fbpx

There are few business sectors around that are as inundated with acronyms as the IT business. Technology-related fields in general love their alphabet soup. Only problem is, if you’re not a tech insider, the constant use of three and four letter puzzlegrams can be hard to fathom and often get in the way of real communication and understanding.

Well, wedoIT is here to help. We’ve compiled this quick acronym cheat-sheet for the non-technical person seeking to decipher the foreign language the IT world is so fond of using. We’ll post this on our website and continue to update for you. This is a quick list. Believe us, there’s more:

CSP — Cloud Service Provider:  A business model in which a company provides cloud services for its clients.

DNS — Domain Name System (or Server):  The method by which a written, human-readable domain name or host name is converted into a numerical IP address. When you enter a website address into your browser search bar, your computer contacts a DNS server, and the DNS server responds with a numerical IP address that your computer can then connect to.

IoT — Internet of Things:  Refers collectively to all the many physical devices all over the world that are currently connected to the Internet, accessing, collecting, and sharing data with each other.

ISP — Internet Service Provider:  The company that provides your Internet connection service. Comcast, ATT, and Time Warner, are a few examples of popular/common service providers.

IT — Information Technology:  A broad business category that refers to all aspects of managing and processing information and data.

ITaaS — IT as a Service: An operational business model whereby the Information Technology provider delivers various services to a client, typically as a group of managed services. Often involves cloud-based systems.

LAN — Local Area Network:  A small, confined network such as your home or office computer environment. A LAN connects a group of computers and related equipment in order to share resources such as files, printers, scanners, documents, and so on.

MFA — Multi-Factor Authentication:  A computer and internet security protection method whereby access to a device or website can only be gained after successfully presenting two or more pieces of evidence as to your legitimacy to gain entrance. A common example would be a website requiring your username, and your password, followed by a 5-digit code number sent to your email.

MSP — Managed Service Provider:  A business model used by companies providing information technology services. An MSP typically provides a suite of services such as network management, remote monitoring, cybersecurity, etc. to facilitate the technology needs of its customers.

MSSP — Managed Security Service Provider:  A business model whereby a company provides outsourced monitoring and management of security devices and systems. Typical services include firewall management, intrusion detection, anti-virus protections, virtual private networking, etc.

RMM — Remote Monitoring and Management:  Refers to the supervising and controlling of IT systems from a distant location. This is typically achieved by installing agents on local equipment that allows the monitoring of the device by an IT service provider from a remote location. By utilizing this type of system, an IT provider can observe status and control systems without having to be on-site.

SaaS — Software as a Service: A software licensing and delivery model whereby software is licensed on a subscription basis and hosted centrally instead of by the individual license holder.

SSL – Secure Sockets Layer:  Standard technology for keeping an internet connection secure and protecting any sensitive data being sent between two systems. Commonly used to protect traffic between the web server and web browser. It secures credit card transactions and login data.

VoIP — Voice over Internet Protocol:  A phone service that uses the Internet as a transmission method for calls.

VPN — Virtual Private Network (or Networking):  A means by which a user can connect to a remote access server through the Internet in order to securely access the resources of a particular network.