Enterprise Software Definitions

Search Definitions
  • I

    What is information rights management (IRM)?

    Information rights management (IRM) is a discipline that involves managing, controlling and securing content from unwanted access.

  • What is intelligent document processing (IDP)?

    Intelligent document processing (IDP) is a type of workflow automation technology designed to automate the process of extracting data from physical papers and image-based documents.

  • What is interactive voice response (IVR)?

    Interactive voice response (IVR) is an automated telephony system that interacts with callers, gathers information and routes calls to the appropriate recipients.

  • What is inventory management?

    Inventory management is the component of supply chain management that tracks and supervises noncapitalized assets -- or inventory -- and stock items.

  • What is IoT Cloud (Salesforce IoT Cloud)?

    IoT Cloud is a Salesforce platform designed to store and process internet of things (IoT) data.

  • J

    jitter

    Jitter is any deviation in, or displacement of, the signal pulses in a high-frequency digital signal.

  • What is Blue Yonder (formerly JDA Software)?

    Blue Yonder, formerly JDA Software, is a software and consultancy company that specializes in selling supply chain management products and services to businesses.

  • K

    Kaizen (continuous improvement)

    Kaizen is an approach to creating continuous improvement based on the idea that small, ongoing positive changes can reap significant improvements.

  • key-value pair (KVP)

    A key-value pair (KVP) is a set of two linked data items: a key, which is a unique identifier for some item of data, and the value, which is either the data that is identified or a pointer to the location of that data.

  • kiosk mode (Windows assigned access)

    Kiosk mode is a feature in Windows operating system (OS) that allows a device to run only specified applications and settings.

  • knowledge management (KM)

    Knowledge management is the process an enterprise uses to gather, organize, share and analyze its knowledge in a way that's easily accessible to employees.

  • L

    laptop

    A laptop, sometimes called a notebook computer by manufacturers, is a battery- or AC-powered personal computer (PC) smaller than a briefcase.

  • learning experience platform (LXP)

    A learning experience platform (LXP) is an artificial intelligence (AI) driven peer learning platform delivered using software as a service.

  • leased line

    A leased line is a bidirectional telephone line that has been rented for private voice, data exchange or telecommunication use.

  • live chat (live support)

    Live chat (live support) is technology that provides companies with a way to interact with users when they visit an organization's media properties.

  • logistics

    Logistics is the process of planning and executing the efficient transportation and storage of goods from the point of origin to the point of consumption.

  • logistics management

    Logistics management is the governance of supply chain management functions that helps organizations plan, manage and implement processes to move and store goods.

  • LTE (Long-Term Evolution)

    LTE (Long-Term Evolution) is a fourth-generation (4G) wireless standard that provides increased network capacity and speed for cellphones and other cellular devices compared with third-generation (3G) technology.

  • What is a lean water spider?

    Lean water spider, or water spider, is a term used in manufacturing that refers to a position in a production environment or warehouse.

  • What is LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol)?

    LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is a software protocol used for locating data about organizations, individuals and other resources, such as files and devices, on public and corporate networks.

  • What is lead scoring?

    Lead scoring is a methodology sales and marketing departments use to determine the worthiness of leads, or potential customers, by attaching values to them based on their behavior relating to their interest in products or services.

  • What is lead-to-revenue management (L2RM)?

    Lead-to-revenue management (L2RM) is a set of sales and marketing methods focusing on generating revenue throughout the customer life cycle.

  • What is lean manufacturing?

    Lean manufacturing is a methodology that focuses on minimizing waste within manufacturing systems while simultaneously maximizing productivity.

  • What is the law of diminishing returns?

    The law of diminishing returns is an economic principle stating that as investment in a particular area increases, the rate of profit from that investment, after a certain point, can't continue to increase if other variables remain at a constant.

  • M

    m-commerce (mobile commerce)

    M-commerce (mobile commerce) is the buying and selling of goods and services through wireless handheld devices such as smartphones and tablets.

