Have implementations from a cross-section of vendors available;

Be utilized by the broader user community;

Be developed in a consensus-based way;

Be free from any legal issues (i.e. intellectual property rights);

Meet NATO requirements;

Be easily accessible to vendors;

Have an open architecture, e.g. extensible for new technological developments,

Be compatible with other NATO-agreed standards;

Be stable (mostly recognized by related community/industry) and mature enough in terms of technology;

Be measurable in terms of its compliance.