IT Glossary
Key Terms To Know In The IT Industry
Server
A computer or software system that provides resources, data, or services to other computers or devices on a network.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking
Server Farm
A group of computer servers used for IT purposes that are co-located in one or more data centers, used to provide redundancy and efficient processing.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Cloud Computing
Server Virtualization
The partitioning of a physical server into multiple virtual servers, allowing multiple operating systems and applications to run independently on a single hardware platform.
You will find this term commonly used in Virtualization, General IT
Server-Side
Refers to operations that are performed by the server in a client-server relationship in computer networking.
You will find this term commonly used in Web Development
Serverless Architecture
An architectural pattern where computing resources are provided as scalable cloud services, allowing developers to build and run applications without managing servers.
You will find this term commonly used in Cloud Computing, Serverless Computing
Serverless Computing
Serverless computing, also known as function as a service (FaaS), is a cloud computing model where cloud providers dynamically manage server resources, allowing developers to focus on writing and deploying code without managing servers.
You will find this term commonly used in Cloud Computing, Software Development
Service Discovery
A method used in microservices architectures to detect the location of services running in a network in order to facilitate communication between services.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Microservices
Service Fabric
A distributed systems platform that makes it easy to package, deploy, and manage scalable and reliable microservices and containers.
You will find this term commonly used in Cloud Computing, Microservices
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
A contract between a service provider and a customer that outlines the expected level of service.
You will find this term commonly used in General IT
Service Mesh
A dedicated infrastructure layer for facilitating service-to-service communications between services or microservices, using a transparent proxy.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Microservices
Service Mesh Interface (SMI)
A standard interface for service meshes on Kubernetes. It defines a set of common, portable APIs.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Cloud Computing
Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a software design approach where applications are composed of interoperable services that can be accessed and combined as needed to fulfill specific business requirements and processes.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Architecture, Integration, Enterprise Systems
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
A signaling protocol used for initiating, maintaining, and terminating real-time sessions that include voice, video and messaging applications.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Telecommunications
SHA (Secure Hash Algorithm)
A family of cryptographic hash functions designed by the National Security Agency (NSA) to ensure data integrity.
You will find this term commonly used in Security, Cryptography
Shadow Copy
A technology included in Microsoft Windows that allows taking manual or automatic backup copies or snapshots of data.
You will find this term commonly used in Data Management, Operating Systems
Shadow IT
The use of information technology systems, devices, software, applications, and services without explicit IT department approval.
You will find this term commonly used in Security, Cybersecurity
Sharding
A type of database partitioning that separates very large databases the into smaller, faster, more easily managed parts called data shards.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Database Management
Shared Hosting
A type of web hosting service where many websites reside on one web server connected to the Internet, making it a cost-effective option for hosting.
You will find this term commonly used in General IT, Web Hosting
SharePoint
A web-based collaborative platform that integrates with Microsoft Office. Primarily sold as a document management and storage system.
You will find this term commonly used in Software, Collaboration Tools
Shell
A user interface for accessing an operating system's services and functions, often through a command-line interface.
You will find this term commonly used in Operating Systems, General IT
Shell Script
A computer program designed to be run by the Unix shell, a command-line interpreter. The various dialects of shell scripts are considered to be scripting languages.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, System Administration
SIEM (Security Information and Event Management)
A set of tools and services offering a holistic view of an organization’s information security, providing real-time analysis of security alerts generated by applications and network hardware.
You will find this term commonly used in Security, Cybersecurity
Signal Processing
The analysis, interpretation, and manipulation of signals. Signals of interest can include sound, electromagnetic radiation, images, and sensor readings.
You will find this term commonly used in AI, Data Science
Signature-Based Detection
A method used in antivirus software to identify malware by comparing the contents of a file to a database of known malware signatures.
You will find this term commonly used in Cybersecurity
SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data)
A class of parallel computers in Flynn's taxonomy, it describes computers with multiple processing elements that perform the same operation on multiple data points simultaneously.
You will find this term commonly used in General IT, Parallel Computing
Simulated Annealing
A probabilistic technique for approximating the global optimum of a given function. Specifically, it is a metaheuristic to approximate global optimization in a large search space.
You will find this term commonly used in AI, Optimization Algorithms
Single Sign-On (SSO)
Single sign-on (SSO) is an authentication process that allows users to access multiple applications or systems with a single set of login credentials, enhancing security, user experience, and productivity while reducing password fatigue.
You will find this term commonly used in Security, Identity Management, Authentication
Single-Page Application (SPA)
A web application or website that interacts with the user by dynamically rewriting the current page rather than loading entire new pages from the server.
You will find this term commonly used in Web Development
Single-User Operating System
An operating system intended for use on a computer or device that will only have a single user at any time.
You will find this term commonly used in Operating Systems
SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)
A signaling protocol used for initiating, maintaining, managing, and terminating real-time sessions that involve video, voice, messaging, and other communications applications and services.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Telecommunications
SIP Trunking
The use of voice over IP (VoIP) to facilitate the connection of a private branch exchange (PBX) to the internet.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Telecommunications
Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)
A discipline that incorporates aspects of software engineering and applies them to infrastructure and operations problems to create scalable and highly reliable software systems.
You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, DevOps
Site-to-Site VPN
A type of VPN connection that is created between two separate locations, allowing multiple users in one location to connect to multiple users in another.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Security
SLA (Service Level Agreement)
A contract between a service provider and its customer that documents what services the provider will furnish.
You will find this term commonly used in IT Management, General IT
Slack
A proprietary business communication platform developed by Slack Technologies.
You will find this term commonly used in Communication, Collaboration
SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping)
A technique used by robots and autonomous vehicles to build up a map within an unknown environment while at the same time keeping track of their current location.
You will find this term commonly used in AI, Robotics
SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation)
A lawsuit that is intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition.
You will find this term commonly used in Legal, Digital Rights
SLI (Service Level Indicator)
A specific measure of some aspect of the level of service that is provided, often used in the context of SRE to track the performance of a service.
You will find this term commonly used in General IT, DevOps
Slicing
In networking, particularly with 5G networks, slicing is the ability to partition certain aspects of the network for specific customer or service requirements.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Telecommunications
Slicing (in 5G Networks)
The act of creating multiple virtual networks on top of a single physical 5G network infrastructure, each slice designed to meet different requirements.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Telecommunications
SLO (Service Level Objective)
A key element of a service level agreement (SLA) between a service provider and a customer, specifying the level of service expected from the service provider.
You will find this term commonly used in General IT, Service Management
Smart Contracts
Self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement between buyer and seller directly written into code.
You will find this term commonly used in Blockchain, General IT
Smart Grid
An electrical grid which includes a variety of operation and energy measures including smart meters, smart appliances, renewable energy resources, and energy efficient resources.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Energy Management
Smartphone
A mobile phone with advanced features such as internet access and applications.
You will find this term commonly used in General IT
SMM (Social Media Marketing)
The use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service.
You will find this term commonly used in General IT, Marketing
SMP (Symmetric Multiprocessing)
A method of processing in which several processors are connected to a single operating system and share computational tasks for improved performance.
You will find this term commonly used in General IT, Computing
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
A protocol used for sending email messages between servers.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, General IT
SMTP Relay
The process of transferring an email from one server to another for delivery.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Email Systems
SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol, used for monitoring and managing network devices.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
An Internet Standard protocol for collecting and organizing information about managed devices on IP networks and for modifying that information to change device behavior.
You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Network Management
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