Glossary / Definitions

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AAA (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting)
This is the process by which a user is:

* Authenticated - This is the user providing one or more "factors" that prove who they are; a username & password, a biometric factor (face or thumb scan), an authenticator (MS Authenticator or Google Authenticator, for example), entering a code that was sent to their email or cell phone, etc.
* Authorized - This is when the system a user is logging in to decides what the user is allowed to access.
* Accounting - This is the process in which systems track everything you do. In the event of a problem (data loss, breach, crash, etc.), administrators can look back at the logs to see when a given system was rebooted, files were deleted, a program was installed, etc.

Access Point (aka Wireless Access Point)
This is a physical device which provides wireless connectivity to all connected nodes (computers, laptops, mobile devices, printers, etc.).

Accounting (see AAA)
This is the logging part of AAA. Admins review logs to discover who did a particular thing, at what time, and where from.

Active Directory (aka AD)
A Microsoft technology that stores information about elements on the network; users, computers, sites, services, and numerous other things. AD is the technology that authenticates who you are by checking

Address

Alias

Anonymous FTP (see FTP)

Anonymous SMTP / Relay

Applet

Application / Portable

Authentication (see AAA)

Authorization (see AAA)

Azure

Backbone

Backup (see Business Continuity)

Bandwidth

BGP

BI (see Business Intelligence)

Binary (see IP Address)

BIOS

Bit (see Memory)

Bluetooth

BMP

Bounce

Bridge

Broadband

Browser

Buffer

Business Continuity

Business Intelligence

BYOD

Byte (see Memory)

Cache

CBT (see Computer-Based Training)

Cert (see Certificate)

Certificate

Client

Cloud (see Cloud Computing)

Cloud Computing

Cloud Service Provider

CMS (see Content Management System)

Compression

Cookie

CPU

Data Center

Database

Decompression (see Compression)

Demarc

DHCP (see Domain Host Control Protocol)

Dialog Box

Disaster Recovery

Distance Learning

DNS (see Domain Name System)

Domain

DRaaS (see Cloud Computing)

EAP (see Extensible Authentication Protocol)

EIDE (see Hard Disk)

eLearning (see Distance Learning)

Encryption

Ethernet

Ethernet

Exchange

Extension

Female Connector

Fiber

Flash Drive (see USB)

Folder

Freeware

FTP

GB (aka Gigabyte - see Memory)

GHz

GIF

GUI

Handshake

HDD (see Hard Disk)

Header

Hex (see Hexidecimal)

Hexidecimal

Host

HTML

HTTP

HTTPS

Hub

Hyperlink

Hypertext

Hypervisor

IaaS (see Cloud Computing)

Icon

IMAP

IMAP

IP (see IP Address)

IP Address

ISP

JPG

KB (aka Kilobyte - see Memory)

Kerberos (see Domain)

Kilobyte (see Memory)

Knowledge Base

LAN

LDAP

LMS (aka Learning Management System)

Logon (see Username)

M365

MAC

Mail Server

Male Connector

MB (aka Megabyte - see Memory)

Memory

Menu

Metro Optical Ethernet

MFA (see Multi-Factor Authentication)

MHz

MOE (see Metro Optical Ethernet)

Motherboard

NAS

NAT (see Network Address Translation)

Network

Network Adapter

Network Interface Card (aka NIC – see Ethernet)

NIC (aka Network Interface Card – see Ethernet)

Node

O365

Online Learning (see Distance Learning)

PaaS (see Cloud Computing)

Packet

Parallel Port

Payload

Peer to Peer

PGP

Phishing

PING

POP

POP3

Print Device

Printer

Private Cloud (see Cloud)

QoS

RAM

RAM

RDP (see Remote Desktop)

Recovery Point Objection (aka RPO – see Business Continuity)

Recovery Time Objective (aka RTO – see Business Continuity)

Registry

Remote Desktop

RJ-11 (see Telephony)

RJ-45 (see Ethernet)

RPO (aka Recovery Point Objective – see Business Continuity)

RTO (aka Recovery Time Objective – see Business Continuity)

SaaS (see Cloud Computing)

Safe Mode

SAN

SATA

SDRAM

Serial Cable

Serial Port (see Serial Cable)

SFTP (see FTP)

Shareware

Shielded Twisted Pair (see Ethernet)

SMTP

SSD (see Hard Disk, Solid State Drive)

SSID

SSL

Switch

TCP

TCP/IP

Telnet

Terminal Emulation

Twisted Pair (see Ethernet)

UDP

USB

Username

VDI (see Virtual Desktop Infrastructure)

Video Card

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

Virtual Memory

Virtual Reality

VM (see Virtual Machine)

VoIP

VPN

WAN

WLAN

Workgroup

Workstation

XML

Zero-Day