3G Wireless broadband
Third generation mobile telephony providing full multimedia to the palm top device. It is a regulated technology and so service providers need to acquire 3G licences.
3rd Line Support
If the problem cannot be solved by 2nd line support it will go to 3rd line support. If 3rd line cannot solve the problem, it cannot be solved.
4G
Broadly speaking it is 3G only faster. However it embraces IP networking and places great emphasis on quality of service, security and cost.
ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line - a successor to ISDN. It is used to transfer voice and data over the same telephone line.
Agent
Otherwise known as an intelligent agent is a programme that carries out a task on behalf of a user/computer. An example includes: finding the best price for an item by scouring the web.
Agile (1)
A term used to describe an organization that is responsive to changes in the market.
Agile (2)
An approach to developing software where there is a strong focus on user feedback and speed of delivery. In essence it is the new name for what used to be known as RAD.
ALM
See Application Lifecycle Management.
Analysi
sA phase in the software development life cycle where the user requirements are gathered.
Analyst
ProgrammerA term used to describe a programmer that is involved in the full development lifecycle and so needs to have analysis and design skills as well as programming skills. They are usually required to have good interpersonal skills.
API
Application Program Interface. This is a term that refers to the mechanism by which software communicates with a particular application. For example if one wanted to produce software that ran on MS Windows, the software would need to be written to work with the APIs of Windows.
Application (1)
Lifecycle ManagementApplication Lifecycle Management is a term that is used to collectively describe the tools that are used to create and maintain applications. It is the new name for what used to be called Case.
Application (2)
Service ProviderApplication Service Provider. A provider of applications via the Web. Users thus do not need to host their own applications. Very much associated with web services. If the Asp vendors get their way, this will be the death for end user IT departments.
Application Software
This is the software, which makes the computer useful to users. Examples being MS Office, bank trading systems and personnel management systems. Without application software a computer offers the functionality of an inefficient yet expensive room heater.
AS/400
A very popular mid range computer from IBM. Old school technology. Its successor is known as the i-Series.
Assembler
A low level programming language. Difficult to write and very difficult to maintain. Old school. But traces of assembler can be found in the world of real-time systems.
Authentication
Security term, which refers to the process of verifying the identity of another person or system.
Autonomic computing
A concept introduced by IBM, but quickly being latched on to by both hardware and software players. In essence autonomic computing enables computers to take care of themselves, ie they will not need to have human support to keep them available. This should cause operators and even system administrators to consider their long terms career plans.
Avatar
A software programme that simulates a real person either physically or iconically. Such avatars can have designer personalities. The most famous to date is Ananova, the virtual newsreader.
Backbone
A term used to describe the network that links a number of smaller networks together.
Back-end
The term used to describe those technologies that sit in the IT department (or broom cupboard depending on the size of the organisation). In other words those technologies that the users access indirectly via their desktop and handheld devices.
Bandwidth
A measure of the quantity of data that can be passed down a communication link in a given time. Measured in Mbps (Mega bits per second) and increasingly Gbps (Giga bits per second).
Beta testing
A type of product or system testing that involves getting feedback from a selected set of real (and tame) users. Some big software organisations, sadly, use this as the first step in their testing methodology as opposed to the last.
BI
See Business Intelligence.
Biometrics
A term used to describe the emerging branch of security that uses 'what you are' to authenticate a person. An alternative security approach involves 'what you know', eg. password. Characteristics measured using biometrics include: iris, cranium, and fingerprint recognition.
Blackberry
Neat little device from Research in Motion that allows one to access emails whilst on the move. Given the impact it has on users it is sometimes referred to as a crackberry.
Blog
An abbreviation of weblog. It can be thought of as an online diary that is accessible to everyone or to just a confined community. To captivate the readership, blogs are usually some combination of informative, interesting and entertaining. Some organisations see them as an effective approach to releasing corporate messages into the market.
