Interoperability is a goal nearly every government agency shares. Systems should work together. Data should move securely between programs. New services should build on what already exists as part of broader government modernization and digital transformation efforts.
Yet many modernization initiatives struggle to achieve this vision because interoperability is pursued through tools instead of standards. Point solutions integrate well at first, but over time they create dependencies that are difficult and expensive to unwind. Innovation slows. Costs rise. Flexibility disappears as agencies accumulate tightly coupled systems and bespoke integrations.
Open standards offer a different path. They make interoperability durable, portable, and resilient across agencies, vendors, and platforms while supporting long-term system integration and modernization without forcing long term lock in.
Lock in is an architectural problem, not a procurement mistake
Vendor lock in is often blamed on contracts or purchasing decisions. In reality, it is usually the result of architecture. When systems rely on proprietary data formats, custom APIs, or closed identity models, switching vendors becomes risky and modernization efforts stall. Integrations must be rebuilt. Data must be transformed. Staff retraining becomes unavoidable. Even small changes feel disruptive.
These costs compound over time, making agencies hesitant to adopt new capabilities or modernize legacy systems. The system may technically work, but it no longer adapts. Avoiding lock in requires designing for change from the beginning as a core modernization principle.
Architectures built on open protocols like OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC), SAML 2.0, and SCIM allow identity, access, and provisioning layers to evolve independently of any single vendor implementation while supporting interoperable digital services.
Standards define how systems work together
Standards create a shared language between systems. They define how data is structured, how identity is represented, how access is verified, and how information is exchanged across modern digital services. When systems adhere to common standards, they can interoperate without knowing the internal details of one another. This is why open standards strengthen governance—they create durable, vendor-neutral foundations.
This decoupling is powerful. Agencies can change vendors. Vendors can improve products. New services can be added without breaking existing integrations or disrupting mission-critical workflows.
Standards shift interoperability from a series of custom projects to a built in capability that scales across programs and agencies.
In practice, this often means APIs defined using OpenAPI specifications, data validated with JSON Schema, and event driven and workflow-based integrations that rely on documented contracts instead of informal assumptions.
Interoperability across agencies and programs
Government services rarely exist in isolation. Residents interact with multiple agencies. Programs depend on information from other systems. Data sharing is essential to efficient service delivery and accessible digital government experiences.
Standards make this possible without forcing uniformity. Agencies can maintain their own systems of record while exchanging well defined data where appropriate through secure, policy-driven interfaces. Access controls and purpose limitations travel with the data.
This approach reduces duplication and makes collaboration practical rather than burdensome while supporting cross-program modernization.
For identity and eligibility use cases, standards such as W3C Verifiable Credentials and ISO/IEC 18013-5 (mobile driver’s license) enable agencies to verify information without direct database access or repeated document collection as part of modern digital identity infrastructure.
Flexibility without fragmentation
One concern agencies sometimes raise is that standards limit flexibility. In practice, the opposite is true. Standards define interfaces, not implementations. Agencies and vendors are free to innovate behind those interfaces using different technologies and platforms. Different solutions can coexist as long as they speak the same language at the boundary.
This allows agencies to adopt best of breed solutions over time instead of committing to a single platform for every need and supports incremental modernization rather than large-scale replacement. It also encourages competition, which drives quality and cost efficiency.
Standards-based architectures make it possible to swap components such as identity providers, document processing tools, or fraud detection services without rearchitecting end-to-end workflows.
Identity and data standards as force multipliers
Some of the most impactful standards relate to identity and data exchange. Common identity standards allow users to authenticate consistently across services while enabling different assurance levels based on risk. Data standards ensure that information retains meaning as it moves between systems.
Organizations like the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) define widely adopted specifications for data formats and verifiable information, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides guidance on identity, security, and interoperability for government systems.
In the public sector, this guidance frequently includes NIST SP 800-63 for digital identity assurance, NIST SP 800-207 for Zero Trust architecture, and alignment with FedRAMP (and GovRAMP) security controls for cloud-based services.
Together, the standards and guidance from these bodies form a foundation that supports secure sharing without centralizing control.
Reducing long term cost through portability
Portability is one of the most tangible benefits of standards. When data and integrations are standards-based, agencies can migrate systems incrementally. They can pilot new tools without committing to full replacement. They can respond to policy changes without rewriting everything.
This reduces long-term cost not by cutting corners, but by preserving choice. Agencies retain leverage and avoid being trapped by earlier decisions.
Portability also enables parallel operation during transitions, allowing legacy and modern systems to coexist safely while services are phased over time.
Standards support security and privacy
Interoperability is sometimes seen as a security risk. Standards help mitigate this concern. Well-designed standards incorporate security and privacy principles such as authentication, authorization, encryption, and data minimization. They make expected behavior explicit and auditable.
Rather than relying on bespoke integrations that are hard to review, standards-based systems follow known patterns that can be assessed, monitored, and improved over time.
This consistency is essential for applying Zero Trust principles, where every request is verified based on identity, context, and policy rather than assumed trust between systems.
Interoperability as an ongoing capability
Interoperability is not a one-time achievement. It is an ongoing capability that must survive vendor changes, technology shifts, and evolving requirements.
Standards make this possible by anchoring systems to shared agreements instead of specific products. They allow government IT ecosystems to evolve without constant reinvention.
Building for the long term
Governments have a responsibility to build systems that last. This means planning for change, not just delivery.
Open standards are one of the most effective tools for doing so. They enable interoperability without lock-in, foster healthy vendor ecosystems, and protect public investment over time. When standards come first, innovation accelerates rather than stalls. Systems work together without being welded together. Agencies gain flexibility instead of losing it.
That is why standards matter.
Building digital services that scale take the right foundation.
About SpruceID: SpruceID builds digital trust infrastructure for government. We help states and cities modernize identity, security, and service delivery — from digital wallets and SSO to fraud prevention and workflow optimization. Our standards-based technology and public-sector expertise ensure every project advances a more secure, interoperable, and citizen-centric digital future.
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