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Glossary of Terms

ABS: Automatic back up system
Access Control: Mechanisms and policies that restrict access to computer resources
Accounting: Computer programs that perform accounting operations. The simplest accounting programs are single-entry systems that automate cheque writing and record keeping. Double-entry systems include functions for general ledger, accounts receivable, and accounts payable. More sophisticated systems also support functions for payroll, inventory, invoicing, and fixed assets. Some high-end systems will also support sales analysis, time billing and some elements of CRM (customer relationship management).
added value: The value that is added to any product or service as the result of a particular process. For example, VARs (value added resellers) add value to systems through the loading of applications or proprietary software onto computers and ASPs(application Service Providers) add value to the services they provide.
Ajax: Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, is a term that describes a new approach to using a number of existing technologies together, including the following: HTML or XHTML, Cascading Style Sheets, JavaScript, the Document Object Model, XML, XSLT, and the XMLHttpRequest object. Combining these technologies in the Ajax model, Web applications are able to make quick, incremental updates to the user interface without reloading the entire browser page.
Algorithm: A formula or set of steps for solving a particular problem. To be an algorithm, a set of rules must be unambiguous and have a clear stopping point. Algorithms can be expressed in any language, from natural languages like English or French to programming languages like Fortran. We use algorithms every day. For example, a recipe for baking a cake is an algorithm. Most programs, with the exception of some artificial intelligence applications, consist of algorithms. Inventing elegant algorithms -- algorithms that are simple and require the fewest steps possible -- is one of the principal challenges in programming.
Annotation: A comment attached to a particular section of a document. Many computer applications enable you to enter annotations on text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and other objects.
Anti-money laundering: Risk mitigation software that will detect a number of activities across a number of channels commensurate with money laundering or fraudulent activity
Anti-virus: Software to protect your computers and systems from worms, Trojans, viruses and other security risks such as spyware and spam.
APIPA: Short for Automatic Private IP Addressing, a feature of later Windows operating systems. With APIPA, Dynamic Host Configured Protocol clients can automatically self-configure an IP address and subnet mask when a DHCP server isn't available. When a DHCP client boots up, it first looks for a DHCP server in order to obtain an IP address and subnet mask. If the client is unable to find the information, it uses APIPA to automatically configure itself with an IP address from a range that has been reserved especially for Microsoft. The IP address range is 169.254.0.1 through 169.254.255.254. The client also configures itself with a default class B subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. A client uses the self-configured IP address until a DHCP server becomes available. APIPA is meant for nonrouted small business environments, usually less than 25 clients.
App: Abbreviation for application, application also means software
Application: Software
Application Infrastructure Provider: A hosting provider that offers a full set of infrastructure services for hosting online applications
Application Service Provider: Abbreviated as ASP, a third-party entity that manages and distributes software-based services and solutions to customers across a wide area network from a central data centre. ASPs are a way for companies to outsource some or almost all aspects of their information technology needs.
artificial intelligence: The branch of computer science concerned with making computers behave like humans. Includes systems that are programmed to play games, make decisions based on a series of events i.e. diagnosing an illness from a given set of symptoms, natural language i.e. systems that understand spoken languages and robotics.
ASP Aggregator: A company that combines and offers for distribution a number of ASP services or suite of products, usually from a variety of partners.
Asset Management: Tracking software that tracks an asset's history and lifecycle through your organization. You'll now know where your assets are located, what's missing, what's been moved, who and what departments are responsible for a particular item, where it's been and what it's depreciated value is.
automatic fall-over: Automatic fall-over is a term associated with content management and contingency planning for system disaster and recovery. It is an automated process where in case of a system or server failure, the control of data and applications will "automatically fall over" to a secondary system or server. Automatic fall over procedures results in less costly downtime while eliminating the possibility of inducing system failure during recovery, and usually require very little user input.
autonomic computing: A type of computing model in which the system is self-healing, self-configured, self-protected and self-managed. Designed to mimic the human body's nervous system - in that the autonomic nervous system acts and reacts to stimuli independent of the individual's conscious input - an autonomic computing environment functions with a high level of artificial intelligence while remaining invisible to the users.
B2B: Abbreviation of business-to-business, the exchange of services, information and/or products from one business to another, as opposed to between a business and a consumer - B2C
B2C: Abbreviation of business-to-consumer, the exchange of services, information and/or products from a business to an individual (consumer), as opposed to between a business and a business - B2B
back end system: Back end systems are corporate systems that are used to run a company such as systems to manage orders, inventory and supply processing. Back end systems support the company's back office. This system collects input from users or other systems for processing.
backup: To copy computer files to a second medium (a disk, tape or CD) as a precaution in case the computer system fails.
Bake-off: In technology it is a research comparison process where competing technologies are compared and the product or service is then chosen. Also called technology bake-off.
Bar Coding: Set of horizontal lines that give an item an identity
batch processing: Executing a series of noninteractive jobs all at one time.
Bayesian filter: A technique for identifying incoming e-mail spam. Unlike other filtering techniques that look for spam-identifying words in subject lines and headers, a Bayesian filter uses the entire context of an e-mail when it looks for words or character strings that will identify the e-mail as spam. Another difference between a Bayesian filter and other content filters is that a Bayesian filter learns to identify new spam the more it analyses incoming e-mails.
b-blog: Abbreviation of business blog, a blog used by a business to promote itself.
BCP: Business Continuity Planning, BCP a term that covers both disaster recovery planning (DRP) and business resumption planning. BCP is the preparation and testing of measures that protect business operations and also provide the means for the recovery of technologies in the event of any loss, damage or failure of facilities.
BGAN: BGAN, or Broadband Global Area Network is a satellite based uplink that provides broadband speeds. BGAN provides seamless network coverage across about 85 percent of the world's land mass, so users can get broadband wherever they roam, not just in major metropolitan areas. With a single BGAN device, you can access broadband data applications at speeds up to half a megabit per second and make a phone call at the same time. BGAN terminals are compact, lightweight and can be carried as easily as a laptop. BGAN supports the latest IP services and traditional circuit-switched voice and data. Integrating seamlessly with corporate networks, it also supports legacy applications and provides an easy upgrade path to IP.
Biz Talk Server: BizTalk Server is Microsoft's central platform for Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) and Business Process Management (BPM) and embodies the integration and automation capabilities of XML and Web Services technologies. BizTalk Server functions as a process execution engine and as a multi-transport hub for messaging and document transformations. It is a Windows Server System product that helps customers efficiently and effectively integrate systems, employees and trading partners.
blog: Short for Web log, a blog is a Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.
BOM: Bill of material
BPEL: Short for Business Process Execution Language for Web Services, an XML-based language for standardising business processes in a distributed or grid computing environment that enables separate businesses to interconnect their applications and share data. Designed as a combination of IBM's WebServices Flow Language and Microsoft's XLANG spec, platform-independent BPEL allows enterprises to keep internal business protocols separate from cross-enterprise protocols so that internal processes can be changed without affecting the exchange of data from enterprise to enterprise.
BPM: Business Process Management it is a term that describes activities and (or) events which are performed to optimise a business process. These activities are aided by software tools. These types of software tools are also called BPM tools.
Budgeting: An estimate of the amount of money available or required for a given item or activity.
Business Intelligence: Most companies collect a large amount of data from their business operations. To keep track of that information, a business and would need to use a wide range of software programs , such as spreadsheets and different database applications for various departments throughout their organisation. Using multiple software programs makes it difficult to retrieve information in a timely manner and to perform analysis of the data. The term Business Intelligence (BI) represents the tools and systems that play a key role in the strategic planning process of the corporation. These systems allow a company to gather, store, access and analyse data to aid in decision-making. Generally these systems will illustrate business intelligence in the areas of customer profiling, customer support, market research, market segmentation, product profitability, statistical analysis, and inventory and distribution analysis etc.
Business Management System (BMS): A modular, integrated set of applications for Sales, Order Fulfilment and Customer Care. Information in the BMS should be created once, and should flow seamlessly from application to application to save time and effort. You should be able to import your existing database information during implementation; and with integration points, continue to use any 3rd party system outputs from product configuration programmes or spreadsheets etc.
Applications will give your management all the configured views on sales pipeline, customer orders and company performance to allow you to make the best informed business decisions. The BMS will also need to export financial and customer data to an accounts package for reporting purposes.
The business benefits of a well implemented system will be efficiency (e.g. no double keying of data), speed of response to customers (information is always available on demand), quality of quotes / proposals and customer documentation (use of templates, standard price books etc), and most importantly, accurate on-demand management information, to drive growth in your company's profitability.
Business Planning: Business planning software that will help you to write a professional business plan and check that your forecasting and financials are accurate
business process: A specific event in a chain of structured business activities. The event typically changes the state of data and/or a product and generates some type of output. Examples of business processes include receiving orders, invoicing, shipping products, updating employee information, or setting a marketing budget. Business processes occur at all levels of an organisation's activities and include events that the customer sees and events that are invisible to the customer.
Business Process Execution Language: Also known as BPEL, Business Process Execution Language for Web Services, an XML-based language for standardising business processes in a distributed or grid computing environment that enables separate businesses to interconnect their applications and share data. Designed as a combination of IBM's WebServices Flow Language and Microsoft's XLANG spec, platform-independent BPEL allows enterprises to keep internal business protocols separate from cross-enterprise protocols so that internal processes can be changed without affecting the exchange of data from enterprise to enterprise.
business recorvery timeline: The chronological sequence of recovery activities, or critical path, that must be followed to resume an acceptable level of operations following a business interruption or outage. This timeline may range from minutes to weeks, depending upon the recovery requirements and methodology.
business recovery team: A group of individuals responsible for maintaining the business recovery procedures and coordinating the recovery of business functions and processes. Also called a disaster recovery team.
business Web transaction processing: Also known as BWT, business Web transaction processing. Compared to OLTP (on-line transaction processing), which describes an individual's business activities on the Internet, BWTP defines how businesses interact and coordinate their services over the Web.
BWTP: Short for business Web transaction processing. Compared to OLTP (on-line transaction processing), which describes an individual's business activities on the Internet, BWTP defines how businesses interact and coordinate their services over the Web.
CAD/CAM: Computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing, computer systems used to design and manufacture products. The term CAD/CAM implies that an engineer can use the system both for designing a product and for controlling manufacturing processes. For example, once a design has been produced with the CAD component, the design itself can control the machines that construct the part.