Blogger
Bloggers are people who populate blogs.
Bluetooth
A wireless short range networking technology. Amongst other things it will herald the arrival of client server applications into the home, eg. distributed music centres or integrated toasters and alarm clocks.
Bonded ADSL
Bonded ADSL is the use of multiple Internet connections, usually of same type and speed, combined to create a single virtual connection. Bonded ADSL increases the physical upload & download capability of ADSL. This solution can be used as a credible alternative to replace leased lines.
Bot
Short for software robot. Used to describe a smart piece of software that is used to carry out some task, eg. spot trends in the database or intelligently search the web.
BPO
See Business Process Outsourcing.
Bridge
A networking device that links networks together. It is a less intelligent version of a router
Broadband
A term used to describe a high bandwidth medium. This usually refers to video quality data rates.
Browser
Primarily this is software, which enables users to access the World Wide Web.
Browser Hijacker
A type of spyware that takes control of one's browser. It is likely that your PC contains a browser hijacker if the default page for your browser is different to how you set it originally.
Business Analyst
A role that exists to gather user requirements and to relay these to the IT department. Usually confused with systems analysts, though there is often little difference in what they do.
Business Analytics
A term used to describe the 'emerging' market of database querying tools. Past names have included querying tools and decision support tools. Perhaps the emphasis on doing this via the web justifies the new name.
Business Continuity
A term used to capture the issue of considering how your business will continue to operate in the event of a serious problem or even a disaster. This could include issues from network failure through to terrorist attack.
Business Intelligence
A collective term to describe the tools that enable users to analyse the data held in their data stores. Often these tools provide a means of displaying the data in a user-friendly format such as a chart or map.
Business Process Outsourcing
A growing branch of the service sector where the supplier takes full responsibility for one or more of a client's business processes, eg. HR or Sales. The vendor is often an IT supplier who uses the BPO offering as a way to get the attention of the boardroom rather than just the IT department.
C
A general purpose programming language. Was very popular because of its close association with the Unix operating system.
C #
Microsoft's 'kill off Java' programming language, based on C++ and Java. Microsoft has relinquished control of C# and so today it is an open standard. Microsoft has its own version called Visual C#.
C Sharp
See C #.
C++
A general purpose programming language based on C. It is simply a version of C that has been enhanced to support object orientation.
Campus Area Network
A variant of LAN, where the network extends beyond one building to a group of buildings that are in reasonable proximity. A campus being a good example of this.
CAN
See Campus Area Network.
Certificate Authority
Certificate authorities exist to manage security with respect to e-business. Specifically they manage credentials and encryption/decryption. They form part of the security architecture known as the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI),
Clustering
An approach to enhancing the processing available by integrating the power of individual processors such that they act as one large virtual processor.
Code
See software.
Compiler
Software tool that converts the language written by the programmer (source code) into a language understandable by the computer (machine code).
Construction
The build phase of an application development life-cycle, where the software is written.
Cracker
A serious hacker who manipulates firewall software so that they can pass freely through whenever it suits them. A kind of covert hacker.
CRAMM
A risk analysis and management methodology created by the CCTA. Often found on the CVs of heavyweight project managers.
CRM
Customer Relationship Management. A philosophy, which focuses on making all departments in an organisation customer facing, so to speak. In recent years it has manifested itself as a form of enterprise application software. Despite the wisdom of keeping track of customers and their behaviour there is a niggling feeling that CRM systems have not lived up to their promise.
CRUD
An acronym used in database circles for the four fundamental functions associated with a database, i.e. Create, Read, Update, Delete.
CTO
Chief Technology Officer. The top technical person in the IT department.
Cyber Sourcing
Outsourcing a business's IT needs via the Internet. Very much associated with the application service provision / web services.
Cyber Warrior
A malicious type of hacker who derives pleasure from causing damage to organizations by defacing their websites and/or making the organization's computing resources unavailable.