ISO Approval
ISO 9000 is a set of quality management standards, recognized worldwide, developed and controlled by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Geneva, Switzerland. The documents that define the ISO 9000 standard, adopted by more than 100 countries, provide a quality management system philosophy and guidance, as well as specifications to which the quality system must adhere. This means that Avocent has established a systematic approach to quality management, and is managing its business to ensure that your needs are clearly understood, agreed and fulfilled.
ISO 9001 (to which Avocent is certified) is the most stringent of the ISO 9000 standards. ISO 9001 requires that a company meet a set of requirements aimed primarily at achieving quality and customer satisfaction at all program stages from design through servicing. Avocent established a quality policy requiring support and "buy-in" from all staff levels. Our employees ensure that we continue to meet our quality objectives.
What does ISO registration mean for Avocent?
Avocent uses proven management tools and processes which have been continuously developed and improved since our inception. By "proven" we mean validated by Avocent's ISO 9001 registration. To achieve this, independent third party auditors evaluated all aspects of our business to verify that we do what we say we do - consistently.
The ISO registration is not a single event but a long-term commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. Although we attained global ISO 9001 registration in 2003, we must continue to prove to an independent external auditor at least each year that our quality system is effective and that our process improvement efforts are ongoing.
How does ISO encourage continuous process improvement?
To ensure we are doing business as our QMS procedures say we do, we implemented an internal audit system. Several times a year, programs and functional areas are subjected to a rigorous review by a staff of personnel trained in auditing techniques. These internal auditors review evidence that our business complies with our QMS procedures, and generate CAPAs (Corrective & Preventive Actions) for identified nonconformities. The CAPA owners identify the root cause and implement corrective or preventive actions; planned preventive action ensures that the problem does not reoccur. The Avocent Quality Assurance organization monitors the status of CAPA’s, to ensure that corrections are made in a timely fashion. Follow-up audits are conducted to verify that corrective actions are implemented and effective. Audit statistics are compiled and presented to Avocent's senior staff.
What does ISO 9001 mean for our customers?
This means Avocent has established a systematic approach to quality management, focused on the customer, and is managing its business to ensure that your needs are clearly understood, agreed and fulfilled. It also means that we are committed to continuously improving our processes, and the products and services which we provide.