December 2025: Major IT Standards Updates on Security, Biometrics, Health, and BIM

Stay ahead in the fast-evolving world of information technology with the latest set of international standards published in December 2025. This comprehensive report covers five essential standards newly released by CEN, ISO, and IEC, addressing the pressing technical and regulatory needs of biometric identification, secure healthcare IT, building information modeling (BIM), OPC Unified Architecture, and digital licensing systems. For IT leaders, quality managers, engineers, and compliance professionals, understanding these changes is crucial for maintaining security, ensuring interoperability, and achieving regulatory alignment across a range of high-impact domains.

Overview

Information technology powers nearly every sector, from healthcare and construction to personal identification and automation. As this industry's digital landscape grows increasingly complex—and cyber threats, data integrity, and cross-industry interoperability concerns mount—international standards play a pivotal role in setting the benchmarks for security, efficiency, and trust. This article will provide a deep dive into each of the following new and updated standards, their technical requirements, and their real-world impact:

• CEN/TS 18214:2025: Fingerprint image data in machine-readable travel documents
• EN ISO 29481-2:2025: Building Information Models (BIM) – Interaction frameworks
• IEC 62541-11:2025: OPC Unified Architecture – Historical access
• ISO/IEC TR 25219:2025: Digital driving licence implementation guidance
• ISO 27799:2025: Health IT information security controls

You will learn what each standard covers, whom it affects, compliance strategies, and implementation best practices.

Detailed Standards Coverage

CEN/TS 18214:2025 - Fingerprint Image Data in Machine-Readable Travel Documents

ISO/IEC 39794-4 application profile for finger image data in machine-readable travel documents

The CEN/TS 18214:2025 standard specifies the use of ISO/IEC 39794-4 for storing fingerprint image data in electronic machine-readable travel documents (eMRTDs), including the transition from the earlier ISO/IEC 19794 series. This technical specification is critical for organizations dealing with e-passports, national IDs, and similar secure documents, providing a structured and interoperable approach to biometric data.

Key requirements include constraints on:

• Image representation: Only one fingerprint image per data block, ensuring clarity and ease of verification.
• Permitted values for finger positions (e.g., left/right index fingers) and impression codes, tailored to regulatory requirements such as EU Council regulations.
• Strict fallback mechanisms in ASN.1 encoding for future-proof decoding and interoperability.
• Use of designated image formats (e.g., WSQ, JPEG2000, PNG) according to jurisdictional mandates.
• Exclusion of unnecessary optional data (like capture device identifiers) for enhanced privacy and reduced complexity.

This profile is vital for government agencies, border control, civil registry authorities, and solution vendors managing eMRTDs or integrating with ICAO Doc 9303 requirements. Transition support, enhanced compatibility, and stricter interoperability are the core benefits.

Key highlights:

• Unified application of ISO/IEC 39794-4 for fingerprint images in travel documents
• Detailed constraints for interoperable biometric storage (e.g., ASN.1 fallbacks)
• Alignment with EU regulations and ICAO Doc 9303 for global passport acceptance

Access the full standard:View CEN/TS 18214:2025 on iTeh Standards

EN ISO 29481-2:2025 - BIM Interaction Framework

Building information models - Information delivery manual - Part 2: Interaction framework (ISO 29481-2:2025)

The EN ISO 29481-2:2025 standard delivers a robust methodology for describing and managing interactions between stakeholders throughout an asset's lifecycle using Building Information Modeling (BIM). By introducing an 'interaction framework,' it standardizes digital communication and collaboration, ensuring traceable, high-quality information flows.

The standard:

• Maps responsibilities and interactions via a process-centric context for information exchange
• Provides XML schemas and EXPRESS data definitions for validating interaction frameworks and messages
• Encourages the use of digital signatures and advanced auditing to preserve document integrity
• Fosters Common Data Environment (CDE) practices for BIM projects

Target users include architects, engineers, contractors, facility managers, and software vendors involved in construction IT, digital asset management, and lifecycle operations. Adopting this standard reduces misunderstandings and promotes software interoperability.

Key highlights:

• Methodology for defining high-trust digital BIM communications
• XML/EXPRESS schemas for verifiable information exchange
• Lifecycle support—design through decommissioning

Access the full standard:View EN ISO 29481-2:2025 on iTeh Standards

IEC 62541-11:2025 - OPC Unified Architecture Historical Access

OPC Unified Architecture - Part 11: Historical Access

IEC 62541-11:2025 describes the information model and services for accessing historical data and events within OPC UA servers. The new edition introduces major technical improvements, including:

• Support for retrieval of modified events and backfill notification events
• Enhanced reference types to denote external nodes
• Improvements in annotation handling and historian configuration (including default configurations)
• Greater flexibility in historian configuration (supporting periodic and exception-based data collection)
• New objects for external event collection and expanded error/status codes

Industrial automation integrators, software and historian vendors, and organizations with operational technology systems benefit from increased data reliability, better diagnostic capability, and improved traceability. This part is fundamental for regulatory reporting, root cause analysis, and long-term maintenance in sectors like manufacturing, energy, and critical infrastructure.