Capacity Planning: Planning what to make, when to make it and where to make to make the best use of your resources
CDI: Short for Customer Data Integration, it is the combination of the technology, processes, and services needed to create and maintain an accurate, timely and complete view of the customer across multiple channels, business lines, and, potentially, enterprises, where there are multiple sources of customer data in multiple application systems and databases.
CDP: Continuous data protection, also called continuous backup, continuous data protection refers to backing up computer data by saving as an automated function a copy every time changes are made to that data. It allows users to restore files that are corrupted or that have been accidentally deleted, back to any point in time before they were lost.
Case Management: Also known as client management. Software that helps you to manage client or case information by tasks. Also provides analysis.
Charities: Charitable organisations that rely on donations to fund them and do not make a profit
Client Management: Also known as case management. Software that helps you to manage client or case information by tasks. Also provides analysis.
CMMS: Computerised Maintenance Management Systems. A CMMS usually consists of hardware solution and a software package that allows an organisation to manage the maintenance of equipment and facilities. Use of a CMMS package should improve productivity, lower overall operating costs, and store valuable information about maintenance functions in an organisation. Also known as FAMS Facilities Asset Management Systems.
cold site: A disaster recovery facility that provides only the physical space for recovery operations while the organisation using the space provides its own hardware and software systems.
commerce server: Web software that runs some of the main functions of an online shop front such as product display, online ordering, and inventory management. The software works in conjunction with online payment systems to process payments.
commerce service providers: Commerce Services Providers, or CSPs supply businesses with the tools and services they need to buy and sell products and services over the Internet and manage their online enterprises.
commerce XML: Also known as cXML, a set of document type definitions for the XML specification. cXML works as a meta-language that defines necessary information about a product. It will be used to standardise the exchange of catalogue content and to define request/response processes for secure electronic transactions over the Internet. The processes includes purchase orders, change orders, acknowledgments, status updates, ship notifications and payment transactions.
Compliance: Many companies must comply to certain rules and regulations, compliance software allows you to ensure that your company and employees are in compliance to the rules and regulations that apply to you
CompTIA: Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)
computer rack: A computer rack (commonly called a rack) is a metal frame used to hold various hardware devices such as servers, hard disk drives, modems and other electronic equipment. Some may refer to a rack as "LAN or network furniture" as resembles a shelving structure where components can be attached vertically, stacked on top of one another. A computer rack can also be called a relay rack or open rack.
consolidation: In storage terminology, the term consolidation is used mainly to refer to the concept of centralised storage where resources are shared among multiple applications and users.
Construction: A vertical sector description for companies involved in the construction of buildings. This also includes sub contractor companies that supply construction companies such as plumbing, lighting, fit out, electricians etc.
Contact Management: A way to store the information and contact history you have with individuals within or outside of your organisation.
Content Management: Content Management is a set of processes and technologies that support the evolutionary life cycle of digital information. This digital information is often referred to as content or, to be precise, digital content. Digital content may take the form of text, such as documents, multimedia files, such as audio or video files, or any other file type which follows a content lifecycle which requires management. The digital content life cycle consists of 6 primary phases: create, update, publish, translate, archive and retire.
continuous data protection: Abbreviated as CDP and also called continuous backup, continuous data protection refers to backing up computer data by saving as an automated function a copy every time changes are made to that data. It allows users to restore files that are corrupted or that have been accidentally deleted, back to any point in time before they were lost.
Corporate Performance Management: Corporate performance management (CPM) is a concept introduced by Gartner Research in 2001, which "all of the processes, methodologies, metrics and systems needed to measure and manage the performance of an organisation."
CPC: Cost-per-click, an Internet marketing formula used to price online advertisements. Advertisers will pay Internet publishers based on the number of clicks a specific ad gets.
CPM: Also known as the critical path method, a project management technique that analyses what activities have the least amount of scheduling flexibility (i.e., are the most mission-critical) and then predicts project duration schedule based on the activities that fall along the "critical path." Activities that lie along the critical path cannot be delayed without delaying the finish time for the entire project. Projects planned with CPM typically are graphically represented in a diagram showing how each activity is related to the others.
critical path method: Abbreviated as CPM, a project management technique that analyses what activities have the least amount of scheduling flexibility (i.e., are the most mission-critical) and then predicts project duration schedule based on the activities that fall along the "critical path." Activities that lie along the critical path cannot be delayed without delaying the finish time for the entire project. Projects planned with CPM typically are graphically represented in a diagram showing how each activity is related to the others.
CRM: Customer relationship Management. CRM entails all aspects of interaction a company has with its customer, whether it be sales or service related. Computerisation has changed the way companies are approaching their CRM strategies because it has also changed consumer buying behaviour. With each new advance in technology, especially the proliferation of self-service channels like the Web and WAP phones, more of the relationship is being managed electronically. Organisations are therefore looking for ways to personalise online experiences (a process also referred to as mass customization) through tools such as help-desk software, e-mail organisers and Web development applications.
CRM (customer relationship management): Customer relationship Management. CRM entails all aspects of interaction a company has with its customer, whether it be sales or service related. Computerisation has changed the way companies are approaching their CRM strategies because it has also changed consumer buying behaviour. With each new advance in technology, especially the proliferation of self-service channels like the Web and WAP phones, more of the relationship is being managed electronically. Organisations are therefore looking for ways to personalise online experiences (a process also referred to as mass customization) through tools such as help-desk software, e-mail organisers and Web development applications.
CSPs: Commerce Services Providers, supply businesses with the tools and services they need to buy and sell products and services over the Internet and manage their online enterprises.
Customer Data Integration: Also known as CDI, Customer Data Integration, it is the combination of the technology, processes, and services needed to create and maintain an accurate, timely and complete view of the customer across multiple channels, business lines, and, potentially, enterprises, where there are multiple sources of customer data in multiple application systems and databases.
cXML: Short for commerce XML, a set of document type definitions for the XML specification. cXML works as a meta-language that defines necessary information about a product. It will be used to standardise the exchange of catalogue content and to define request/response processes for secure electronic transactions over the Internet. The processes includes purchase orders, change orders, acknowledgments, status updates, ship notifications and payment transactions.
cyberloafing: Slang term used to describe employees who surf the net, write e-mail or other Internet-elated activities at work that are not related to their job.
D2D: Short for disk-to-disk, a type of data storage backup in which the data is copied from a disk - typically a hard disk - to another disk - such as another hard disk or other disk storage medium. In a D2D system, the disk that the data is being copied from typically is referred to as the primary disk and the disk that the data is copied to typically is called the secondary or backup disk.
D2D2T: Disk-to-disk-to-tape, D2D2T is an archiving device where data is first backed up on a disk system, but then is spooled to a tape or an optical storage system. The D2D2T device can help eliminate data loss issues companies experience with tape drive or tape failure. Using a D2D2T system of backup keeps a copy of the data on-site for faster retrieval but also enables you to keep tape copies off-site for disaster recovery purposes. D2D2T devices may be appliances, virtual tape or disk libraries.
D2T: Short for disk-to-tape, a type of data storage backup in which the data is copied from a disk - typically a hard disk - to a magnetic tape. D2T systems are used widely in enterprises that require the safe storage of vital information in the case of disaster recovery so it can perform data recovery.
Data Mining: A technique using software tools geared for the user who typically does not know exactly what he's searching for, but is looking for particular patterns or trends. Data mining is the process of sifting through large amounts of data to produce data content relationships.
Database Software: A large amount of data stored in a well-organised manner. A database management system is a program that allows access to the information
Datawarehousing: The ability of a system to store data resulting from Data Mining to be used in future enquiries of that database.
DDS: Abbreviation of Decision Support System, the term refers to an interactive computerised system that gathers and presents data from a wide range of sources, typically for business purposes. DSS applications are systems and subsystems that help people make decisions based on data that is culled from a wide range of sources.
Decision support system: Abbreviated DSS, the term refers to an interactive computerised system that gathers and presents data from a wide range of sources, typically for business purposes. DSS applications are systems and subsystems that help people make decisions based on data that is culled from a wide range of sources.
deploy: To install, test and implement a computer system or application.
device manager: Device Manager is an operating system feature that lets you view and change the properties of all devices attached to your computer.
DHCP: Dynamic Host Configured Protocol, is a protocol used by networked computers (clients) to obtain IP addresses and other parameters such as the default gateway, subnet mask, and IP addresses of DNS servers from a DHCP server. The DHCP server ensures that all IP addresses are unique, e.g., no IP address is assigned to a second client while the first client's assignment is valid (its lease has not expired). Thus IP address pool management is done by the server and not by a human network administrator.
DIIOP: Short for Dominio Internet Inter-Orb Protocol it allows external programs to attach to, and manipulate Domino databases.
Disaster Recovery: The plan that describes the disaster recovery procedures and coordinating the recovery of business functions and processes. Also called business recovery team.
disaster recovery team: A group of individuals responsible for maintaining the disaster recovery procedures and coordinating the recovery of business functions and processes. Also called business recovery team.
disc array: Disk array refers to a linked group of one or more physical independent hard disk drives generally used to replace larger, single disk drive systems. The most common disk arrays are in daisy chain configuration or implement RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) technology. A disk array may contain several disk drive trays, and is structured to improve speed and increase protection against loss of data.
DISCO: DISCO is a Microsoft technology for publishing and discovering Web Services. DISCO can define a document format along with an interrogation algorithm, making it possible to discover the Web Services exposed on a given server. DISCO makes it possible to discover the capabilities of each Web Service (via documentation) and how to interact with it.
disintermediation: Removing the middleman.
disk-to-disk: Also known as D2D, a type of data storage backup in which the data is copied from a disk - typically a hard disk - to another disk - such as another hard disk or other disk storage medium. In a D2D system, the disk that the data is being copied from typically is referred to as the primary disk and the disk that the data is copied to typically is called the secondary or backup disk.
disk-to-tape: Also known as D2T, a type of data storage backup in which the data is copied from a disk - typically a hard disk - to a magnetic tape. D2T systems are used widely in enterprises that require the safe storage of vital information in the case of disaster recovery so it can perform data recovery.
Distribution: A distributor is the middleman between the manufacturer and retailer. After a product is manufactured it is typically shipped (and usually sold) to a distributor. The distributor then sells the product to retailers or customers. Distribution is one of the four aspects of marketing.
Document Management: Document Management is concerned with the storage and retrieval of documents. In a large organisation there will usually be many different types of document. Some may exist on paper only and others may be stored in an electronically readable format.
