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• What is a decision support system (DSS)?

  A decision support system (DSS) is a computer program used to improve a company's decision-making capabilities. Continue Reading

• What is an entrepreneur (entrepreneurship)?

  An entrepreneur is an individual who identifies a need in the marketplace and works to fulfill it. Continue Reading

• What is an IT service catalog?

  An IT service catalog is a list of information technology resources and offerings available from the IT service provider within an organization. Continue Reading

• What is a startup accelerator?

  A startup accelerator, sometimes referred to as a seed accelerator, is a business program that supports early-stage, growth-driven companies through education, mentorship and financing. Continue Reading

• What is a software license?

  A software license is a document that provides legally binding guidelines for the use and distribution of software. Continue Reading

• Definitions to Get Started

  • What is a chief data officer (CDO)?
  • What is user-generated content?
  • What is business process outsourcing (BPO)?
  • What is a data governance policy?

  • What is user experience and UX design? Why should you care?
  • What is a reseller?
  • What is deal registration?
  • What is a distributor agreement (distribution agreement)?

  View All Definitions

• How edge can help improve sustainability -- and how it can't

  Edge computing can help support sustainability, but it has a negative environmental impact as well. Learn about the technology's benefits and challenges.Continue Reading

• AI transparency: What is it and why do we need it?

  As AI adoption has increased, the concept of AI transparency has broadened in scope and grown in importance. Learn what it means for enterprise AI teams.Continue Reading

• What is data storytelling?

  Data storytelling is the process of translating complex data analyses into understandable terms to inform a business decision or action.Continue Reading

• What is an ESG score?

  An ESG score is a way to assign a quantitative metric, such as a numerical score or letter rating, to the environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts or an organization.Continue Reading

• What is demand shaping?

  Demand shaping is an operational supply chain management (SCM) strategy where a company uses tactics such as price incentives, cost modifications and product substitutions to entice customers to purchase specific items.Continue Reading

• What is data monetization?

  Data monetization is the process of measuring the economic benefit of corporate data.Continue Reading

• What is C-level (C-suite)?

  C-level, also called the C-suite, is a term used to describe high-ranking executive titles in an organization.Continue Reading

• What is value-sensitive design?

  Value-sensitive design is a concept that advocates the consideration of human principles and standards when planning technology.Continue Reading

• What is an organizational goal?

  Organizational goals are strategic objectives that a company's management establishes to outline expected outcomes and guide employees' efforts toward the achievement of those outcomes.Continue Reading

• Project planning: What it is and 5 steps to create a plan

  Project planning is a project management discipline that addresses how to complete a project in a certain time frame, usually with clearly defined stages, milestones and designated resources.Continue Reading

• Sustainability training for employees: Benefits and tips

  More organizations have ESG goals. But if leaders are overlooking employee education, success is unlikely. Here's why sustainability training matters and how to get it right.Continue Reading

• A timeline and history of ESG investing, rules and practices

  Many events, trends and actions have influenced the development of corporate ESG strategies and ESG investing approaches. These are key milestones to know about.Continue Reading

• What is executive leadership?

  Executive leadership is the ability of those who manage or direct employees in an organization to influence and guide these individuals.Continue Reading

• Learn about the negative impacts of technical debt

  Key leadership decisions like poor architecture to rushed processes can lead to technical debt that will affect a company long-term. Learn more about these effects.Continue Reading

• What is sales motion?

  A sales motion is the particular sales method an organization uses to sell and deliver a product or a service to its customers.Continue Reading

• What is Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN)?

  Oracle PartnerNetwork, also known as OPN, is a channel partner program that provides resources and benefits for value-added resellers (VARs), independent software vendors (ISVs) and other businesses that want to collaborate with Oracle.Continue Reading

• What is transfer learning?

  Transfer learning is a machine learning (ML) technique where an already developed ML model is reused in another task.Continue Reading

• What is hardware as a service (HaaS)?

