This glossary is here to make technology easier to understand, not harder. If you’re ever confused about why your IT consultant is recommending a product, service or strategy, ask them. A real partner will be glad to explain.
IT & cybersecurity terms, A to Z
Access Point
A device that lets wireless-equipped computers and other devices communicate with a wired network.
ASP (Application Service Provider)
A third-party company that manages and distributes software-based services and solutions to its customers over a wide-area network, usually the Internet.
Authentication
The process of identifying yourself and verifying that you are who you say you are. Systems holding restricted information may require a username and password before granting access.
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
A business and technology policy that lets employees use their personal mobile devices to access company data, email, and other resources.
Cloud Computing
Internet-based computing in which shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand — much like electricity from the grid.
Content Filtering
Software that prevents users from accessing or sending questionable content over your Internet connection. It’s used to block sites like gambling, dating, shopping, and pornography, and many programs also screen inbound and outbound email for offensive or confidential information. Note: content filtering is not designed to stop viruses, worms, or hackers.
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
The brains of a computer.
CSP (Cloud Service Provider)
A business model for delivering cloud services.
Dark Web
The hidden part of the web made up of sites that use the public Internet but require special software to access and aren’t indexed by search engines. Stolen data is traded, sold, and used here for financial or political gain.
Deep Web
About ninety percent of the web sits just below the surface of the World Wide Web. Web developers and companies tell search engines not to index this information, so it isn’t searchable.
Default Gateway
On a TCP/IP network, the gateway that computers use to send data to and receive data from networks outside the local one. Typically this is the router or firewall that connects your local network to the public Internet.
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
A method for automatically assigning IP addresses to devices on request, rather than programming an address into each device by hand. Running a DHCP server makes it much easier to add or reconfigure workstations on a network.
DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)
A separate area of your network, isolated from both the Internet and your protected internal network. Usually created by your firewall, a DMZ is where you place devices — like web servers — that need to be reachable from the public Internet.
DNS (Domain Name Server)
An Internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses. Although domain names are mostly alphabetic, devices can only send data to a specific IP address. When you type a web address or send an email, DNS is the mechanism that looks up the right IP address behind the name.
EHR / EMR / PHR (Electronic / Personal Health Record)
Terms used interchangeably to refer to patient-centered health records kept electronically.
Encryption
Scrambling data so it can’t be accurately read by anyone except those for whom it’s intended.
Endpoint Protection
Also called endpoint security — an approach to detecting malicious activity while protecting servers, computers, and devices from attack.
Ethernet
The standard wired networking technology in use almost everywhere today. If your computer connects to a network with a cable, it’s likely an Ethernet cable plugged into an Ethernet port.
Firewall
A device or software program designed to protect your network from unauthorized access over the Internet. It may also provide network address translation (NAT) and VPN functionality.
Hosted Applications
A service in which a provider makes software (such as email) and storage space available on a server, so its clients can host their data there. Hosted Exchange and Hosted SharePoint are common examples.
IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
The most basic cloud-service model, in which providers offer computers — physical or, more often, virtual machines — and other computing resources on demand.
ISP (Internet Service Provider)
The company that provides your Internet connection — the one you pay each month.
LAN (Local Area Network)
A small network confined to a local area, such as your home or office. A LAN connects a group of computers so they can share resources like programs, documents, and printers.
Mail Server
A networked computer dedicated to handling email. You use a client program like Microsoft Outlook to retrieve new mail from the server and to compose and send messages.
Microsoft Exchange Server
Microsoft’s server-side collaboration product. Its major features include email, calendaring, contacts, and tasks, with support for mobile and web-based access and data storage.
MSP (Managed Services Provider)
A proactive, responsive business model for delivering IT services. A good MSP saves you money by preventing costly network disasters and reducing downtime — keeping your network and data secure, reliable, and running as it should.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
An authentication method that grants access only after you present two or more pieces of evidence: something you know, something you have, and something you are. Two-factor authentication is a subset of MFA.
Nameserver
A computer that converts Internet domain names into their corresponding IP addresses, and vice versa.
Network Interface / Network Adapter
The connection point between your computer and a network. Your wired Ethernet connection and your WiFi connection are each a network interface, and each gets its own IP address.
Next-Generation Endpoint Security
Endpoint security that goes beyond traditional tools by using artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze user and system behavior in real time. These tools address threats, learn from them, and continuously adapt to fight them with greater speed and efficiency.