Dominio Internet Inter-Orb Protocol: Also known as DIIOP, Dominio Internet Inter-Orb Protocol it allows external programs to attach to, and manipulate Domino databases.
DRP: Disaster recovery plan
EAI: Acronym for enterprise application integration. EAI is the unrestricted sharing of data and business processes throughout the networked applications or data sources in an organisation.
EBPP: Electronic bill presentment and payment, the process by which companies bill customers and receive payments electronically over the Internet.
e-business solutions: All electronically mediated information exchanges, both within an organisation and with external stakeholders supporting the range of business processes.
ebXML: Short for electronic business Extensible Mark-up Language, a modular suite of specifications for standardizing XML globally in order to facilitate trade between organisations regardless of size.
ECM: Enterprise content management
ECM: Also known as Enterprise Content Management, ECM is the document management term which describes the technologies used by organisations to capture, manage, store, and control enterprise-wide content, including documents, images, e-mail messages, instant messages, video, and more. ECM software is used to assist in content control associated with business process, and can be used to assure compliance (Sarbanes-Oxley , HIPPA, etc.). ECM has emerged from the convergence of many related technologies such as document management, Web content management, and collaboration.
e-commerce: Internet facilitated commerce, using electronic means for promoting, selling, distributing, and servicing products.
ECS: Enterprise Collaboration Systems is a type of information system (IS). ECS is a combination of groupware, tools, Internet, extranets and other networks needed to support enterprise-wide communications, such as the sharing of documents and knowledge to specific teams and individuals within the enterprise.
EDA: Short for event-driven architecture, an enterprise software infrastructure model in which events trigger the real-time exchange of messages between independent software applications. EDA relies on an event-processing agent that detects events across an enterprise and, using a push approach, notifies all of the other software applications that need to be notified of the change in data, all at the same time.
Education / Training: Software used by organisations involved in education or training.
EFM: Eight-to-Fourteen Modulation (EFM), is an encoding technique used by Compact Discs and provides a way of countering errors by encoding a byte into 2 bytes.
EFM: Enterprise Feedback Management is the term used to describe enterprise-wide online survey software. EFM software supports advanced survey design with customer relationship management (CRM) integration and advanced reporting with statistical analysis, a centralised panel management and workflow process to ensure consistent survey quality and enforce respondent privacy and IT security policies. Additionally, multiple departments within an organisation can collaborate on survey initiatives, share results and gain insights that impact bottom-line results.
EIS: Also known as Executive Information System is a reporting application targeted for use by executives.
electronic business Extensible Markup Language: Also known as ebXML, electronic business Extensible Markup Language, a modular suite of specifications for standardizing XML globally in order to facilitate trade between organisations regardless of size.
electronic point of sale: Electronic Point of sale, or EPOS as it is more commonly abbreviated, refers to the capturing of data and customer payment information at a physical location when goods or services are bought and sold. The POS transaction is captured using a variety of devices which include computers, cash registers, optical and bar code scanners, magnetic card readers, or any combination of these devices.
electronic scabbing: Adapted from the slang term scab (a strike-breaker or one who crosses a strike line to work in place of striking employees), electronic scabbing refers to the practice used by managers and other executives when computer networks are used to transfer electronic documents (e.g., accounting, clerical, word processing, databases, records) to a non-striking workforce.
email appending: The process of merging a database of customer information that lacks e-mail addresses for the customers with a third party's database of e-mail addresses in an attempt to match the e-mail addresses with the information in the initial database.
EMEA: Europe, Middle East and Africa
Engineering: Engineering is the design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes.
ENI: Ethernet Networking Interface, or ENI, allows any computer on Ethernet network to access controllers allowing users to send production data, alarm messages, or status information to computers, mobile phones, or pagers capable of receiving e-mail. The ENI module allows companies to leverage existing cable, hubs, switches, and routers already installed in facilities.
ENIW: A Web-enabled Ethernet Networking Interface. This module presents additional remote Web capabilities by providing read/write access via the Internet.
enterprise: A business organization. In the computer industry, the term is often used to describe any large organization that utilizes computers.
enterprise application integration: Also known as EAI, is the unrestricted sharing of data and business processes throughout the networked applications or data sources in an organisation.
Enterprise Collaberation System: Enterprise Collaboration Systems is a type of information system (IS). ECS is a combination of groupware, tools, Internet, extranets and other networks needed to support enterprise-wide communications, such as the sharing of documents and knowledge to specific teams and individuals within the enterprise.
enterprise content management: Abbreviated as ECM, Enterprise Content Management is the document management term which describes the technologies used by organisations to capture, manage, store, and control enterprise-wide content, including documents, images, e-mail messages, instant messages, video, and more. ECM software is used to assist in content control associated with business process, and can be used to assure compliance (Sarbanes-Oxley , HIPPA, etc.). ECM has emerged from the convergence of many related technologies such as document management, Web content management, and collaboration.
Enterprise Feedback Management: Enterprise Feedback Management is the term used to describe enterprise-wide online survey software. EFM software supports advanced survey design with customer relationship management (CRM) integration and advanced reporting with statistical analysis, a centralised panel management and workflow process to ensure consistent survey quality and enforce respondent privacy and IT security policies. Additionally, multiple departments within an organisation can collaborate on survey initiatives, share results and gain insights that impact bottom-line results.
Enterprise Service Bus: Also known as ESB, short for Enterprise Service Bus, also referred to as a message broker. ESB is an open standards-based distributed synchronous or asynchronous messaging middleware that provides secure interoperability between enterprise applications via XML, Web services interfaces and standardised rules-based routing of documents. In practice, this means that data files are passed to and from their destinations based on pre-established guidelines that are common to all parties sharing the information to ensure that the data maintains its integrity as it is routed. The multi-language and multi-platform design of an ESB allows enterprises to process data between applications from various sources. Two common distributed computing architectures used by ESBs are J2EE and .NET.
Enterprise solutions for small businesses: Short for enterprise resource planning, a business management system that integrates all facets of the business, including planning, manufacturing, sales, and marketing. As the ERP methodology has become more popular, software applications have emerged to help business managers implement ERP in business activities such as inventory control, order tracking, customer service, finance and human resources designed specifically for smaller businesses.
EPOS: Electronic Point of sale, or EPOS as it is more commonly abbreviated, refers to the capturing of data and customer payment information at a physical location when goods or services are bought and sold. The POS transaction is captured using a variety of devices which include computers, cash registers, optical and bar code scanners, magnetic card readers, or any combination of these devices.
EPOS (electronic point of sale): Electronic Point of sale, or EPOS as it is more commonly abbreviated, refers to the capturing of data and customer payment information at a physical location when goods or services are bought and sold. The POS transaction is captured using a variety of devices which include computers, cash registers, optical and bar code scanners, magnetic card readers, or any combination of these devices.
ERM: Short for Enterprise Relationship Management. ERM relates to solutions allowing an enterprise to share customer, product, competitor and market information to accomplish goals of meeting long-term customer satisfaction and increased revenues.
ERP: Short for enterprise resource planning, a business management system that integrates all facets of the business, including planning, manufacturing, sales, and marketing. As the ERP methodology has become more popular, software applications have emerged to help business managers implement ERP in business activities such as inventory control, order tracking, customer service, finance and human resources.
ERP (Enterprise resource planning): Short for enterprise resource planning, a business management system that integrates all facets of the business, including planning, manufacturing, sales, and marketing. As the ERP methodology has become more popular, software applications have emerged to help business managers implement ERP in business activities such as inventory control, order tracking, customer service, finance and human resources.
ESB: Short for Enterprise Service Bus, also referred to as a message broker. ESB is an open standards-based distributed synchronous or asynchronous messaging middleware that provides secure interoperability between enterprise applications via XML, Web services interfaces and standardised rules-based routing of documents. In practice, this means that data files are passed to and from their destinations based on pre-established guidelines that are common to all parties sharing the information to ensure that the data maintains its integrity as it is routed. The multi-language and multi-platform design of an ESB allows enterprises to process data between applications from various sources. Two common distributed computing architectures used by ESBs are J2EE and .NET.
ESCON: Enterprise Systems Connection, or Enterprise Systems Connectivity, an IBM fiber optic connection technology that interconnects S/390 mainframe computers, workstations and network-attached storage devices across a single channel and supports half duplex data transfers.
ESS: Executive Support System (ESS) is a reporting tool (software) that allows you to turn your organisation's data into useful summarised reports. These reports are generally used by executive level managers for quick access to reports coming from all company levels and departments such as billing, cost accounting , staffing, scheduling, and more.
Estate Agency: A company that assesses the value of and markets properties for sale or rent.
ethernet: A local-area network (LAN) architecture developed by Xerox Corporation in cooperation with DEC and Intel in 1976. Ethernet uses a bus or star topology and supports data transfer rates of 10 Mbps. The Ethernet specification served as the basis for the IEEE 802.3 standard, which specifies the physical and lower software layers. Ethernet uses the CSMA/CD access method to handle simultaneous demands. It is one of the most widely implemented LAN standards.
Ethernet Networking Interface: Ethernet Networking Interface, or ENI, allows any computer on Ethernet network to access controllers allowing users to send production data, alarm messages, or status information to computers, mobile phones, or pagers capable of receiving e-mail. The ENI module allows companies to leverage existing cable, hubs, switches, and routers already installed in facilities.
Event Management: Event management is the application of the management science of project management to the creation and development of festivals and events. Or, the software used in this environment.
event-driven architecture: Also known as EDA, event-driven architecture, an enterprise software infrastructure model in which events trigger the real-time exchange of messages between independent software applications. EDA relies on an event-processing agent that detects events across an enterprise and, using a push approach, notifies all of the other software applications that need to be notified of the change in data, all at the same time.
executive information system: Abbreviated as EIS, Executive Information System is a reporting application targeted for use by executives.
Executive Support System: Executive Support System (ESS) is a reporting tool (software) that allows you to turn your organisation's data into useful summarised reports. These reports are generally used by executive level managers for quick access to reports coming from all company levels and departments such as billing, cost accounting , staffing, scheduling, and more.
Expenses: Personal costs incurred by an employee in carrying out activities for an organization that are reimbursed by the employer.