  • manufacturing execution system (MES)

    A manufacturing execution system (MES) is an information system that connects, monitors and controls complex manufacturing systems and data flows on the factory floor.

  • market basket analysis

    Market basket analysis is a data mining technique used by retailers to increase sales by better understanding customer purchasing patterns.

  • marketing automation

    Marketing automation is a type of software that allows companies to effectively target customers with automated marketing messages across channels including email, websites, social media and text messages to generate sales leads.

  • marketing campaign management

    Marketing campaign management is the planning, executing, tracking and analysis of direct marketing campaigns.

  • marketing stack

    A marketing stack, also called a marketing technology stack, is a collection of technologies used by marketers to perform, analyze and improve their services.

  • marketing-qualified lead (MQL)

    A marketing-qualified lead (MQL) is a website visitor whose engagement levels indicate they are likely to become a customer.

  • material requirements planning (MRP)

    Material requirements planning (MRP) is a system for calculating the materials and components needed to manufacture a product.

  • message passing interface (MPI)

    The message passing interface (MPI) is a standardized means of exchanging messages between multiple computers running a parallel program across distributed memory.

  • microblogging

    Microblogging is a short blog post designed for quick and typically direct audience interactions.

  • Microsoft App-V (Microsoft Application Virtualization)

    Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) is an application virtualization client that makes an application available to end users without installing it on a personal computer (PC).

  • Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit

    Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit is a free utility IT can use to determine whether its infrastructure is prepared for a migration to a new operating system, server version or cloud-based deployment.

  • Microsoft Click-To-Run

    Microsoft Click-to-Run is a way to quickly install Microsoft products, including versions of Office 2010 and Office 2013. 

  • Microsoft Cortana

    Cortana is Microsoft's digital assistant.

  • Microsoft Dynamics 365

    Dynamics 365 is a cloud-based portfolio of business applications from Microsoft that are designed to help organizations improve operational efficiency and reduce business complexity while controlling costs.

  • Microsoft Office 365 suite

    Microsoft Office 365 suite is a hosted, online version of Microsoft Office software. IT administrators access it from a web-based portal to set up new user accounts, control access to features and see the status of all Office 365 services and tools.

  • Microsoft Office Delve

    Microsoft Office Delve is a search engine and discovery tool for the Microsoft Office 365 productivity suite.

  • Microsoft Planner

    Microsoft Planner is a web-based visual task management application that enables enterprise teams to create, assign and organize work in order to execute projects.

  • Microsoft Power Apps

    Power Apps is a suite of Microsoft products that enable both developers and nontechnical users to build custom applications to fulfill various business needs.

  • Microsoft Power Automate

    Microsoft Power Automate, formerly called Microsoft Flow, is cloud-based software that allows employees to create and automate workflows and tasks across multiple applications and services without help from developers.

  • Microsoft Store

    The Microsoft Store -- formerly called the Windows Store -- is an online marketplace for consumers to buy and download a variety of items.

  • Microsoft Teams

    Microsoft Teams is cloud-based team collaboration software that offers core capabilities, including business messaging, calling, video meetings and file sharing.

  • Microsoft UE-V (User Experience Virtualization)

    Microsoft UE-V (User Experience Virtualization) is a tool that lets users move from one Windows device to another and maintain the same operating system and applications settings.

  • Microsoft Windows 10 Shared PC Mode

    Microsoft Windows 10 Shared PC Mode is an operating system feature that allows IT administrators to configure computers for multiple user access.

  • Microsoft Windows Credential Guard

    Microsoft Credential Guard is a security feature in Microsoft Windows operating system (OS) that isolates user credentials, such as login information, from the rest of the operating system.

  • Microsoft Windows Defender Device Guard

    Windows Defender Device Guard is a security feature for Windows 10 and Windows Server designed to use application whitelisting and code integrity policies to protect users' devices from malicious code that could compromise the operating system.

  • Microsoft Windows Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM)

    Microsoft Windows Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) is a command-line tool that allows IT administrators to service Windows desktop images and virtual hard disks prior to deployment to users.

