IT Glossary
Key Terms To Know In The IT Industry

Over-the-Top Application (OTT)

An app or service that provides a product over the Internet and bypasses traditional distribution, examples include streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Digital Media

Over-The-Top Platform (OTT)

A term used to refer to content providers that distribute streaming media as a standalone product directly to viewers over the Internet, bypassing telecommunications, multichannel television, and broadcast television platforms.

You will find this term commonly used in Online Streaming, Media

Over-the-Wire (OTW)

Communications or data transfers that occur over physical wires or cables, as opposed to wireless transmissions.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Telecommunications, General IT

Overclocking

The practice of running a computer component at a higher clock rate than it was designed for, to achieve better performance.

You will find this term commonly used in Hardware, General IT, Gaming

Overfitting

A machine learning phenomenon where a model learns to fit the training data too closely, capturing noise or random fluctuations rather than the underlying pattern.

You will find this term commonly used in Machine Learning, Data Science, AI

Overflow Error

An error that occurs when a computer attempts to handle a number that is outside of the range of values it can represent with a given number of bits.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Programming

Overhead

The additional resources (time, memory, etc.) consumed by a system beyond the minimum required to perform its function.

You will find this term commonly used in Performance Optimization, Systems Administration, General IT

Overhead Projector

A device that projects images or text onto a screen or wall for large group viewing, commonly used in presentations and classrooms.

You will find this term commonly used in Presentation, Education, General IT

Overlay

In computing, a method of adding additional information or visuals on top of a primary set of data or image. This can refer to graphical overlays on a video or informational overlays in a software application.

You will find this term commonly used in User Interface Design, Software Development

Overlay File System

A type of file system that allows the layering of files and directories on top of existing file systems, often used in containerized environments.

You will find this term commonly used in Storage, Virtualization

Overlay Network

A computer network that is built on top of another network. Nodes in the overlay network are connected by virtual or logical links, each of which corresponds to a path in the underlying network.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Overlay Networks

Networks that are built on top of one or more existing network layers to introduce new functionalities or enhance existing ones without altering the underlying network.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Internet Technology

Overlay Protocols

Protocols designed to operate on top of other network protocols to enhance functionalities, such as creating distributed networks over the internet without modifying underlying IP protocols.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Protocol Design

Oversampling

The process of sampling a signal with a sampling frequency significantly higher than the Nyquist rate to improve the quality of signal processing and data conversion.

You will find this term commonly used in Digital Signal Processing

Oversubscription

In networking and computing, the practice of selling or providing more capacity to multiple customers than exists physically, betting not all resources will be used at the same time.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Cloud Computing

OWASP Top Ten

A regularly updated report outlining the ten most critical web application security risks, helping developers, and IT professionals to ensure the security of their applications and services.

You will find this term commonly used in Cybersecurity, Web Application Security

OWIN (Open Web Interface for .NET)

An open specification for an interface between .NET web applications and web servers. It decouples the web application from the server, making .NET web applications more modular.

You will find this term commonly used in Web Development, .NET Framework

Ownership Controls

In IT, mechanisms or policies put in place to ensure that data or resources are controlled by a specified entity or individual, addressing access, modification, and distribution.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Data Management

Ownership Management

In IT, it refers to the process and policies for managing and tracking the ownership of digital assets, resources, or services within an organization.

You will find this term commonly used in IT Management, Security

Ownership Verification

The process of verifying that a user or system has the rights and permissions to access, modify, or manage a digital resource or data, crucial for security and access control systems.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Data Management

Packet

A unit of data transmitted over a network.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Packet Filtering

The process of controlling network access by analyzing incoming and outgoing packets and allowing or blocking them based on a set of rules.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Security

Packet Loss

The percentage of data packets lost during transmission over a network.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Security

Packet Sniffer

A software tool or device used to capture and analyze data packets as they pass through a network interface, often used for troubleshooting and security analysis.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Security

Packet Sniffing

The practice of intercepting and analyzing data packets transmitted over a network.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Security

Packet Switching

A method of transmitting data in which messages are divided into packets and routed independently.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking, General IT

PageRank

An algorithm used by Google Search to rank websites in their search engine results. It measures the importance of website pages based on the number and quality of links to them.

You will find this term commonly used in Search Engine Optimization

Pagination

The process of dividing a document or list of items into discrete pages, often used in web development to improve user navigation and reduce loading times for large datasets.

You will find this term commonly used in Web Development

Pair Programming

A software development technique where two programmers work together at one workstation. One writes code while the other reviews each line of code as it is typed in. The roles switch frequently.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Palindrome

A word, phrase, number, or other sequences of characters that reads the same forward and backward (ignoring spaces, punctuation, and capitalization). Used in computing for various logic and programming exercises.

You will find this term commonly used in Programming, Algorithms

Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Associate (PCCSA)

Demonstrates knowledge of modern cybersecurity threats and cyber defense strategies, focusing on Palo Alto Networks’ Security Operating Platform.

You will find this term commonly used in Cybersecurity

Parallel Computing

Performing multiple calculations or processes simultaneously.

You will find this term commonly used in General IT, AI

Parallel Processing

Simultaneously executing multiple tasks or instructions to improve computational efficiency.

You will find this term commonly used in General IT, AI

Parameter

A special kind of variable in programming and mathematics that is used to pass information between functions or procedures.

You will find this term commonly used in Programming

Parity Bit

A bit that is added to a set of binary data to ensure that the total number of 1-bits in the set is either even or odd. It is used for error detection in data transmission.

You will find this term commonly used in Data Communication

Partition

The division of a physical or logical storage unit into separate, independent sections. In computing, disk partitioning is the process of dividing a disk into one or more regions for better data management.

You will find this term commonly used in Storage, Operating Systems

Passive Attack

A cyber attack method that involves monitoring and eavesdropping on network communications without actively altering or disrupting them.

You will find this term commonly used in Cybersecurity, Security

Passive Cooling

Cooling techniques that do not require energy consumption, such as natural ventilation or heat sinks.

You will find this term commonly used in Green Technology, Hardware

Passive FTP

A type of FTP connection where the client initiates both data connections.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Security

Passive Income

Income generated from investments, business ventures, or assets with minimal active effort.

You will find this term commonly used in Business, Finance

Passive Optical Network (PON)

A telecommunications network that uses fiber-optic cables to distribute signals to multiple subscribers without the need for active components such as repeaters or amplifiers.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Telecommunications

Password

A secret word or phrase used to authenticate a user's identity and gain access to a computer system or online account.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Cybersecurity

Password Manager

A software application designed to store and manage passwords securely.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Cybersecurity

Password Reset

The process of recovering access to an account by resetting the password.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Cybersecurity

Password Strength

The degree of complexity and randomness of a password, determining its resistance to hacking attempts.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Cybersecurity

Patch

A software update designed to fix or improve a program's functionality, security, or performance.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Cybersecurity

Patch Antenna

A type of radio antenna with a low profile, which can be mounted on a flat surface. It is widely used in telecommunications and computing for wireless networks.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Patch Cable