Extensible Business Reporting Language: Also known as XBRL, Extensible Business Reporting Language, an XML-based specification for publishing the financial information of an enterprise. The standardisation of the specification makes it easier for public and private companies to share information with each other and with industry analysts across all software formats and technologies, including the Internet.
extranet: An extranet is an intranet is partially accessible to authorised outsiders. Whereas an intranet resides behind a firewall and is accessible only to people who are members of the same company or organisation, an extranet provides various levels of accessibility to outsiders. You can access an extranet only if you have a valid username and password, and your identity determines which parts of the extranet you can view.
Facilities Management: The outsourcing of utilities management, waste services and maintenance operations by industrial customers to a single supplier.
Factoring: The selling of a company's accounts receivable to a third party, in order to obtain funding.
false positive: The condition in which spam-filtering software will incorrectly identify a legitimate, solicited or expected e-mail as a spam transmission.
Fiber Connection: Also known as FICON short for Fiber Connection, or Fiber Connectivity, IBM's fiber optic channel technology that extends the capabilities of its previous fiber optic channel standard, ESCON. Unlike ESCON, FICON supports full duplex data transfers and enables greater throughput rates over longer distances. FICON uses a mapping layer that is based on technology developed for Fibre Channel and multiplexing technology, which allows small data transfers to be transmitted at the same time as larger ones. IBM first introduced the technology in 1998 on its G5 servers.
FICON: Short for Fiber Connection, or Fiber Connectivity, IBM's fiber optic channel technology that extends the capabilities of its previous fiber optic channel standard, ESCON. Unlike ESCON, FICON supports full duplex data transfers and enables greater throughput rates over longer distances. FICON uses a mapping layer that is based on technology developed for Fibre Channel and multiplexing technology, which allows small data transfers to be transmitted at the same time as larger ones. IBM first introduced the technology in 1998 on its G5 servers.
Field Service solutions: Software solutions designed for people who work away from their organisations buildings i.e. in the field
Financial Information Exchange: Also known as FIX, a vendor-neutral standardised message format protocol for describing real-time security transactions. FIX is a public-domain specification owned and maintained by FIX Protocol, Ltd. The protocol supports the following electronic conversations between brokers and other financial institutions.
Financial management: This is the management related to the financial structure of the company and therefore to the decisions of source and use of the financial resources, that is reflected in the size of the financial income and/or charges
Financial Planning: Financial Planning is the task of determining how a business will afford to achieve its strategic goals and objectives. Usually, a company creates a Financial Plan immediately after the vision and objectives have been set
firewall: A system designed to prevent unauthorised access to or from a private network.
FIX: Financial Information Exchange, a vendor-neutral standardised message format protocol for describing real-time security transactions. FIX is a public-domain specification owned and maintained by FIX Protocol, Ltd. The protocol supports the following electronic conversations between brokers and other financial institutions.
Fleet Management: Includes a wide variety of products and services designed to help companies manage their vehicle fleets. Services can include Mapping, Vehicle Location, Maintenance, Dispatch, Routing, etc.
Forecasting: The process of analysing current and historical data to determine future trends.
Fortran: The oldest programming language
Fund raising: The art of raising money or the software used in this environment
Globalisation Management System: Globalisation Management System (GMS) is enterprise software applications that provide the infrastructure to control the complex process of adapting, translating and maintaining all of a company's content and information (such as corporate documents, databases, enterprise applications, Web sites, manuals, and more) worldwide. A GMS should meet the challenge of developing, leveraging, and maintaining a multilingual, multinational and multicultural base of enterprise information.
GMS: Also known as, Globalisation Management System (GMS) is enterprise software applications that provide the infrastructure to control the complex process of adapting, translating and maintaining all of a company's content and information (such as corporate documents, databases, enterprise applications, Web sites, manuals, and more) worldwide. A GMS should meet the challenge of developing, leveraging, and maintaining a multilingual, multinational and multicultural base of enterprise information.
Graphics: In web terms graphics describe pictures (opposite to text).
Health Service: A government funded organisation set up to provide health care
Help Desk: Type of call centre call that involves product use and support. Common for computer hardware and software applications can also refer to the software developed to help to manage the processes in this environment
HMC: Hardware Management Console, HMC is an acronym frequently used to describe the IBM technology for managing and monitoring IBM mainframe (System z) or IBM UNIX (system p) servers.
Hospitality: Refers to software that is designed to help with the management of the processes used by hospitality companies
Hosted accounts: Accounts that are kept and maintained on a server that is provided and managed by a third party
Hosted applications: Also known as software as a service (SaaS) is a software delivery method that provides access to software and its' functions remotely as a Web-based service. Hosted applications allow organisations to access business functionality for a monthly fee. Also, because the software is hosted remotely, users don't need to invest in additional hardware. It removes the need for organisations to handle the installation, set-up and often daily upkeep and maintenance. An added benefit is backup and disaster recovery are automatically part of the solution.
Hosting services provider: A Hosting Services Provider (HSP) is an application service provider dedicated to providing hosting services. Typically operates a Web server farm, either at a data centre or collocation facility.
hot site: A fully operational offsite data processing facility equipped with both hardware and system software to be used in the event of a disaster or for disaster recovery.
hot spot: An area in which a wireless connection to the internet can be found
Housing Association: Non-profit making housing developer and landlord providing housing for people on low incomes, subsidised by the Housing Corporation
HR with Payroll: A software system that will manage the human resource function and also payroll
HR without payroll: A software system that will manage the human resource function without payroll
HRMS: Human Resource Management System
hub: A common connection point for devices in a network. Hubs are commonly used to connect segments of a local area network (LAN). A hub contains multiple ports. When a packet (a piece of a message transmitted over a packet-switching network) arrives at one port, it is copied to the other ports so that all segments of the LAN can see all packets.
Human Resource Management System: A Human Resources Management System (HRMS) is a software application that combines many human resources functions, including benefits administration, payroll, recruiting and training, and performance analysis and review into one package.
I18N: The principles and practices used in the designing and modification of a product to ensure it performs as expect when adapted for use in different languages and locales (internationalised).
ICAP: ICAP, the Internet Content Adaptation Protocol, is a protocol aimed at providing simple object-based content vectoring for HTTP services. ICAP is, in essence, a lightweight protocol for executing a "remote procedure call" on HTTP messages. It allows ICAP clients to pass HTTP messages to ICAP servers for some sort of transformation or other processing ("adaptation"). The server executes its transformation service on messages and sends back responses to the client, usually with modified messages. Typically, the adapted messages are either HTTP requests or HTTP responses.
ICE: Information and content exchange, an XML-based standard protocol for content syndication over the Internet.
ICF: Internet Connection Firewall, a feature of the Windows XP operating system. The ICF is a firewall that protects a home or small business network that is connected to the Internet via a cable, DSL or dial-up modem.
ICT: Short for Information and Communications Technology, it is the study or business of developing and using technology to process information and aid communications.
IFMS: Integrated Facilities Management Systems (IFMS) is an IT based fiscal and financial management information system (budgeting and accounting system) that will assist government and other entities to initiate, spend and monitor their budgets, initiate and process their payments, and manage and report on their financial activities. It bundles the essential financial management functions into one suite of applications.
IIM: Short for intelligent information management, is a set of processes and underlying technology solutions that enable organizations to understand, organise and manage all sorts of data types (e.g., general files, databases and e-mails).
ILM: Information lifecycle management, the creation and management of a storage infrastructure and the data that it maintains. All information, or data, in a storage network has a specific lifecycle, from the time the information enters an organisation's system to the time it is archived or removed from the system.
IM: Short for instant message, a type of communications service that enables you to create a kind of private chat room with another individual in order to communicate in real time over the Internet, analogous to a telephone conversation but using text-based, not voice-based, communication. Typically, the instant messaging system alerts you whenever somebody on your private list is online. You can then initiate a chat session with that particular individual.
Indigo: Indigo, part of Microsoft's Windows operating system code-named Longhorn, unifies a variety of Microsoft technologies (COM+, MSMQ, ASP.NET Web services [ASMX], Remoting) and transports (HTTP, TCP, UDP, IPC) to create a single framework and runtime environment for building distributed systems.
Information and Communications Technology: Also known as ICT, short for Information and Communications Technology, it is the study or business of developing and using technology to process information and aid communications.
information and content exchange: Abbreviated as ICE, an XML-based standard protocol for content syndication over the Internet.
Information lifecycle management: Information lifecycle management, the creation and management of a storage infrastructure and the data that it maintains. All information, or data, in a storage network has a specific lifecycle, from the time the information enters an organisation's system to the time it is archived or removed from the system.
Information services: Also known as IS. For many companies, IS the name of the department responsible for computers, networking and data management. Other companies refer to the department as IT (Information Technology) and MIS (Management Information Services).
Information systems: Also known as IS. For many companies, IS is the name of the department responsible for computers, networking and data management. Other companies refer to the department as IT (Information Technology) and MIS (Management Information Services).
Inmarsat - 4 satellite: Flagged as "broadband for a mobile planet" the Inmarsat-4 Satellite is Inmarsat's first step in providing the next-generation of mobile services, including BGAN.
instant message: Also known as IM, short for instant message, a type of communications service that enables you to create a kind of private chat room with another individual in order to communicate in real time over the Internet, analogous to a telephone conversation but using text-based, not voice-based, communication. Typically, the instant messaging system alerts you whenever somebody on your private list is online. You can then initiate a chat session with that particular individual.
Integrated Facilities Management System: Integrated Facilities Management Systems (IFMS) is an IT based fiscal and financial management information system (budgeting and accounting system) that will assist government and other entities to initiate, spend and monitor their budgets, initiate and process their payments, and manage and report on their financial activities. It bundles the essential financial management functions into one suite of applications.
intelligent information management: Also known as IIM, short for intelligent information management, is a set of processes and underlying technology solutions that enable organizations to understand, organise and manage all sorts of data types (e.g., general files, databases and e-mails).
Interactive voice response: Interactive voice response (IVR), a telephony technology in which someone uses a touch-tone telephone to interact with a database to acquire information from or enter data into the database.
Internationalisation: The principles and practices used in the designing and modification of a product to ensure it performs as expect when adapted for use in different languages and locales (internationalised). Is often abbreviated as I18N.
Internet conneciton firewall: Internet Connection Firewall, a feature of the Windows XP operating system. The ICF is a firewall that protects a home or small business network that is connected to the Internet via a cable, DSL or dial-up modem.
