ICT Standards & Compliance: 20+ Essential Q&A for Professionals & Students

ICT Standards & Compliance: 20+ Essential Q&A for Professionals & Students

Interview Chamber Interview Chamber
Jun 25, 2025 - 10:49
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20+ Essential Questions & Answers on ICT Standards and Compliance

1. What is an ICT standard?

Answer:
A technical specification or guideline ensuring compatibility, safety, and efficiency across hardware, software, and networks.

2. Name 5 major types of ICT standards.

Answer:

  1. Hardware (e.g., USB-C, PCIe)

  2. Software (e.g., HTML5, SQL)

  3. Networking (e.g., IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi)

  4. Security (e.g., AES encryption)

  5. Data Formats (e.g., JSON, XML)

3. What’s the difference between de facto and de jure standards?

Answer:

  • De facto: Market-driven (e.g., QWERTY keyboard)

  • De jure: Legally mandated (e.g., GDPR for data privacy)

4. Why is ISO 27001 important?

Answer:
The leading international standard for information security management systems (ISMS), helping organizations protect data.

5. How does IEEE influence ICT?

Answer:
Develops critical standards like IEEE 802.3 (Ethernet) and IEEE 754 (floating-point arithmetic).

6. What is compliance auditing in ICT?

Answer:
A systematic review to verify adherence to standards (e.g., checking if a bank follows PCI DSS for payment security).

7. Explain GDPR in 1 sentence.

Answer:
The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation mandates strict controls over personal data collection/processing.

8. Name 3 penalties for non-compliance.

Answer:

  1. Fines (e.g., up to 4% of global revenue under GDPR)

  2. Legal action

  3. Reputational damage

9. What’s NIST’s role in cybersecurity?

Answer:
The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology publishes frameworks like NIST CSF for risk management.

10. How do standards boost innovation?

Answer:
By providing a stable foundation (e.g., TCP/IP enabling internet growth).

11. What is RFC in networking?

Answer:
Request for Comments – Documents defining internet standards (e.g., RFC 791 for IPv4).

12. Compare open vs. proprietary standards.

Answer:

  • Open: Publicly available (e.g., HTTP)

  • Proprietary: Owned by companies (e.g., Apple’s Lightning connector)

13. Why is HIPAA critical in healthcare IT?

Answer:
Ensures confidentiality of electronic protected health information (ePHI) in the U.S.

14. Name 2 African ICT standards bodies.

Answer:

  1. ATU (African Telecommunications Union)

  2. ARSO (African Organisation for Standardisation)

15. What’s the purpose of ITU-T?

Answer:
The International Telecommunication Union develops global telecom standards (e.g., 5G protocols).

16. How does PCI DSS protect consumers?

Answer:
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard secures credit card transactions.

17. What’s a compliance framework?

Answer:
A structured approach to meet regulations (e.g., COBIT for IT governance).

18. Name 3 challenges in implementing standards.

Answer:

  1. High costs

  2. Rapid technological change

  3. Cross-border legal conflicts

19. How does IoT rely on standards?

Answer:
Standards like MQTT and Zigbee ensure IoT devices communicate seamlessly.

20. What’s the future of ICT standards?

Answer:
Focus areas: AI ethics (e.g., EU AI Act), quantum computing, and green IT standards.