January 2026 Information Technology Standards Updates (Part 3)

Professionals in the information technology and office equipment sector have fresh developments to review this month, as five new ISO and ISO/IEC standards were published in January 2026. These latest standards impact vital areas ranging from keyboard interface design and multilingual input mechanisms, through immersive media conformance, to best practices in health informatics and cybersecurity assessment. This third installment in our series provides a comprehensive breakdown of each newly published standard, including their requirements, implications, target audiences, and actionable compliance insights.

Overview

Information Technology and Office Equipment is a rapidly evolving sector, foundational to global productivity, security, and user experience. International standards in this domain ensure that systems, equipment, and digital solutions remain interoperable, accessible, and secure across different markets and use cases. With the complexity of IT environments growing, compliance with the latest standards is essential for organizations seeking efficiency, reliability, innovation, and regulatory alignment.

In this article, you'll discover:

• What each new standard covers and its technical requirements
• The business case and compliance implications for each
• Best practices for smooth integration into your organization

Detailed Standards Coverage

ISO/IEC 9995-2:2026 – Keyboard Layouts for Alphanumeric Sections

Information technology — Keyboard layouts for text and office systems — Part 2: Alphanumeric section

This fourth edition of ISO/IEC 9995-2 specifies requirements for the alphanumeric section of keyboards, focusing on the division into key zones, number and location of keys, and the assignment of control functions in the alphanumeric and function zones.

The standard defines the harmonized arrangement of 48–50 graphic keys—including the space bar—and ensures key positions accommodate both ISO and national layouts. It mandates the allocation of basic Latin characters, digits, and special characters according to established code points, optimizing for both general office and text-processing applications. Control and function keys such as shift (level select), tabulation, return, backspace, group select, and others are specified in terms of placement and operational behavior.

Who needs to comply:

• Keyboard and office equipment manufacturers
• IT hardware designers
• Procurement and quality managers in government and enterprise

Key practical changes:

• Updated to reflect contemporary keyboard layouts and ensure global harmonization
• Enhanced requirements for key marking and assignment, improving multilingual support
• Revised minimum function key requirement specifications

Key highlights:

• Defines zone boundaries and graphic key arrangements (ZA0, ZA1, ZA2)
• Mandates support for 83 invariant characters per ISO/IEC 646 and specific graphic allocations
• Clarifies function key placement and standardized behavior

Access the full standard:View ISO/IEC 9995-2:2026 on iTeh Standards

ISO/IEC 9995-9:2026 – Keyboard Groups and Multilingual Input

Information technology — Keyboard layouts for text and office systems — Part 9: Groups and mechanisms for multilingual and multiscript input

Building upon the foundational work of ISO/IEC 9995-1 and -2, this standard details how keyboards can provide input for multiple writing systems and languages via group and mode selection mechanisms. It introduces the concept of "groups," which are mappings of alternative character sets onto standard keyboard keys.

This edition introduces further interoperability by requiring keyboards to feature at least 26 letter keys and 10 digit keys—dispensing with support for miniature hardware keyboards. It specifies the mechanisms (such as special keys or superselect functions) necessary to access scripts ranging from extended Latin variants to complex world scripts and diacritics required for international and scientific communication, including support for IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) input.

Who needs to comply:

• Keyboard and device manufacturers
• Software application vendors supporting multilingual and multiscript input
• Global enterprises with diverse language requirements

Notable revisions:

• Mandatory digit key separation
• Expanded group definitions and mode selection methods
• Removal of Private Use Area character references in favor of standardized Unicode mapping
• Updated conformance categories, including single-selection and IPA conformance

Key highlights:

• Detailed mapping of world scripts and diacritics to keyboard groups
• Clear requirements for access methods (e.g., superselect, mode switching)
• Comprehensive tables for Unicode compatibility and conformance

Access the full standard:View ISO/IEC 9995-9:2026 on iTeh Standards

ISO/IEC 23090-23:2026 – Conformance and Reference Software for MPEG Immersive Video

Information technology — Coded representation of immersive media — Part 23: Conformance and reference software for MPEG immersive video

This standard delivers the conformance test procedures and official reference software to validate MPEG immersive video (MIV) encoders and decoders as specified in ISO/IEC 23090-12. It establishes benchmarks and datasets to ensure interoperability and correctness for immersive video content—including diverse perspectives, projections, bitrates, and scene complexities critical for AR/VR applications, entertainment, broadcasting, and more.

Referencing updated specifications, it includes:

• Conformance bitstream test suites
• Reference software encoder and decoder for behavioral validation
• Hashing processes to ensure output congruence across implementations

Who needs to comply:

• Multimedia equipment and software developers
• Streaming service providers
• ICT compliance testers and certification labs

Key advancements:

• Updated to align with expanded capabilities in ISO/IEC 23090-12:2025
• More extensive reference bitstreams for robust conformance coverage
• Enhanced hash-based verification of decoder output

Key highlights:

• Rigorous test methods for encoder/decoder conformity
• Reference software architecture guidance
• Downloadable test sets and code repositories

Access the full standard:View ISO/IEC 23090-23:2026 on iTeh Standards

ISO/TR 4419:2026 – Health Informatics: Reducing Clinician Burden

Health informatics — Pathways for human-computer interaction in electronic health information record systems to reduce clinician burden

This technical report analyzes human-computer interaction (HCI) and user-centered design (UCD) in the context of electronic health information record systems (HIRS). It reviews evidence from the past 15 years, documenting how certain design decisions have inadvertently increased cognitive load, administrative burden, and frustration among clinicians.