  • Microsoft Windows File Explorer

    Microsoft Windows File Explorer is a graphical file management utility for the Windows operating system (OS).

  • Microsoft Windows Hello

    Microsoft Windows Hello is a biometric identity and access control feature that supports fingerprint scanners, iris scanners and facial recognition technology on compatible devices running Windows.

  • Microsoft Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE)

    The Microsoft Windows Recovery Environment, or Windows RE, is a simplified, scaled-back version of the Windows operating system that is used to boot the system when Windows 8.x, Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2 can't.

  • mobile application development platform (MADP)

    A mobile application development platform (MADP) is a type of software that allows a business to rapidly build, test and deploy mobile apps for smartphones or tablets.

  • mobile application management (MAM)

    Mobile application management (MAM) is software that secures and enables IT control over enterprise applications on end users' corporate and personal smartphones and tablets.

  • mobile malware

    Mobile malware is malicious software specifically written to attack mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches.

  • mobile service provider

    A mobile service provider (MSP) is a company that offers mobile communication services to users of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs.

  • mobile UI (mobile user interface)

    A mobile UI (mobile user interface) is the graphical and usually touch-sensitive display on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet, that allows the user to interact with the device's apps, features, content and functions.

  • mobile workforce management (MWM)

    Mobile workforce management (MWM) is a category of software and related services used to manage employees working outside the company premises; the term is often used in reference to field teams.

  • moment of truth (marketing MOT)

    A moment of truth (MOT) is marketing lingo for any opportunity a customer (or potential customer) has to form an impression about a company, brand, product or service.

  • MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System)

    MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) was the Microsoft-marketed version of the first widely-installed operating system in personal computers.

  • Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)

    Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is a communications technology developed by 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) to enable the transmission of multimedia content via text message.

  • mySAP

    MySAP, a product of the German software company SAP, is an e-business software integration tool that delivers content to a user based on his or her role in an enterprise.

  • Task Manager

    Task Manager, which was previously known as Microsoft Windows Task Manager, is a component of the Windows operating system (OS) that helps administrators and end users monitor, manage and troubleshoot tasks.

  • What is a mobile operating system?

    A mobile operating system (OS) is software that enables smartphones, tablets and other devices to run applications and programs.

  • What is a mobile VPN?

    A mobile virtual private network (mobile VPN) is a type of VPN specifically designed to maintain a stable and secure connection while a user moves across different networks.

  • What is manager self-service?

    Manager self-service is a type of human resource management (HRM) platform that gives supervisors immediate access to employee information and facilitates employee-related actions.

  • What is market segmentation?

    Market segmentation is a marketing strategy that uses well-defined criteria to divide a brand's total addressable market share into smaller groups.

  • What is martech (marketing technology)?

    Martech (marketing technology) refers to the integration of software tools, platforms and applications designed to streamline and enhance digital marketing.

  • What is Microsoft OneDrive and how do you use it?

    OneDrive is Microsoft's online cloud storage service.

  • What is Microsoft Power BI? Uses, features and guide

    Microsoft Power BI is a business intelligence (BI) platform that provides nontechnical business users with tools for aggregating, analyzing, visualizing and sharing data.

  • What is Microsoft SharePoint and its important features?

    Microsoft SharePoint is a document management and collaboration platform that helps organizations oversee, control and work with archives, documents, reports and other content that is vital to their business processes.

  • What is Microsoft Windows 10?

    Windows 10 is a Microsoft operating system (OS) for PCs, tablets and some internet of things devices.

  • What is Microsoft Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK)?

    The Microsoft Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) is a set of tools that IT professionals can combine to prepare, assess and launch image-based Windows deployments.

  • What is Microsoft Windows System Image Manager (SIM)?

    Microsoft Windows System Image Manager (SIM) is a tool in the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit that IT professionals can use to create and manage unattended setup answer files for Windows before installing the operating system.