Patch
A piece of software designed to update a program or its data — fixing security vulnerabilities and bugs, and improving usability or performance.
Port
A numbered channel (between 1 and 65535) that an application uses to send or receive network traffic. Ports let multiple applications share one network connection while each knows which traffic belongs to it.
Protocol
An agreed format for transmitting data between two devices. TCP and UDP are the most common; ICMP is also used, mainly so network devices can check each other’s status. Different protocols suit different types of communication.
Remote Desktop
A Windows feature that lets you access a Windows session from another computer in a different location.
Remote Login
An interactive connection from your desktop computer, over the Internet, to a computer at a remote site.
RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management)
Software that managed services providers use to monitor the performance of endpoints and other IT assets remotely. From a single device, an MSP can monitor systems, access devices, review data, and deploy patches.
Router
A device that connects two networks and passes traffic back and forth. Your home router passes outgoing traffic from your devices to the Internet and incoming traffic back to your devices. Routers are also used to link multiple office locations to a home-office server.
SaaS (Software as a Service)
A software model in which a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers over the Internet. SaaS is one of the three main categories of cloud computing, alongside IaaS and PaaS.
SAN (Storage Area Network)
A dedicated storage network that provides access to consolidated, block-level storage. SANs make storage devices appear as if they’re locally attached to a server’s operating system, typically over their own separate network.
SIEM (Security Information and Event Management)
A software solution that aggregates and analyzes activity from many different sources across your IT network — network devices, servers, and more — to surface security issues.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
An Internet standard for transmitting email.
SOC (Security Operations Center)
A centralized unit that handles security issues at both the organizational and technical level. A SOC monitors systems and devices around the clock for threats such as hacker activity.
Spam
Junk email — unsolicited, nearly identical messages sent in bulk to large numbers of recipients. Spammers harvest email addresses from chatrooms, websites, newsgroups, and viruses, then sell them to other spammers.
Spear Phishing
A phishing attempt aimed at specific individuals or companies. Unlike bulk phishing, spear phishers gather and use personal information about their target to make the attack more convincing and more likely to succeed.
SSL (Secure Socket Layer)
A small data file that cryptographically binds a key to an organization’s details. Installed on a web server, it activates the padlock and the HTTPS protocol, allowing secure connections from server to browser. SSL is used to protect credit card transactions, logins, and data transfer.
Switch
A controller that lets networked devices talk to each other efficiently. By sharing information and allocating resources, switches save businesses money and boost productivity.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol)
The agreed-upon set of rules that tells computers how to exchange information over the Internet. Other protocols like FTP and HTTP sit on top of TCP/IP.
Threat Actor
Any individual or group that attempts to conduct malicious activity against an organization. Threat actors can be internal or external.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
An extra layer of security in which a user enters a personal PIN along with a frequently changing number from a security token, uniquely identifying them as the owner of that token and network service.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
The global address of a document, website, or other resource on the web.
Virus
A program that alters data on a computer invisibly, usually for mischievous or destructive purposes. Viruses spread across the Internet and through infected media; antivirus programs are used to detect and remove them.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
A way of using the Internet as the transmission medium for phone calls. One advantage is that you avoid extra surcharges beyond the cost of your Internet access.
VPN (Virtual Private Network)
A network built over public wires (the Internet) to securely connect computers and servers. A VPN uses encryption and other safeguards so only authorized users can reach the network and its data — useful for connecting to remote offices, working from home, or traveling.
WAN (Wide Area Network)
A larger network used to connect two or more locations. If you have multiple offices and want to send data securely between them, a WAN is ideal.
WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)
A set of communication protocols that enable wireless access to the Internet.
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)
An older security protocol for wireless local area networks, defined in the 802.11b standard, intended to give wireless networks the same level of security as a wired LAN.
WiFi (Wireless Fidelity)
A generic term from the WiFi Alliance for any type of 802.11 wireless network. Products labeled “WiFi Certified” are guaranteed to work together for wireless communication.
WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network)
The computers and devices that make up a wireless network.
WPA (WiFi Protected Access)
A standard designed to improve on the security weaknesses of WEP.
Still have questions about your own setup? That’s exactly what we’re here for. Reach Braintek in Houston at 281-367-8253, or book a discovery call and we’ll walk through your network in plain English — no jargon, no pressure.