Key highlights:

• Enhanced historical data/event access and annotation clarity
• Support for periodic and exception-based data collection
• New features to support external sources and event logging

Access the full standard:View IEC 62541-11:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO/IEC TR 25219:2025 - Digital Driving Licence Early Adopter Guidance

Personal identification - ISO-compliant driving licence - Considerations for early adopters of ISO/IEC 18013-7

ISO/IEC TR 25219:2025 functions as a practical guide for developers and early implementers of digital driving licences in accordance with ISO/IEC 18013-7. It addresses:

• Maximizing backward compatibility as the digital driving licence (mDL) specification evolves
• Preserving and enhancing privacy and security in implementations
• Proactive adaptation to changing protocol and field requirements, referencing collaborations (e.g., W3C, OpenID)
• Lessons learned and recommendations for integration into broader identity or licensing systems

This technical report supports solution architects, national authorities, identity management teams, and vendors exploring mDL deployment, aiding them in navigating future changes and ensuring robust identity verification in mobile contexts.

Key highlights:

• Comprehensive checklist and considerations for early mDL deployments
• Security and privacy preservation as core mandates
• Guidance for aligning with evolving global standards and ecosystems

Access the full standard:View ISO/IEC TR 25219:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO 27799:2025 - Health Informatics Information Security Controls

Health informatics - Information security controls in health based on ISO/IEC 27002

ISO 27799:2025 provides a comprehensive extension of ISO/IEC 27002 security controls, specifically tailored for the health sector. It covers:

• Security requirements for both general IT and specialized healthcare systems (like electronic health records and medical devices)
• Information protection across media (paper/electronic), sites (hospital/remote), and transfer methods (digital, physical)
• Suitability for organizations of any size or delivery method, including telehealth and mobile care
• Controls for organizational, technical, personnel, and physical security—including privacy and regulatory mandates such as GDPR
• Guidance for risk management, incident response, business continuity, and supplier relationships

Hospitals, clinics, medical device manufacturers, and cloud service providers gain a detailed blueprint for regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, and safeguarding sensitive health information.

Key highlights:

• Detailed implementation guidance for health IT security
• Coverage of electronic health records, medical devices, and cloud/mobile health
• Support for privacy, regulatory, and incident response requirements

Access the full standard:View ISO 27799:2025 on iTeh Standards

Industry Impact & Compliance

Information Technology professionals must keep pace with sector-defining standards to ensure competitive advantage and regulatory compliance. The December 2025 releases set the stage for stronger cross-border identification, secure digital asset management, future-ready digital credentials, and health sector resilience. Immediate steps for compliance include:

• Reviewing current implementations for gaps versus the new/revised requirements
• Aligning internal and supplier processes to update or supplement data schemas and communication protocols
• Updating procurement and vendor criteria to ensure only standard-conformant solutions are deployed
• Mapping compliance timelines and planning user education and testing for all updated workflows

Adhering to these standards enhances legal compliance, operational interoperability, and overall trust in complex IT environments. Those who delay risk legal penalties, operational inefficiencies, and potential breaches.

Technical Insights

Across these standards, several technical themes recur:

• Data Interoperability: Extensible schemas, fallback mechanisms, and communication frameworks are central to all updates, ensuring future compatibility and easier integrations.
• Security: Whether in biometrics, digital IDs, or health data, detailed access controls, encryption mandates, and event/audit logging are prioritized.
• Traceability & Auditability: Lifecycle event tracking, annotations, and configuration versioning support compliance with both internal and regulatory audit requirements.
• Testing & Certification: Implementers should run conformance testing of ASN.1 profiles, OPC UA AddressSpaces, XML schemas for BIM, and privacy controls. Engage with accredited testing labs for certification, especially in health and identity systems.

Best practices for implementation:

1. Begin with a gap analysis against the new specifications for your sector
2. Prioritize mission-critical and regulatory-affected workflows (e.g., healthcare, border control)
3. Deploy in stages with rigorous testing and user training
4. Use sandbox or staging environments for validation
5. Regularly monitor for published amendments and errata via trusted sources like iTeh Standards

Conclusion / Next Steps

International technology standards are at the core of secure, efficient, and resilient IT systems in today’s world. The December 2025 releases bring crucial updates in security, data exchange, and digital identity that impact nearly every information-driven sector. Organizations should:

• Review and update internal policies and technical implementations in line with the new standards
• Invest in staff awareness and skills development for emerging digital workflows
• Leverage iTeh Standards' authoritative platform to download full documentation and set up update alerts
• Proactively engage in industry discussion forums to share best practices and case studies

For leaders and practitioners in information technology, the message is clear: stay informed, stay compliant, and build future-ready, trusted solutions—starting with these essential international standards.