IT Glossary - ITU Online IT Training
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IT Glossary

Showing terms starting with S (212 terms)

Server

A computer or software system that provides resources, data, or services to other computers or devices on a network.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Commonly used in IT Management, General IT

Slack

A proprietary business communication platform developed by Slack Technologies.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Commonly used in Networking, Energy Management

Smartphone

A mobile phone with advanced features such as internet access and applications.

Commonly used in General IT

SMM (Social Media Marketing)

The use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service.

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.

Commonly used in General IT, Computing

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

A protocol used for sending email messages between servers.

Commonly used in Networking, General IT

SMTP Relay

The process of transferring an email from one server to another for delivery.

Commonly used in Networking, Email Systems

SNMP

Simple Network Management Protocol, used for monitoring and managing network devices.

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.

Commonly used in Networking, Network Management