Internet Content Adaption Protocol: Also known as ICAP, the Internet Content Adaptation Protocol, is a protocol aimed at providing simple object-based content vectoring for HTTP services. ICAP is, in essence, a lightweight protocol for executing a "remote procedure call" on HTTP messages. It allows ICAP clients to pass HTTP messages to ICAP servers for some sort of transformation or other processing ("adaptation"). The server executes its transformation service on messages and sends back responses to the client, usually with modified messages. Typically, the adapted messages are either HTTP requests or HTTP responses.
Internet desktop: A managed software service optimized for Internet connectivity. It allows users to access their files and desktop applications through the Internet.
intranet: A network based on an internet belonging to an organisation, accessible only by the organisation's members, employees, or others with authorisation. Typically used to share documents.
intranet suite: A generic term for a collection of Internet- and Web-based software and tools that can be adapted by a business to meet its technology needs when forming, using and maintaining an intranet. The components of an intranet suite typically include indexing and search capabilities, workflow monitoring, messaging (including e-mail and instant messaging), access control, document management and groupware.
Inventory Management: Involves a retailer seeking to acquire and maintain a proper merchandise assortment while ordering, shipping, handling, and related costs are kept in check
Invoicing: An invoice is a commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer, indicating the products, quantities and agreed prices for products or services with which the seller has already provided
IP: Internet protocol. IP by itself is something like the postal system. It allows you to address a package and drop it in the system, but there's no direct link between you and the recipient.
IS: Short for Information Systems or Information Services. For many companies, IS is the name of the department responsible for computers, networking and data management. Other companies refer to the department as IT (Information Technology) and MIS (Management Information Services).
ISV: Independent Software Vendor, a company that produces software that is not tied to another company.
IT: Information Technology. For many companies, IT is the name of the department responsible for computers, networking and data management. Other companies refer to the department as IS (Information Services or Information Systems) and MIS (Management Information Services).
IVR: Interactive voice response, a telephony technology in which someone uses a touch-tone telephone to interact with a database to acquire information from or enter data into the database.
Job bag project management: Generally, it is the allocation of all time, material and expenses to an individual project or job
Job costing: Generally, it is the allocation of all time, material and expenses to an individual project or job
key length: The number of binary digits, or bits, in an encryption algorithm's key. Key length is sometimes used to measure the relative strength of the encryption algorithm (i.e., the longer the key length, the more difficult the key is to decode).
KSA: Knowledge, skills and abilities
LAN: Local area network. A computer network that spans a relatively small area. Most LANs are confined to a single building or group of buildings. However, one LAN can be connected to other LANs over any distance via telephone lines and radio waves. A system of LANs connected in this way is called a wide-area network (WAN).
Legal: relating to or characteristic of the profession of law or software used in this environment
Linear Tape Open: Also known as LTO, Linear Tape Open is a technology that was developed jointly by HP, IBM and Certance (Seagate) to provide a clear and viable choice in an increasingly complex array of tape storage options. LTO technology is an "open format" technology, which means that users will have multiple sources of product and media. and the open nature of LTO technology also provides a means of enabling compatibility between different vendors' offerings.
Linear Tape Open Ultrium: Linear Tape Open (LTO) Ultrium format is the high-capacity, single-reel implementation of LTO technology. It is ideally suited for backup, restore and archive applications and provides reliability in both stand-alone and automated environments.
live support: Live support is a Web service that allows businesses to communicate, or chat, in real time with visitors to their Web site. Live support applications are commonly used to provide immediate customer support and information to clients and customers. Exact features and functions of live support are application specific, however you can generally expect a live chat application to provide real time visitor monitoring, custom chat windows, invisible traffic analysis, Web site integration and secure administration controls.
local-area-network: A computer network that spans a relatively small area. Most local area networks (LANs) are confined to a single building or group of buildings. However, one LAN can be connected to other LANs over any distance via telephone lines and radio waves. A system of LANs connected in this way is called a wide-area network (WAN).
Logistics: The management of both inbound and outbound materials, parts, supplies, and finished goods. Includes such activities as; production scheduling, forecasting, customer service, order entry, inventory control, and product allocation among customers or, is the process of managing the acquisition, movement and storage of materials, parts and finished goods
LTO: Short for Linear Tape Open, a technology that was developed jointly by HP, IBM and Certance (Seagate) to provide a clear and viable choice in an increasingly complex array of tape storage options. LTO technology is an "open format" technology, which means that users will have multiple sources of product and media. and the open nature of LTO technology also provides a means of enabling compatibility between different vendors' offerings.
LTO Ultrium: Linear Tape Open Ultrium format is the high-capacity, single-reel implementation of LTO technology. It is ideally suited for backup, restore and archive applications and provides reliability in both stand-alone and automated environments.
Management Information Services: Management information system or management information services, MIS refers broadly to a computer-based system that provides managers with the tools for organising, evaluating and efficiently running their departments
Management Information System: Management information system or management information services, MIS refers broadly to a computer-based system that provides managers with the tools for organising, evaluating and efficiently running their departments
Manufacturing: Manufacturing, a branch of industry, is the application of tools and a processing medium to the transformation of raw materials into finished products
mashboard: Also called real-time dashboard, a mashboard is a Web 2.0 buzzword that is used to describe analytic mash-ups that allow businesses to create or add components that may analyze and present data, look up inventory, accept orders, and other tasks without ever having to access the system that carries out the transaction. The term mash-up refers to a new breed of Web-based applications created by hackers and programmers (typically on a volunteer basis) to mix at least two different services from disparate, and even competing, Web sites. A mash-up, for example, could overlay traffic data from one source on the Internet over maps from Yahoo, Microsoft, Google or any content provider.
Membership Management: A term used to describe the management of a number of members of a membership organisation like a club
Message broker: Also known as ESB, short for Enterprise Service Bus. ESB is an open standards-based distributed synchronous or asynchronous messaging middleware that provides secure interoperability between enterprise applications via XML, Web services interfaces and standardised rules-based routing of documents. In practice, this means that data files are passed to and from their destinations based on pre-established guidelines that are common to all parties sharing the information to ensure that the data maintains its integrity as it is routed. The multi-language and multi-platform design of an ESB allows enterprises to process data between applications from various sources. Two common distributed computing architectures used by ESBs are J2EE and .NET.
Middleware: A general term for any programming that serves to "glue together," mediate between, or enhance two separate and usually already existing programs
MIS: Management information system or management information services, MIS refers broadly to a computer-based system that provides managers with the tools for organising, evaluating and efficiently running their departments
MIS: Management Information Services. For many companies, MIS is the name of the department responsible for computers, networking and data management. Other companies refer to the department as IS (Information Services or Information Systems) and IT (Information Technology).
MIS (Management Information systems: Management information system. A general term for all automated hardware and software used to provide and maintain information
Mobile solutions: Software that is designed to be used in a non statice environment where data is sent and received using radio waves
moblog: Acronym used to combine the terms "mobile" and "Web log". Where a Web log (also called a blog) is a Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual, a moblog is a blog which has been posted to the Internet from a mobile device such as a mobile phone or PDA.
Money laundering: Conduct or acts designed in whole or in part to conceal or disguise the nature, location, source, ownership or control of money
MRP: Material requirements planning
Net send: Net send is used to send messages to any host on network (local area network (LAN) or the Internet) where messenger service is running. This will send a message to a particular user and a pop-up dialog box will appear on their screen.
network identity: An identity that is recognised throughout a network, such as the Internet or an enterprise's LAN. This concept is important to enterprises managing which individuals have access to what resources, which can include applications, information, and even equipment.
Network Interface Card: Also known as NIC, is an expansion board you insert into a computer so the computer can be connected to a network. Most NICs are designed for a particular type of network, protocol, and media, although some can serve multiple networks.
Network Service Provider: A company that provides Internet access to Independent Service Providers. NSPs offer direct access to the Internet and the Network Access Points (NAPs).
NIC: Network Interface Card. An expansion board you insert into a computer so the computer can be connected to a network. Most NICs are designed for a particular type of network, protocol, and media, although some can serve multiple networks.
Not for Profit: Organisations that are set up to operate without making a profit and are tax exempt as a result
ODC: On-demand computing, a typically enterprise-level computing model in which the technology and computing resources are allocated to the organisation and its individual users on an as-needed basis.
OEM: Original equipment manufacturer, which is a misleading term for a company that has a special relationship with computer producers. OEMs are manufacturers who resell another company's product under their own name and branding. While an OEM is similar to a VAR (value-added reseller), it refers specifically to the act of a company rebranding a product to its own name and offering its own warranty, support and licensing of the product. The term is really a misnomer because OEMs are not the original manufacturers; they are the customises.
OFX: Short for Open Financial Exchange, a unified specification for the exchange of electronic financial data over the Internet. Using a request-response system of communication, OFX allows a client to connect directly to a financial institution's server. An OFX application sends a request to another OFX application, which sends a response.
OLAP: On line analytical processing
OLTP: On-line transaction processing. A type of computer processing in which the computer responds immediately to user requests. Each request is considered to be a transaction. Automatic teller machines for banks are an example.
On demand computing: Also known as ODC, a typically enterprise-level computing model in which the technology and computing resources are allocated to the organisation and its individual users on an as-needed basis.
On-line accounts: Accounting software that is located on a server that is not your own
online service provider: Abbreviated as OSP, an online service provider is a generic term that describes any company, organization or group that provides an online service. These types of services may include Web sites, discussion forums, chat rooms, or Web mail. OSPs may also refer to a company that provides dial-up access to the Internet.
On-line Transaction Processing: Also known as OLTP. A type of computer processing in which the computer responds immediately to user requests. Each request is considered to be a transaction. Automatic teller machines for banks are an example.
Open Financial Exchange: Also known as OFX, a unified specification for the exchange of electronic financial data over the Internet. Using a request-response system of communication, OFX allows a client to connect directly to a financial institution's server. An OFX application sends a request to another OFX application, which sends a response.
Open relay: Also referred to as an open relay server, an SMTP e-mail server that allows a third party to relay e-mail messages, i.e., sending and/or receiving e-mail that is not for or from a local user. Open relays make it possible for mobile users to connect to corporate networks by going first through a local ISP, which then forwards the message to their home ISP, which then forwards the message to the final destination.
Open relay server: An SMTP e-mail server that allows a third party to relay e-mail messages, i.e., sending and/or receiving e-mail that is not for or from a local user. Open relays make it possible for mobile users to connect to corporate networks by going first through a local ISP, which then forwards the message to their home ISP, which then forwards the message to the final destination.
operational support system: Also known as OSS, a generic term for a suite of programs that enable an enterprise to monitor, analyse and manage a network system.