The report outlines best-practice pathways for applying HCI and UCD to mitigate these issues. Its recommendations focus on optimizing data analytics, representation, and decision support in health IT systems.

Who benefits:

• Health IT system developers
• Hospital and health system administrators
• Clinical informaticians and standards implementation leads

Practical applications:

• Highlights approaches for more intuitive, task-centered interfaces
• Guidance for adoption of evidence-based, user-focused workflows
• Reference for procurement specifications and system redesigns

Key highlights:

• Synthesis of recent literature on HCI and UCD in health informatics
• Analysis of international clinician survey results on burnout and IT burden
• Actionable recommendations for workflow optimization and decision support

Access the full standard:View ISO/TR 4419:2026 on iTeh Standards

ISO/IEC 19896-2:2026 – Competence Requirements for IT Security Assessment Body Personnel

Information security, cybersecurity and privacy protection — Requirements for the competence of IT security conformance assessment body personnel — Part 2: Knowledge and skills requirements for testers and validators according to ISO/IEC 19790 and ISO/IEC 24759

This updated standard sets forth the minimum knowledge and skills necessary for personnel carrying out IT security conformance assessments—specifically testers and validators working within schemes based on ISO/IEC 19790 and ISO/IEC 24759. It establishes baseline expectations for education, specialist knowledge, technical skills, and competency documentation in the assessment of cryptographic modules and security mechanisms.

Stakeholders are provided clear criteria for internal and external competence validation, facilitating global recognition and consistent quality in security evaluation results.

Who should use this:

• IT security assessment bodies
• Third-party testing laboratories
• Organizations seeking product certification or accreditation

Recent changes:

• Updated to align with latest ISO/CASCO expectations
• Streamlined focus on knowledge and skill over prior experience
• Explicit requirements for both testers and validators

Key highlights:

• Prescribes education and specialty knowledge in IT security domains
• Defines technical skill requirements for algorithm and side-channel analysis
• Establishes processes for competency log documentation and recordkeeping

Access the full standard:View ISO/IEC 19896-2:2026 on iTeh Standards

Industry Impact & Compliance

The January 2026 cohort of Information Technology standards comes at a time of increased complexity and internationalization in IT and office equipment markets. Adopting these standards ensures:

• Global interoperability – whether via common keyboard layouts, cross-script input, or security processes
• Enhanced compliance with evolving regulatory and procurement criteria
• User experience improvements – streamlining workflows and supporting diverse user bases
• Future readiness for organizations aspiring to participate in international markets or deliver next-generation solutions

Compliance considerations:

• Manufacturers must update product designs and software in accordance with the new requirements
• Security testing labs and assessment bodies need to review and update competence records
• Health IT teams should prioritize HCI/UCD improvements in system procurements and upgrades

Benefits of adoption:

• Reduces risk of market barriers or certification hurdles
• Strengthens security and usability
• Minimizes clinician and end-user frustration, supporting productivity

Risks of non-compliance:

• Loss of international competitiveness
• Potential for product recall, interoperability issues, or audit failures
• Missed opportunities for user experience and security enhancements

Technical Insights

A review across these standards reveals several trends:

• Multilingual and multiscript support is now a universal expectation—both hardware (keyboard) and software (UI) products must accommodate a diverse linguistic landscape
• Transparency in conformance and testing is critical, with a shift toward reference implementations and downloadable conformance suites
• Security and privacy frameworks are increasingly skills-focused, requiring documented competence at the personnel level
• Human factors engineering is moving to the center in health informatics, emphasizing cognitive load reduction and workflow integration

Implementation Best Practices

1. Assess current products and processes: Map your current offering or workflow to new requirements
2. Update documentation and training materials: Ensure technical and user-facing documentation align with updated layouts, functions, and security requirements
3. Leverage reference software and test suites: Use the tools provided in ISO/IEC 23090-23 for multimedia validation, and ensure staff training incorporates latest requirements from ISO/IEC 19896-2
4. Prioritize user-centric design: Especially for health informatics systems, incorporate HCI and UCD principles early and often
5. Engage certification bodies early: Especially where external conformance or product approval is required

Testing and Certification

• Conduct regular internal audits against new standards
• Participate in interoperability testing with international partners
• Maintain detailed competency logs and documentation for assessment personnel as required under ISO/IEC 19896-2

Conclusion & Next Steps

This January 2026 release continues a trend toward more comprehensive, globally harmonized standards across the information technology sector. Organizations should:

• Review the detailed requirements for each standard discussed
• Make early plans for implementation and staff training
• Bookmark the iTeh Standards platform for rapid access to reference documents and ongoing updates

Take the next step:Explore all Information Technology and Office Equipment standards on iTeh Standards

Staying vigilant and proactive with standards adoption strengthens your organization’s market position, ensures regulatory compliance, and raises the bar for user experience and operational security.