 National borders are meaningless to harmful pests that attack plants and plant products. They move stealthily across borders through trade, tourism and other pathways. That is why the International Plant Protection Convention IPPC adopts international standards for phytosanitary measures, ISPMs, which provide a harmonized framework recognized by the World Trade Organization to guide decisions around the safe management of pest risks. ISPM 14 establishes the practice of systems approach, a pest risk management option that integrates different measures, at least two of which act independently with cumulative effect. Each of these measures reinforces the effectiveness of the system and because they act independently, if one fails, the system can continue. Adjustments to the system can be made until it achieves the appropriate level of protection set by the importing country. This approach is based on expert knowledge of the biology and ecology of the pest and the host plant. Understanding these dynamics allows national plant protection organizations, NPPO's, to design effective management systems that reduce the likelihood of harmful pests infesting or contaminating plants, plant products or other objects such as packaging and containers used in trade. Of course, combining measures for managing pest risk is complicated. That is why the IPPC community, the Standards and Trade Development Facility and other organizations including MPPO's and RPPO's have developed tools and trainings supporting the use of system approach. Beyond compliance Excel based tools, guide NPPO's around the world enabling them to select which measures to include, determine the purpose of each measure and choose ways to verify the effectiveness of a system. The Beyond Compliance tools produce graphic visualizations of the pest risk management options combining scientific data, expert opinion and experiences in an easily understood format. A correct application of systems approach helps countries prevent the introduction of invasive species and protect crops and biodiversity while keeping trade safe.