  Hardware as a service (HaaS) is a procurement model that's similar to leasing or licensing. Hardware that belongs to a managed service provider (MSP) is installed at a customer's site and a service level agreement (SLA) defines the responsibilities ...Continue Reading

• What is ROI? How to calculate return on investment

  Return on investment (ROI) is a crucial financial metric investors and businesses use to evaluate an investment's efficiency or compare the efficiencies of several different investments.Continue Reading

• What is professional services automation (PSA)?

  Professional services automation (PSA) is a type of software application suite that provides a service business with the functionality it needs to manage core business processes.Continue Reading

• What is a chief sustainability officer (CSO)?

  A chief sustainability officer (CSO) is an executive tasked with improving sustainability within the company.Continue Reading

• ESG, SRI and impact investing: Key differences explained

  Understanding the nuances of ESG investing, SRI and impact investing is important for companies and investors. Learn what they have in common and how they differ.Continue Reading

• What is corporate social responsibility (CSR)?

  Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a strategy undertaken by companies to not just grow profits, but also to take an active and positive social role in the world around them. The term is also associated with the related term corporate ...Continue Reading

• What is digital labor?

  Digital labor is work that's performed by robotic process automation (RPA) systems and interactive applications, including chatbots and digital assistants.Continue Reading

• Core competencies: What they are and how they lead to success

  For any organization, its core competencies refer to the capabilities, knowledge, skills and resources that constitute its 'defining strengths.'Continue Reading

• What is sustainable procurement?

  Sustainable procurement is an approach used by organizations to ensure that environmental, social and economic considerations are part of their purchasing decisions.Continue Reading

• CSRD explained: What U.S., other companies need to know

  The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive requires companies to report on a broad range of sustainability topics. Learn about its tenets, requirements and deadlines.Continue Reading

• What is a startup company?

  A startup company is a newly formed business with particular momentum behind it based on perceived demand for its product or service.Continue Reading

• What is a CEO (chief executive officer)?

  A chief executive officer (CEO) is the highest-ranking position in an organization and responsible for implementing plans and policies related to a company's financial strength, operational efficiency and strategic management.Continue Reading

• What is labor arbitrage?

  Labor arbitrage is the practice of searching for and then using the lowest-cost workforce to produce products or goods.Continue Reading

• What is data privacy?

  Data privacy, also called information privacy, is an aspect of data protection that addresses the proper storage, access, retention, immutability and security of sensitive data.Continue Reading

• Digital transformation vs. digital optimization: How to choose

  Companies striving to do more with less seek innovative strategies to overcome this challenge. Learn more about digital transformation vs. digital optimization.Continue Reading

• 6 tips to plan a digital transformation budget

  Formulating budgets for digital transformation projects is fraught with complexities, expectations and unknowns that differentiate it from traditional IT and business planning.Continue Reading

• 12 digital transformation benefits for business

  Efficiency, resiliency, productivity and ROI are among the most critical digital transformation benefits for businesses fighting to remain competitive and gain market share.Continue Reading

• product development (new product development)

  Product development -- also called new product management -- is a series of steps that includes the conceptualization, design, development and marketing of newly created or rebranded goods and services.Continue Reading

• CIO's green IT guide: Fusing technology and sustainability

  Fusing sustainability objectives with IT development is complex. It requires strategy, cooperation and vision. Learn to successfully integrate green IT into operations here.Continue Reading

• innovation culture

  Innovation culture is the work environment that leaders cultivate to nurture unorthodox thinking and its application.Continue Reading

• technology addiction

  Technology addiction is an impulse control disorder that involves the obsessive use of mobile devices, the internet or video games, despite the negative consequences to the technology user.Continue Reading

• 7 of the top tech and IT jobs in demand for the future

  Businesses of the future will rely on workers with IT skills even more than they do today. Find out which jobs might be most in demand and what those roles entail.Continue Reading

