SO is an abbreviation of the International Standards Organisation. They are an independent body made up of an extensive network of individuals who are experts in different areas. This allows them to share and pool together their experience and knowledge of different fields to determine best practices and key safety information to define the best way of carrying out certain tasks or processes.
An ISO standard is essentially an internationally recognised way of doing something. It means that everyone follows the same set of guidelines no matter where they are based, resulting in a safer, more consistent end result. This benefits both the organisation and the customer or end user. For companies, they are secure in the knowledge that this standard is followed and recognised worldwide. For customers, they know they are getting a product or service which is safe, good quality and trustworthy.