They can keep the standards work on course as it progresses, and verify that they have what they need in the balloting process. Ultimately users vote with their pocketbooks. User purchasing trends can either re-enforce the value of standards investment, or erode that value. The broader the user community demand for conformance, the greater the value to the user community in terms of immediate applicability, and also in ongoing compatibility. Users who consider the life-cycle cost of their investments must be willing to invest at the front end to ensure that the costs are lower for the inevitable maintenance and replacement cycles.
Standards are a strategic investment for users.
Once the motivation is clear, participation provides additional insight for the user. Users can ascertain the competence and commitment of the vendors though interaction in the meetings. Also user contact with other experts can provide for increased effectiveness and productivity for the user in application of the standard. Government Incentive Public sector players have an additional set of incentives to make sure the needed IT standards happen. The world of convergence is the market of the future.