OPML: Outline Processor Markup Language. Is an XML-based format that allows exchange of outline-structured information between applications running on different operating systems and environments. The purpose of this format is to provide a way to exchange information between outliners (programs that allow you to read, edit and reorganise outlines) and Internet services that can be browsed or controlled through an outliner.
OSP: An online service provider is a generic term that describes any company, organisation or group that provides an online service. These types of services may include Web sites, discussion forums, chat rooms, or Web mail. OSPs may also refer to a company that provides dial-up access to the Internet.
OSP: Open settlement protocol which is the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ESTI) Technical Specification 101 321 for Inter-Domain pricing, authorisation and usage exchange. Is a client/server protocol that Internet Service Providers use to exchange authorisation, accounting, and usage information to support IP telephony. The OSP protocol is often used with Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) services to implement secure, multi-lateral VoIP (voice over IP) peering on non-secure networks, such as the Internet.
OSS: Short for operational support system, a generic term for a suite of programs that enable an enterprise to monitor, analyse and manage a network system.
P2P: Peer-to-peer architecture also known as peer-to-peer, or abbreviated P2P, a type of network in which each workstation has equivalent capabilities and responsibilities. This differs from client/server architectures, in which some computers are dedicated to serving the others. Peer-to-peer networks are generally simpler, but they usually do not offer the same performance under heavy loads.
Payroll (no HR): A system used to manage payroll only
Payroll with HR: A system used to manage payroll and the human resource processes
peer-to-peer: Peer-to-peer architecture, or abbreviated P2P, a type of network in which each workstation has equivalent capabilities and responsibilities. This differs from client/server architectures, in which some computers are dedicated to serving the others. Peer-to-peer networks are generally simpler, but they usually do not offer the same performance under heavy loads.
peer-to-peer architecture: Often referred to as peer-to-peer, or abbreviated P2P, a type of network in which each workstation has equivalent capabilities and responsibilities. This differs from client/server architectures, in which some computers are dedicated to serving the others. Peer-to-peer networks are generally simpler, but they usually do not offer the same performance under heavy loads.
ping: A utility to determine whether a specific IP address is accessible. It works by sending a packet to the specified address and waiting for a reply. PING is used primarily to troubleshoot Internet connections.
Plant Management: The management of a plant
PLC: Power line communications, the use of the existing utility power grid as the medium to send broadband data communications. In theory, plugging a computer device into an existing power outlet would connect the user to the Internet by tapping into already established national and global power grid networks.
Port: An interface on a computer to which you can connect a device. Personal computers have various types of ports. Internally, there are several ports for connecting disk drives, display screens, and keyboards. Externally, personal computers have ports for connecting modems, printers, mice, and other peripheral devices.
PRM: PRM is a standardised framework to measure the performance of major IT investments and their contribution to program performance.
product life cycle: Is a marketing theory which dictates the sequence of events, or lifespan divisions of any marketed product or brand, including technologies, consumer goods, and any item which is marketed to the public and sold at retail outlets on a national basis. Typically the PLC consists of four stages; introduction, growth, maturity and sales decline.
Production and planning: Usually found in the manufacturing industry the act of planning production to produce items in an efficient manner
Professional services automation: Professional Services Automation (PSA) refers to a suite of software enabling IT service organisations to manage people and skilled resources.
Project Management: The method by which a set of actions (a project) is managed to a successful outcome
Property Management: Management of a property or number of properties
PSA: Professional Services Automation (PSA) refers to a suite of software enabling IT service organisations to manage people and skilled resources.
Purchasing: The act of buying a service or item
Radio Frequency Monitoring: Also known as RFMON is a passive method of WLAN discovery. It is a sniffing mode which allows the card to report drivers from the 802.11 layer. A client with a wireless card that is configured in RFMON mode will be able to capture all RF signals on the channels to which it is configured to listen. RFMON is a receive-only mode. While in RFMON mode, wireless clients are unable to transmit any frames; their cards are only able to receive, and therefore capture traffic.
RBGAN: Short for Regional Broadband Global Area Network, the RBGAN network provides e-mail and satellite internet access direct to portable terminals.
real-time dashboard: Also called a mashboard, is a Web 2.0 buzzword that is used to describe analytic mash-ups that allow businesses to create or add components that may analyze and present data, look up inventory, accept orders, and other tasks without ever having to access the system that carries out the transaction. The term mash-up refers to a new breed of Web-based applications created by hackers and programmers (typically on a volunteer basis) to mix at least two different services from disparate, and even competing, Web sites. A mash-up, for example, could overlay traffic data from one source on the Internet over maps from Yahoo, Microsoft, Google or any content provider.
Recovery Point Objective: Recovery Point Objective, it is a term associated with business continuance and disaster recovery. Specifically the RPO is the point in time (prior to the outage) in which systems and data must be restored to.
Recovery Time Objective: Abbreviated as RTO, Recovery Time Objective is a term associated with business continuity and disaster recover. Specifically, the RTO is the period of time after an outage in which the systems and data must be restored to the predetermined RPO (Recovery Point Objective).
Recruitment: The act of interviewing and offering employment to
Regional Broadband Global Area Network: Also known as RBGAN a network that provides e-mail and satellite internet access direct to portable terminals.
Regulatory compliance: Systems or departments that ensure individuals are aware and take steps to ensure that they are working within set parameters.
REL: Rights Expression Language, a language for specifying rights to content, fees or other consideration required to secure those rights, types of users qualified to obtain those rights, and other associated information necessary to enable e-commerce transactions in content rights.
Remote Office, Branch Office: ROBO is a term used to refer to any off-site office that connects to the organisation's WLAN or LAN externally.
Repairs & maintenance: An action of repairing or maintaining something, and also software that helps with the management of these actions
Reporting: A mechanism to extract data and present it in a given format
Reservations: A method of pre-booking
Retail Management: Management of the business processes typically used in a retail environment
Return on investment: Also known as ROI, is an accounting formula used to obtain an actual or perceived future value of an expense or investment.
Returns: Items that are retuned to a company
RFMON: Short for Radio Frequency Monitoring, RFMON is a passive method of WLAN discovery. It is a sniffing mode which allows the card to report drivers from the 802.11 layer. A client with a wireless card that is configured in RFMON mode will be able to capture all RF signals on the channels to which it is configured to listen. RFMON is a receive-only mode. While in RFMON mode, wireless clients are unable to transmit any frames; their cards are only able to receive, and therefore capture traffic.
RIA: Rich Internet Application. Rich Internet Applications are Web-based applications that function as traditional desktop applications however Web browsers (or clients) are required for access but unlike traditional applications, software installation is not required, however depending on the application you usually will need to have ActiveX, Java, Flash, or similar technologies installed on the client machine.
Rich Internet Application: Rich Internet Application. Rich Internet Applications are Web-based applications that function as traditional desktop applications however Web browsers (or clients) are required for access but unlike traditional applications, software installation is not required, however depending on the application you usually will need to have ActiveX, Java, Flash, or similar technologies installed on the client machine.
Rights Expression Language: Rights Expression Language, a language for specifying rights to content, fees or other consideration required to secure those rights, types of users qualified to obtain those rights, and other associated information necessary to enable e-commerce transactions in content rights.
ROBO: Remote office, branch office ROBO is a term used to refer to any off-site office that connects to the organisation's WLAN or LAN externally.
ROI: Return on investment, is an accounting formula used to obtain an actual or perceived future value of an expense or investment.
RPO: Recovery Point Objective, it is a term associated with business continuance and disaster recovery. Specifically the RPO is the point in time (prior to the outage) in which systems and data must be restored to.
RTO: Recovery Time Objective is a term associated with business continuity and disaster recover. Specifically, the RTO is the period of time after an outage in which the systems and data must be restored to the predetermined RPO (Recovery Point Objective).
SaaS: Software as a Service, SaaS is a software delivery method that provides access to software and its' functions remotely as a Web-based service. SaaS allows organisations to access business functionality for a monthly fee. Also, because the software is hosted remotely, users don't need to invest in additional hardware. SaaS removes the need for organisations to handle the installation, set-up and often daily upkeep and maintenance. An added benefit is backup and disaster recovery are automatically part of the solution. Software as a Service may also be referred to as simply hosted applications.
Sales Analysis: Analysis of sales data.
Sales and Marketing: Activities that create awareness of a company, service or product to generate interest and ultimately result in a sale
Sales force automation / management: Software that helps in the management of sales activities and process.
Sarbanes-Oxley: The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was signed into law on 30 July 2002 by President Bush. The Act is designed to oversee the financial reporting landscape for finance professionals. Its purpose is to review legislative audit requirements and to protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures. The act covers issues such as establishing a public company accounting oversight board, auditor independence, corporate responsibility and enhanced financial disclosure. It also significantly tightens accountability standards for directors and officers, auditors, securities analysts and legal counsel. The law is named after Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael G. Oxley.
SCADA: Acronym for supervisory control and data acquisition, a computer system for gathering and analysing real time data. SCADA systems are used to monitor and control a plant or equipment in industries such as telecommunications, water and waste control, energy, oil and gas refining and transportation. A SCADA system gathers information, such as where a leak on a pipeline has occurred, transfers the information back to a central site, alerting the home station that the leak has occurred, carrying out necessary analysis and control, such as determining if the leak is critical, and displaying the information in a logical and organised fashion. SCADA systems can be relatively simple, such as one that monitors environmental conditions of a small office building, or incredibly complex, such as a system that monitors all the activity in a nuclear power plant or the activity of a municipal water system.
Scalable: Describes how well a hardware or software system can adapt to increased demands. For example, a scalable network system would be one that can start with just a few nodes but can easily expand to thousands of nodes. Scalability can be a very important feature because it means that you can invest in a system with confidence you won't outgrow it. It can also mean the ability to run more than one processor.
Scheduling: The action taken to book time for individuals or tasks in a diary.
SCM: Supply chain management (SCM) is the control of the supply chain as a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer. Supply chain management does not involve only the movement of a physical product (such as a microchip) through the chain but also any data that goes along with the product (such as order status information, payment schedules, and ownership titles) and the actual entities that handle the product from stage to stage of the supply chain.
Security: A term to describe a type of company that offers security services or security software includes anti virus, spyware etc.
Security Policy: A security policy is a document that outlines the rules, laws and practices for computer network access.
server cage area: In data centre terminology, the server cage area is where the company and their customers, where applicable, would store data centre equipment. This area is protected from personnel access.
