Resource Links
ISO Resource Directory
These are the outside sources MSI actually uses when building and auditing management systems — accreditation bodies, regulators, and standards organizations. Every entry says what it is and when you would reach for it.
This list is deliberately short. A resource page is only useful if every link on it still goes where it says it goes, so MSI keeps the directory small enough to check.
Links last verified: Aug 14, 2026Accreditation & Standards Bodies
Before you hire a certification body, confirm it is accredited. These are the organizations that accredit the registrars and publish the standards themselves.
- Global ACI The single international accreditation body, operating since January 1, 2026. It replaced both the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). Existing certificates and the legacy IAF/ILAC marks remain valid through the transition.
- ANAB — ANSI National Accreditation Board North America's largest accreditation body. Use its directory to confirm that the registrar quoting your certification project is actually accredited for your standard and scope.
- International Organization for Standardization (ISO) The publisher of ISO 9001, 13485, 14001, 45001, and 7101. Standards must be purchased here or through an authorized reseller — no legitimate source gives them away.
- American National Standards Institute (ANSI) The US member body to ISO and the usual US purchase point for ISO standards.
- Exemplar Global (formerly RABQSA) Personnel certification for auditors and training providers. Relevant if you are deciding whether an auditor credential your team is pursuing carries independent recognition.
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Measurement traceability. If your calibration records need to trace to a national standard, this is the chain they trace to.
Not sure which standard fits your organization? Compare them on MSI's Integrated Management Systems page, or start with a free ISO Gap Analysis.
Quality Management
General quality-profession resources. Useful for staying current between audits and for building the case internally.
- American Society for Quality (ASQ) Professional body for quality practitioners. Certifications, local sections, and a substantial body of reference material on quality methods.
- Quality Digest Ongoing coverage of standards revisions and quality practice. A reasonable place to watch for ISO 9001 revision news.
- Quality Magazine Manufacturing-weighted quality coverage — measurement, inspection, and test.
- ASTM International Test methods and material specifications. Frequently referenced from within a quality system's inspection and acceptance procedures.
MSI's work on this standard: the ISO 9001 standard page, procedure templates and guides, and the ISO Internal Auditor course.
Medical Device Regulation
For device manufacturers, the regulator and the standard have to be read together. These are the primary sources.
- FDA — Medical Devices The regulatory home for device manufacturers selling into the US, including the Quality Management System Regulation that aligns FDA requirements with ISO 13485.
- International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) Where regulators from multiple jurisdictions publish harmonized guidance. Worth checking before you assume a US practice will satisfy an EU or Canadian auditor.
MSI's work on this standard: the ISO 13485 standard page and the ISO manual templates and guides.
Environmental Compliance
ISO 14001 requires you to identify the legal requirements that apply to your operation. In the US, that identification usually starts here.
- EPA — Laws & Regulations The starting point for building a compliance obligations register. Sortable by business sector and by topic.
- EPA — Compliance What EPA expects of a regulated facility, and how it evaluates whether you are meeting it.
- EPA — NPDES Stormwater Program Stormwater permitting for industrial and construction sites. One of the most commonly missed obligations in a first ISO 14001 aspects-and-impacts review.
- EPA — Environmental Topics Topic-by-topic index — air, water, waste, chemicals. Useful when you are mapping aspects to the regulations that govern them.
MSI's work on this standard: the ISO 14001 standard page and the management review toolkits.
Occupational Health & Safety
ISO 45001 sits on top of your existing OSHA obligations rather than replacing them. These are the sources auditors expect you to have consulted.
- OSHA — Law and Regulations The actual standards text, plus letters of interpretation. This is the correct entry point for determining which OSHA standards apply to your operation.
- OSHA — Safety and Health Programs OSHA's recommended practices. The structure maps closely onto ISO 45001, which makes this a practical bridge document if you already run an OSHA-shaped program.
- OSHA — Recordkeeping Requirements and Forms Injury and illness recording rules and the 300/300A/301 forms. Your ISO 45001 incident data has to reconcile with these.
- OSHA — On-Site Consultation Free, confidential hazard consultation for small and medium employers, separate from enforcement. Often overlooked.
MSI's work on this standard: the ISO 45001 standard page and internal audit support.
Healthcare Quality Management
ISO 7101 is new enough that most healthcare organizations are mapping it onto quality programs they already run. These are the reference points.
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) US federal research on patient safety, quality measurement, and safety culture assessment — much of which maps directly onto ISO 7101 clauses.
- World Health Organization (WHO) Global patient safety and quality-of-care guidance. The conceptual background ISO 7101 was written against.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation and quality reporting requirements. For US providers these are non-negotiable obligations your ISO 7101 system must accommodate.
MSI's work on this standard: the ISO 7101 standard page.
Engineering & Sector Standards
Standards bodies whose documents commonly get referenced from inside design, inspection, and purchasing procedures.
- IEEE Electrical, electronic, and software engineering standards.
- SAE International Mobility and transportation standards — automotive, commercial vehicle, and related sectors.
- SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers) Manufacturing process knowledge and workforce development.
Building design and development controls into your system? See MSI's ISO 9001 Design & Development Process training.
Business, Continuity & Trade
ISO 9001 asks you to understand your organization's context and plan for risk. These are practical, free sources for the parts most small companies skip.
- SBA — Prepare for Emergencies Business continuity planning for smaller organizations: assess your risk, write the plan, practice it. A reasonable starting framework when an auditor asks how you would maintain conformity through a disruption.
- SBA Business Resilience Guide A downloadable workbook for reducing operational risk. Pairs well with the risks-and-opportunities thinking ISO 9001 Clause 6.1 asks for.
- SBA — Contracting Certifications Veteran-owned, women-owned, HUBZone, and 8(a) designations. Relevant because these certifications and ISO certification are often pursued for the same reason: qualifying for contracts you cannot currently bid.
- US International Trade Commission Tariff schedules and trade data. Relevant to supply chain risk assessment if you import components.
Want an outside read on where your organization actually stands? MSI's The Portrait™ is an independent operational assessment.
Looking for MSI's own resources?
The links above point outward. If you came here looking for something to use, these are ours: ISO procedure templates and guides, management review toolkits, online ISO courses, the MSI blog, and free downloads.
Management Systems International has guided 80+ companies to ISO certification since 1998 and trained 600+ professionals. If you would rather talk it through than read, get in touch.