  • What is MIMO (multiple input, multiple output)?

    MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) is an antenna technology for wireless communications in which multiple antennas are used at both the source (transmitter) and the destination (receiver).

  • What is mindshare (share of mind)?

    Mindshare, also known as share of mind, is an approach to marketing that involves attempting to make a company, brand or product the first one that comes to mind when a customer thinks of a particular market.

  • What is mobile computing?

    Mobile computing refers to the set of IT technologies, products, services and operational strategies and procedures that enable end users to access computation, information and related resources and capabilities while mobile.

  • What is mobile CRM?

    Mobile CRM, or mobile customer relationship management, enables those working in the field or remote employees to use mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to access customer data and customer accounts wherever they are.

  • What is mobile device management (MDM)?

    Mobile device management (MDM) software enables IT administrators to control, secure and enforce policies on smartphones, tablets and other endpoints.

  • What is mobile platform as a service (MPaaS)?

    Mobile platform as a service (mPaaS) is a specialized type of PaaS designed to provide an integrated development environment (IDE), deployment platform, lifecycle management and analytics for mobile and web applications.

  • What is mobile threat defense (MTD)?

    Mobile threat defense (MTD) software protects organizations and individuals from security threats on mobile platforms.

  • What is multichannel marketing?

    Multichannel marketing refers to the practice of companies interacting with customers via multiple direct and indirect channels to sell them goods and services.

  • N

    near-field communication (NFC)

    Near-field communication (NFC) is a short-range wireless connectivity technology that uses magnetic field induction to enable communication between devices when they're touched together or brought within a few centimeters of each other.

  • Net Promoter Score (NPS)

    Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a metric that organizations use for assessing customer loyalty toward their brand, products or services.

  • Network File System (NFS)

    Network File System (NFS) is a networking protocol for distributed file sharing.

  • neuromarketing

    Neuromarketing is the study of how people's brains respond to advertising and other brand-related messages by scientifically monitoring brainwave activity, eye tracking and skin response.

  • notebook computer

    A notebook computer is a battery- or AC-powered personal computer generally smaller than a briefcase that can easily be transported and conveniently used in temporary spaces, such as airplanes, libraries, temporary offices and meetings.

  • O

    OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)

    OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) encourage companies to set, communicate and monitor organizational goals and results in an effective, transparent manner.

  • omnichannel

    Omnichannel -- also spelled omni-channel -- is an approach to sales, marketing and customer support that seeks to provide customers with a seamless and unified brand experience, regardless of which channel they use.

  • Oracle Customer Experience Cloud (Oracle CX Cloud)

    Oracle Customer Experience Cloud (Oracle CX Cloud) is a suite of cloud-based tools for customer relationship management (CRM), sales, marketing, customer service, e-commerce and other tools, such as configure, price, quote (CPQ) tools.

  • OTA update (over-the-air update)

    An over-the-air (OTA) update is the wireless delivery of new software, firmware or other data to mobile devices.

  • outbound marketing

    Outbound marketing is a traditional form of marketing in which an organization initiates contact with potential customers, or leads.

  • What is an outbound call?

    An outbound call is one initiated by a contact center agent to prospective customers and focuses on sales, lead generation, telemarketing and fundraising.

  • What is OCR (optical character recognition)?

    OCR (optical character recognition) is the use of technology to distinguish printed or handwritten text characters inside digital images of physical documents, such as a scanned paper document.

  • What is Open Platform Communications (OPC)?

    Open Platform Communications (OPC) is an interoperability standard for secure data exchange in industrial automation and other areas.

  • What is order management?

    Order management is the administration of business processes related to orders for goods or services.

  • What is order to cash (OTC or O2C)?

    Order to cash, or OTC or O2C, is a business process that involves receiving and fulfilling customer requests for goods or services.

  • P

    Parallels Desktop for Mac

    Parallels Desktop for Mac is desktop virtualization software that allows Microsoft Windows, Linux and Google Chrome OSes and applications to run on an Apple Mac computer.