Service level agreement: Also abbreviated to SLA, a contract between an Application Service Provider (ASP) and the end user which stipulates and commits the ASP to a required level of service. An SLA should contain a specified level of service, support options, enforcement or penalty provisions for services not provided, a guaranteed level of system performance as relates to downtime or uptime, a specified level of customer support and what software or hardware will be provided and for what fee.
Service Management: A generic term used to describe companies that operate an engineering team that visits their clients' sites
Service Orientated Architecture: Also known as SOA, an application architecture in which all functions, or services, are defined using a description language and have invokable interfaces that are called to perform business processes. Each interaction is independent of each and every other interaction and the interconnect protocols of the communicating devices (i.e., the infrastructure components that determine the communication system do not affect the interfaces). Because interfaces are platform-independent, a client from any device using any operating system in any language can use the service.
Service Oriented Analysis and Design.: Also known as SOAD is a method of (or approach to) software development specially designed for Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). SOAD provides guidance for the design, build, aggregation, and deployment of applications such as web services built with technologies which can include Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Web Services Description Language (WSDL) or Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI).
Service Oriented Modeling and Architecture: Also known as SOMA, it refers to the more general domain of service modelling necessary to design and create a Service-Oriented Architecture. SOMA covers a broader scope and implements service oriented analysis and design through the identification, specification and realisation of services, components and flows.
Single point of failure: Also known as SPOF, a generic phrase for any component of a system that upon failure will cause a malfunction in the entire system. A SPOF can be a hardware or electrical component or a software component.
SLA: Service Level Agreement, a contract between an ASP and the end user which stipulates and commits the ASP to a required level of service. An SLA should contain a specified level of service, support options, enforcement or penalty provisions for services not provided, a guaranteed level of system performance as relates to downtime or uptime, a specified level of customer support and what software or hardware will be provided and for what fee.
Small business solutions: Software solution designed for small businesses -these are usually end to end systems that will have modules to cater for every departments needs within the solution, enabling the company to avoid having to integrate disparate solutions.
SMI-S: Storage Management Initiative Specification, an interface standard that enables interoperability in both hardware and software between storage products from different vendors that an enterprise would use in a Storage Area Network (SAN) environment. The interface provides common protocols and data models that storage product vendors can use to ensure end user manageability of the SAN environment.
SOA: Service Orientated Architecture, an application architecture in which all functions, or services, are defined using a description language and have invokable interfaces that are called to perform business processes. Each interaction is independent of each and every other interaction and the interconnect protocols of the communicating devices (i.e., the infrastructure components that determine the communication system do not affect the interfaces). Because interfaces are platform-independent, a client from any device using any operating system in any language can use the service.
SOAD: Service Oriented Analysis and Design. SOAD is a method of (or approach to) software development specially designed for Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). SOAD provides guidance for the design, build, aggregation, and deployment of applications such as web services built with technologies which can include Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Web Services Description Language (WSDL) or Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI).
SOAP: Simple Object Access Protocol
Social Software: A type of software or Web service that allows people to communicate and collaborate while using the application. E-mail, blogs, and even instant messaging are all examples of social software.
SOE: Standard Operating Environment is a specification for a using a standard architecture and applications within an organization. There is no industry-wide SOE standardisation
Software solution: Generic term for a software package
SOMA: Service Oriented Modelling and Architecture, it refers to the more general domain of service modelling necessary to design and create a Service-Oriented Architecture. SOMA covers a broader scope and implements service oriented analysis and design through the identification, specification and realisation of services, components and flows.
SOP: Sales order processing.
SOP (sales order processing): Sales order processing.
soSaas: Colloquial, same old software, as a service see Saas
spam: Electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings. Some people define spam even more generally as any unsolicited e-mail. However, if a long-lost brother finds your e-mail address and sends you a message, this could hardly be called spam, even though it's unsolicited. Real spam is generally e-mail advertising for some product sent to a mailing list or newsgroup.
Speech Recognition: Software that recognises voice as opposed to keyboard strikes.
SPOF: Single point of failure, a generic phrase for any component of a system that upon failure will cause a malfunction in the entire system. A SPOF can be a hardware or electrical component or a software component.
spyware: Any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet; however, it should be noted that the majority of shareware and freeware applications do not come with spyware. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.
SSP: Storage service provider is a company that provides computer storage space and related management services. SSPs also offer periodic backup, archiving and the ability to consolidate data from multiple company locations so that data can be effectively shared.
Staff Resources: The number of staff available.
Standard Operating Environment: Also known as SOE, Standard Operating Environment is a specification for a using a standard architecture and applications within an organization. There is no industry-wide SOE standardisation
Stock control: Software that helps with the management of stock.
Storage Management Initiative Specification: Also known as SMI-S. Storage Management Initiative Specification, an interface standard that enables interoperability in both hardware and software between storage products from different vendors that an enterprise would use in a Storage Area Network (SAN) environment. The interface provides common protocols and data models that storage product vendors can use to ensure end user manageability of the SAN environment.
Subscription membership: Software that helps in the recording and managing of members that subscribe to a club, organisation or service.
supply chain management: Supply chain management (SCM) is the control of the supply chain as a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer. Supply chain management does not involve only the movement of a physical product (such as a microchip) through the chain but also any data that goes along with the product (such as order status information, payment schedules, and ownership titles) and the actual entities that handle the product from stage to stage of the supply chain.
Swivel chair interface: Swivel chair is a slang term for a common interface work-around that involves manually entering data into one system and then entering the same data into another system.
system administrator: An individual responsible for maintaining a multi-user computer system, including a local-area network (LAN).
TCO: Abbreviation of Total Cost of Ownership, representing how much it actually costs to own a system. The TCO includes: Original cost of the computer and software, hardware and software upgrades, maintenance, technical support and training. Most estimates place the TCO at about 3 to 4 times the actual purchase cost
TCP/IP: Transition control protocol, establishes a connection between two hosts so that they can send messages back and forth for a period of time.
Telephone Management Systems: Systems that help to manage telephone systems and the routing of calls and management of call outcomes.
Ticketing: Software that helps in the process of managing issuing of tickets for events.
tiered storage: An underlying principle of ILM (information lifecycle management), tiered storage is a networked storage method where data is stored on various types of media, based on performance, availability and recovery requirements.
Time and attendance: Software that helps in the calculation of an individuals time spent at work
Timesheet: A mechanism used to record a persons time spent at work or working on a project
Total cost of ownership: Represents how much it actually costs to own a system. The TCO includes: Original cost of the computer and software, hardware and software upgrades, maintenance, technical support and training. Most estimates place the TCO at about 3 to 4 times the actual purchase cost
TPS: Short for transactions per second, a measurement used to determine how many transactions have been processed in one second in transaction-oriented systems. Or, short for Transaction Process System it is a type of information system (IS) that collects, stores, modifies and retrieves transaction of an organisation. Here the word transaction is used to mean any event that generates or modifies data stored in the IS. For example batch processing is an example of TPS.
Transaction Authority Markup Language: Also known as XAML. XAML is a vendor-neutral standard developed jointly by Bowstreet, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Oracle and Sun that is used to coordinate and process online business transactions. Based on XML, XAML uses a set of XML message formats and interaction models that Web services can use to provide business-level transactions that span multiple parties across the Internet.
Transport Management: Software that helps to manage businesses transport fleets
trojan horse: A destructive program that masquerades as a benign application. Unlike viruses, Trojan horses do not replicate themselves but they can be just as destructive. One of the most insidious types of Trojan horse is a program that claims to rid your computer of viruses but instead introduces viruses onto your computer.
UDDI: Universal Description, Discovery and Integration
unified communicatons: A communications system, usually used by businesses, that encompasses a broad range of technologies and applications that have been designed, sold and supported as a single communications platform or as one entity. Unified communications system generally enable companies to use integrated data, video, and voice in one supported product.
utility computing: Also known as ODC, a typically enterprise-level computing model in which the technology and computing resources are allocated to the organisation and its individual users on an as-needed basis.
VAR: Short for value-added reseller, VARs typically load applications or proprietary software onto computers and may also incorporate third-party options to design a complete solution for a client. This "value-added" system is often customised for a specific application, but is sold to the VAR's customer base under the original design manufacturer brand; with that manufacturer's warranty, support, and license agreements. VARs may also resell customised OEM (original equipment manufacturer) equipment.
vcard: Short for virtual Card (also called electronic card), vCard is a specification that defines the format of an "Electronic Business Card." vCards are often attached in e-mail messages, but can also be exchanged through other ways on the internet. Usually a vCard will contain a business name, address, phone number, URL, logo and other business information.
VDR: Virtual data room
Vertical Market: A description of an industry sector such as manufacturing, construction, wholesale, pharmaceutical, agriculture. These are usually linked to the Standard Industry Classification codes (SIC codes) used by Companies House.
Vertical sector: A description of an industry sector such as manufacturing, construction, wholesale, pharmaceutical, agriculture. These are usually linked to the Standard Industry Classification codes (SIC codes) used by Companies House.
Vertical service provider: A Vertical Service Provider (VSP) is an ASP that covers the application needs of a specific vertical market or industry, such as: banking, manufacturing, education, real estate, government or law etc.
video conferencing: Conducting a conference between two or more participants at different sites by using computer networks to transmit audio and video data.
Virtual Data Room: A Virtual Data Room (VDR) is a series of proprietary extranets that provide an online repository of data. The Virtual Data Room enables parties to view documents relevant to a particular transaction for authorized users. Documents are stored in electronic format on a central server and accessed via the Internet. VDRs are assumed to be secure and confidential virtual meeting rooms where buyers, attorneys, accountants and other professionals can review sensitive documents.
Virtual IT service provider: A Virtual IT Service Provider provides limited IT services from a remote location.
Virtual tape library: A VTL, or virtual tape library, is an archival backup solution that combines traditional tape backup methodology with low-cost disk technology to create an optimised backup and recovery solution. It is an intelligent disk-based library that emulates traditional tape devices and tape formats. Acting like a tape library with the performance of modern disk drives, data is deposited onto disk drives just as it would onto a tape library, only faster. Virtual tape backup solutions can be used as a secondary backup stage on the way to tape, or as their own standalone tape library solution. A VTL generally consists of a Virtual Tape appliance or server, and software which emulates traditional tape devices and formats.
virus: A program or algorithm that replicates itself over a computer network and usually performs malicious actions, such as using up the computer's resources and possibly shutting the system down.
