) for wireless personal area networks (WPANs). Bluetooth is a well-known and widely used specification that defines parameters for wireless communications among portable digital devices including notebook computers, peripherals, cellular telephones, beepers, and consumer electronic devices. The specification also allows for connection to the Internet.
Standards play an important role in networking. Without standards, manufacturers of networking products have no common ground on which to build their systems. Interconnecting products from various vendors would be difficult, if not impossible. Take for example the 802.3 standard that deals with only Local Area Networks (LAN) and Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN). The LAN switch is a device with multiple inputs and outputs to interconnect multiple numbers of hosts and computing terminals. LAN switch prevents data packet collision, and maximizes transmission speed as well as bandwidth allocation. The core job of the switch is to take packets that arrive on an input and forward (or switch) them to the right output so that they will reach their appropriate destination.
According to Stallings, there are many advantages and disadvantages to the standards-making process. The principal advantages of standards are it allows products from multiple vendors to communicate, giving the purchaser more flexibility in equipment selection and use and it also assures that there will be a large market for a particular piece of equipment or software. The principal disadvantages though are that standards tends to freeze the technology and by the time it is developed, reviewed and compromised, more efficient techniques would have come around. Another disadvantage of standards is that there could be multiple standards for the same thing. Although this is not a disadvantage of standards per se, but more so of the current way things are done. Fortunately, in recent years the various standards-making organizations have begun to cooperate more closely. Nevertheless, there are still areas where multiple conflicting standards exist. (Stallings, 2009)

Evaluation of the standard organizations
IEEE is the world’s largest professional association for the advancement of technology. Its core purpose is to foster technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. IEEE is essential to the global technical community and to technical professionals everywhere, and is universally recognized for the contributions of technology and of technical professionals in improving global conditions.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. ISO has three official languages: English, French, and Russian. Its membership comprises national standards organizations, one from each of 163 countries. ISO defines a standard as “a document that provides requirements, specifications, guidelines or characteristics that can be used consistently to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose.” Products and services that follow ISO standards can be deemed to be high quality, safe, and reliable. Businesses that use ISO standards can save money and time. New markets can be stimulated around ISO standards, as is true for effective standards in general. Since its inception, ISO has published over 19,500 standards. Perhaps the most familiar is the ISO 9000 family of quality management standards. ISO’s standards deal with a wide range of aspects of everyday life, including food, water, health care, cars, climate change, energy efficiency, and sustainability. More than 250 technical committees produce the standards. (Bartleson, 2013)
ANSI is the main organization responsible for coordinating and publishing computer and information technology standards in the United States. While they are commonly thought of as developing and maintaining standards, they do neither. Instead, they oversee and accredit the organizations that actually create the standards, qualifying them as Standards Developing Organizations or SDOs. ANSI also publishes the standards documents created by the SDOs, and serves as the United States' representative to the ISO.
ISO is the most important organization for communication technology because of its contribution to providing the OSI model (Open Systems Interconnection). The OSI model basically details all the functions of networking and provides a framework in which all vendors around the world can create systems that can communicate with one another. All networking vendors to some degree have adopted and supported the OSI standards.
The importance of NIST standards
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, is a non-regulatory federal agency under the Department of Commerce. It is important to have such certification because it supports and develops measurement standards for a particular service or product. It responsibilities include to develop information security standards and guidelines, including minimum requirements for federal information systems. The Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) requires that all federal agencies develop and apply an information security program with specific requirements. If a product does not meet the minimum requirements/standards, which are determined by NIST, then it cannot be used. NIST certified products are tested in order to guarantee their accuracy. Weights and measures laws, regulations, test procedures and interpretations of weights and measures requirements must be consistent with national standards and recommendations. States should strive to follow the uniform laws and regulations contained in NIST Handbook 130, which contains the recommendations adopted by the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM). The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is responsible for securing uniformity in weights and measures laws and applications.(Hockert & Oppermann, 2011)
Conclusion
Standardization can make or break networking products. Since the establishment of man various standards committee, many vendors are hesitant to support new technology unless there is a standardization base from which to work. Vendors want to know there will be some measure of interoperability for their hardware and software. Otherwise, releasing a product could be a marketing nightmare if it is not compatible with standards that are later embraced by the marketplace.

References:
Bartleson, M. (2013). 10 Standards Organizations That Affect You (Whether You Know It or Not). Retrieved October 20, 2013 from http://electronicdesign.com/communications/10-standards-organizations-affect-you-whether-you-know-it-or-not

Data Communication Standards and Protocols. Retrieved October 20, 2013 from http://www.eeherald.com/section/design-guide/ieee802_3.html

Hockert, C. & Oppermann, H. (2011). Weights and Measures Program
Requirements: A Handbook for the Weights and Measures Administrator. Retrieved October 20, 2013 from http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/pubs/upload/hb-155-final.pdf
Rouse, M. (2006). IEEE 802 Wireless Standards: Fast Reference. Retrieved October 20, 2013 from http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/definition/IEEE-802-Wireless-Standards-Fast-Reference

Software and Systems Engineering Standards Committee (S2ESC) General Information. Retrieved October 18th, 2013 from http://www.computer.org/portal/web/s2esc/general

Stallings, W. (2009). Appendix B: Standards Organizations. Retrieved October 18th, 2013 from http://www.box.net/shared/9dtnzvwys8/1/15730219/164146343/1

What Is A Working Group? (2013). Retrieved October 18th, 2013 from http://standards.ieee.org/develop/wg.html