Computer Networking and IT Services Trade Associations

AFCEA International

Global nonprofit connecting government, military, industry and academia around IT, communications and cybersecurity through chapters, events and training.

https://www.afcea.org/ Membership: 30,000

BICSI

Professional association advancing information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure with education, standards and credentials in cabling, data centers and wireless.

https://www.bicsi.org/ Membership: 26,000

Bluetooth SIG

Standards development organization behind Bluetooth technology; a large ecosystem of companies collaborating on wireless connectivity across devices and IoT.

https://www.bluetooth.com/ Membership: 40,000

Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)

Open source foundation (under the Linux Foundation) uniting vendors and end users to build and standardize cloud‑native infrastructure and networking (Kubernetes, service mesh, observability).

https://www.cncf.io/ Membership: 827

Cloud Security Alliance (CSA)

Vendor‑neutral nonprofit advancing cloud security best practices; global community with chapters, STAR registry and guidance used by providers and enterprise IT services.

https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/ Membership: 150,000

GSMA

Global trade body for the mobile industry (operators and wider ecosystem) collaborating on networking policy, interoperability, and initiatives across 5G and beyond.

https://www.gsma.com/ Membership: 1,200

IEEE Communications Society (IEEE ComSoc)

IEEE society advancing communications and networking technology through research, conferences, publications and technical communities.

https://www.comsoc.org/ Membership: 37,000

Internet Society (ISOC)

Global nonprofit strengthening the Internet through open development, standards support (e.g., IETF relationship), policy advocacy and local chapters.

https://www.internetsociety.org/ Membership: 80,000

ISACA

Professional association for IT governance, risk, audit and cybersecurity; provides frameworks, certifications and a global member network across IT services.

https://www.isaca.org/ Membership: 180,000

ISC2 (formerly (ISC)²)

Global member organization for cybersecurity professionals best known for certifications like CISSP; supports the networking and IT services workforce with education and advocacy.

https://www.isc2.org/ Membership: 257,081

MEF

Industry consortium defining standards, APIs and certifications for Network‑as‑a‑Service, LSO automation, Carrier Ethernet, SD‑WAN and more across provider ecosystems.

https://www.mef.net/ Membership: 200

MSPAlliance (International Association of Cloud & Managed Service Providers)

International association and accrediting body for managed service providers (MSPs); sets standards and offers verification programs for cloud and managed services.

https://www.mspalliance.com/ Membership: 30,000

NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association

U.S. trade association representing independent, community‑based broadband providers, advocating for rural network deployment and sustainability.

https://www.ntca.org/ Membership: 850

The Open Group

Global consortium developing open, vendor‑neutral IT standards and certifications (e.g., TOGAF) used by enterprises and service providers for architecture and interoperability.

https://www.opengroup.org/ Membership: 900

Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA)

Nonprofit advancing storage networking through open standards, technical work groups, education and industry collaboration across data infrastructure.

https://www.snia.org/ Membership: 200

Society for Information Management (SIM)

U.S. nonprofit community of senior IT leaders (CIOs/CTOs and peers) focused on networking, leadership development and best‑practice exchange across IT services.

https://www.simnet.org/ Membership: 5,000

Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)

Trade association for the connected world leading ICT standards (e.g., cabling TR‑42, data center TIA‑942), policy and business performance programs for vendors and service providers.

https://tiaonline.org/ Membership: 400

TM Forum

Global alliance of telecoms, hyperscalers and suppliers co‑creating open digital architecture, Open APIs and playbooks to accelerate CSP/IT services transformation.

https://www.tmforum.org/ Membership: 800

Wi‑Fi Alliance

Industry association running the Wi‑Fi CERTIFIED interoperability program and advancing Wi‑Fi technology, security and global adoption across enterprise and consumer networking.

https://www.wi-fi.org/ Membership: 850

Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA)

Industry body uniting operators and vendors to improve Wi‑Fi services and roaming (e.g., OpenRoaming), driving guidelines and trials for seamless wireless broadband.

https://wballiance.com/ Membership: 125