VMS: Vocabulary Management Solution (VMS) provides the tools for a software knowledge management system that can be used on both intranets and extranets for managing taxonomies, thesauri, classification schemes, and provides users with the capability to control files and indexes. Vocabulary Management Solutions will generally provide users with configurable record structures, intranet and extranet client/server networking, Web based user interface for all editorial tasks, and web-based indexing tools that allow for easy searching and browsing.
vocabulary management solution: Vocabulary Management Solution (VMS) provides the tools for a software knowledge management system that can be used on both intranets and extranets for managing taxonomies, thesauri, classification schemes, and provides users with the capability to control files and indexes. Vocabulary Management Solutions will generally provide users with configurable record structures, intranet and extranet client/server networking, Web based user interface for all editorial tasks, and web-based indexing tools that allow for easy searching and browsing.
VSP: Abbreviation of Vertical Service Provider (VSP) is an ASP that covers the application needs of a specific vertical market or industry, such as: banking, manufacturing, education, real estate, government or law etc.
VTL: A VTL, or virtual tape library, is an archival backup solution that combines traditional tape backup methodology with low-cost disk technology to create an optimised backup and recovery solution. It is an intelligent disk-based library that emulates traditional tape devices and tape formats. Acting like a tape library with the performance of modern disk drives, data is deposited onto disk drives just as it would onto a tape library, only faster. Virtual tape backup solutions can be used as a secondary backup stage on the way to tape, or as their own standalone tape library solution. A VTL generally consists of a Virtual Tape appliance or server, and software which emulates traditional tape devices and formats.
Warehousing: Warehousing refers to the physical place in which items are stored or the software used to manage the processes in running a warehouse
WBEM: Short for Web-Based Enterprise Management, WBEM is a set of management and Internet standard technologies developed to unify the management of distributed computing environments. WBEM provides a well integrated set of standard-based management tools, facilitating the exchange of data across different technologies and platforms.
WBT: Web-based training, a generic term for training and/or instruction delivered over the Internet or an intranet using a Web browser.
WCM: Web content management (WCM) is a bundled or stand-alone application used to create, manage, store and deploy content on Web pages. Web content types can include text, graphics and photos, video or audio, and application code that renders other content or interacts with the visitor.
Web analytics: A generic term meaning the study of the impact of a Web site on its users.
Web based applications: Software solutions that are accessed on a server that is not owned by you.
Web collaboration: Web collaboration provides an organisation with the capability to collaborate with customers or internally via the Internet in real time. Web collaboration packages generally consist of Web-based tools within Web sites to assist an organisation in the area of sales, new revenue-generation opportunities, and to enhance customer satisfaction. Web collaboration is essentially the back-end software or service that allows your centre to share Web pages with customers while offering voice and text chat assistance or to conduct single or multi-user conferences and seminars. Web collaboration can be used in an Internet (IP) environment or integrated with an organisations' existing telephone infrastructure to provide automated customer assistance for a client's Web-based enquiries.
Web content management: Web content management (WCM) is a bundled or stand-alone application used to create, manage, store and deploy content on Web pages. Web content types can include text, graphics and photos, video or audio, and application code that renders other content or interacts with the visitor.
Web design: Design of websites.
Web host: A Web host is the provider of server space, Web services and file maintenance for Web sites controlled by individuals or companies that do not have their own Web servers.
Web hosting: The hosting of your website on a server that is not your own.
Web Optimisation: Also called search engine optimisation is the art of optimising your website so that it will naturally return towards the top of the page in a search result, rather than paying an search engine to place your website in the top positions.
web services: Web services describes a standardised way of integrating Web-based applications using the Extensible Markup Language (XML), Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Web Services Description Language (WSDL) and Universal Description, Discovery and Integration UDDI open standards over an Internet protocol backbone. XML is used to tag the data, SOAP is used to transfer the data, WSDL is used for describing the services available and UDDI is used for listing what services are available. Used primarily as a means for businesses to communicate with each other and with clients, Web services allow organisations to communicate data without intimate knowledge of each other's IT systems behind the firewall.
Web-Based Enterprise Management: Also known as WBEM. A set of management and Internet standard technologies developed to unify the management of distributed computing environments. WBEM provides a well integrated set of standard-based management tools, facilitating the exchange of data across different technologies and platforms.
Web-based training: Web-based training, a generic term for training and/or instruction delivered over the Internet or an intranet using a Web browser.
Webinar: Short for Web-based seminar, a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the internet.
WebSEAL: WebSEAL is a high-performance, multi-threaded Web server that applies fine-grained security policy to the Tivoli Access Manager protected Web object space. WebSEAL can provide single sign-on solutions and incorporate back-end Web application server resources into its security policy. WebSEAL normally acts as a reverse Web proxy by receiving HTTP/HTTPS requests from a Web browser and delivering content from its own Web server or from junctioned back-end Web application servers. Requests passing through WebSEAL are evaluated by the Tivoli Access Manager authorization service to determine whether the user is authorized to access the requested resource.
Webware: (1) Software that is remotely accessed online usually with a Web browser. Also called Web applications or online software. (2) Refers to a set of components used to develop Web sites or online applications.
WEP: Short for Wired Equivalent Privacy, a security protocol for wireless local area networks (WLANs) defined in the 802.11b standard. WEP is designed to provide the same level of security as that of a wired LAN. LANs are inherently more secure than WLANs because LANs are somewhat protected by the physicalities of their structure, having some or all part of the network inside a building that can be protected from unauthorised access. WLANs, which are over radio waves, do not have the same physical structure and therefore are more vulnerable to tampering. WEP aims to provide security by encrypting data over radio waves so that it is protected as it is transmitted from one end point to another. However, it has been found that WEP is not as secure as once believed. WEP is used at the two lowest layers of the OSI model - the data link and physical layers; it therefore does not offer end-to-end security.
white lable: A product or service, especially common in the in the financial sector, where the provider of the service purchases a fully supported product from another source, then applies its own brand and identity to it, and sells it as its own product. The purchaser assumes the seller is selling its own product.
White paper: A report on a topic given by an individual or group with authority on the topic, typically to explain the results of a development effort. Technology companies often publish white papers to explain newly developed technologies and can include an explanation of how the technology was developed, how it is used, benchmark and other testing results for the technology, statistical analyses, and other information.
Wi-Fi Protected Access 2: Wi-Fi Protected Access 2, the follow on security method to WPA for wireless networks that provides stronger data protection and network access control. It provides enterprise and consumer Wi-Fi users with a high level of assurance that only authorised users can access their wireless networks.
wiki: A collaborative Web site comprises the perpetual collective work of many authors. Similar to a blog in structure and logic, a wiki allows anyone to edit, delete or modify content that has been placed on the Web site using a browser interface, including the work of previous authors.
Wired Equivalent Privacy: Also known as WEP, a security protocol for wireless local area networks (WLANs) defined in the 802.11b standard. WEP is designed to provide the same level of security as that of a wired LAN. LANs are inherently more secure than WLANs because LANs are somewhat protected by the physicalities of their structure, having some or all part of the network inside a building that can be protected from unauthorised access. WLANs, which are over radio waves, do not have the same physical structure and therefore are more vulnerable to tampering. WEP aims to provide security by encrypting data over radio waves so that it is protected as it is transmitted from one end point to another. However, it has been found that WEP is not as secure as once believed. WEP is used at the two lowest layers of the OSI model - the data link and physical layers; it therefore does not offer end-to-end security.
WLAN: Acronym for wireless local-area network. Also referred to as LAWN. A type of local-area network that uses high-frequency radio waves rather than wires to communicate between nodes.
WMM: WMM stands for Wi-Fi Multimedia. It is a standard created to define quality of service (QoS) in Wi-Fi networks. It is a precursor to the upcoming IEEE 802.11e WLAN QoS draft standard, which is meant to improve audio, video and voice applications transmitted over Wi-Fi.
Worms: A program or algorithm that replicates itself over a computer network and usually performs malicious actions, such as using up the computer's resources and possibly shutting the system down.
WPA: Short for Wi-Fi Protected Access, a Wi-Fi standard that was designed to improve upon the security features of WEP.
WPA2: Short for Wi-Fi Protected Access 2, the follow on security method to WPA for wireless networks that provides stronger data protection and network access control. It provides enterprise and consumer Wi-Fi users with a high level of assurance that only authorised users can access their wireless networks.
WSDL: Web Services Description Language
XAML: XAML is a vendor-neutral standard developed jointly by Bowstreet, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Oracle and Sun that is used to coordinate and process online business transactions. Based on XML, XAML uses a set of XML message formats and interaction models that Web services can use to provide business-level transactions that span multiple parties across the Internet.
XBRL: Short for Extensible Business Reporting Language, an XML-based specification for publishing the financial information of an enterprise. The standardisation of the specification makes it easier for public and private companies to share information with each other and with industry analysts across all software formats and technologies, including the Internet.
xDSL: Refers collectively to all types of digital subscriber lines, the two main categories being ADSL and SDSL. Two other types of xDSL technologies are High-data-rate DSL (HDSL) and Very high DSL (VDSL). DSL technologies use sophisticated modulation schemes to pack data onto copper wires. They are sometimes referred to as last-mile technologies because they are used only for connections from a telephone switching station to a home or office, not between switching stations. xDSL is similar to ISDN inasmuch as both operate over existing copper telephone lines (POTS) and both require the short runs to a central telephone office (usually less than 20,000 feet). However, xDSL offers much higher speeds - up to 32 Mbps for upstream traffic, and from 32 Kbps to over 1 Mbps for downstream traffic.
XML: Extensible Markup Language. Designed specifically for Web documents. It allows designers to create their own customised tags, enabling the definition, transmission, validation, and interpretation of data between applications and between organisations.
XML data island: Blocks (called islands) of Extensible Markup Language (XML) embedded in an HTML document. Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 and newer versions support embedding the XML data inside HTML pages. XML data islands can be accessed from client-side scripts or directly to bound to HTML elements.
Zeroconf: Short for zero configuration IP networking, a method of networking devices via an Ethernet cable without requiring configuration and administration. Zeroconf is able to allocate addresses without a DHCP server, translate between domain names and IP addresses without a DNS server, and find services, such as a printer, without a directory service. The technology is intended for use in small networking situations where there is a low-security need and where it is inappropriate or impossible to establish a working IP network using traditional technologies, such as DHCP and DNS.

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Glossary of Terms