• Top cloud compliance standards and how to use them

  Get guidance on how relevant cloud compliance standards are developed and tips on evaluating third-party providers' cloud compliance and governance efforts.Continue Reading

• go-to-market strategy

  A go-to-market strategy (GTM strategy) is an action plan that specifies how a company will bring a new product or service to market while reaching its target customers.Continue Reading

• data collection

  Data collection is the process of gathering data for use in business decision-making, strategic planning, research and other purposes.Continue Reading

• chief trust officer

  A chief trust officer (CTrO) in the IT industry is an executive job title given to the person responsible for building confidence around the use of customer information.Continue Reading

• feedback loop

  A feedback loop is the part of a system in which some portion (or all) of the system's output is used as input for future operations.Continue Reading

• green IT (green information technology)

  Green IT (green information technology) is the practice of creating and using environmentally sustainable computing resources.Continue Reading

• data protection impact assessment (DPIA)

  A data protection impact assessment (DPIA) is a process designed to help organizations determine how data processing systems, procedures or technologies affect individuals' privacy and eliminate any risks that might violate compliance.Continue Reading

• ESG materiality assessments: What businesses need to know

  Identifying the ESG issues that are important to the business and to both internal and external stakeholders can help organizations develop a plan to address them.Continue Reading

• artificial neuron

  An artificial neuron is a connection point in an artificial neural network.Continue Reading

• Regulation SCI (Regulation Systems Compliance and Integrity)

  Regulation SCI (Regulation Systems Compliance and Integrity) is a set of rules adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to monitor the security and capabilities of U.S. securities markets' technology infrastructure.Continue Reading

• strategic management

  Strategic management is the ongoing planning, monitoring, analysis and assessment of all necessities an organization needs to meet its goals and objectives.Continue Reading

• Green IT audit: What it is and how to prepare

  A green IT audit uses standards to help companies understand the ways an organization's tech practices affect the environment. Here's a broad overview and some tips to get started.Continue Reading

• IT budget

  IT budget is the amount of money spent on an organization's information technology systems and services. It includes compensation for IT professionals and expenses related to the construction and maintenance of enterprise-wide systems and services.Continue Reading

• project scope

  Project scope is the part of project planning that involves determining and documenting a list of specific project goals, deliverables, tasks, costs and deadlines.Continue Reading

• change management

  Change management is a systematic approach to dealing with the transition or transformation of an organization's goals, processes and technologies.Continue Reading

• IT project management

  IT project management is the process of planning, organizing and delineating responsibility for the completion of an organizations' specific information technology (IT) goals.Continue Reading

• chief financial officer (CFO)

  A chief financial officer (CFO) is the corporate title for the person responsible for managing a company's financial operations and strategy.Continue Reading

• chief strategy officer (CSO)

  A chief strategy officer (CSO) is a C-level executive charged with helping formulate, facilitate and communicate an organization's strategic initiatives and future goals.Continue Reading

• workflow management

  Workflow management is the discipline of creating, documenting, monitoring and improving upon the series of steps, or workflow, that is required to complete a specific task.Continue Reading

• strategic planning

  Strategic planning is a process in which an organization's leaders define their vision for the future and identify their organization's goals and objectives.Continue Reading

• B2B (business to business)

  B2B (business-to-business) is a type of commerce involving the exchange of products, services or information between businesses, rather than from business to consumer (B2C).Continue Reading

• service-level agreement (SLA)

  A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its customers that documents what services the provider will furnish and defines the service standards the provider is obligated to meet. A service-level commitment (SLC) ...Continue Reading

• Eye tracking in VR: Everything you need to know

  Advancements in eye tracking technology could make VR headsets more useful. Still, products need to address cybersickness and other factors that affect the user experience.Continue Reading

• big data as a service (BDaaS)

  Big data as a service (BDaS) is the delivery of data platforms and tools by a cloud provider to help organizations process, manage and analyze large data sets so they can generate insights to improve business operations and gain a competitive ...Continue Reading

• information governance

  Information governance is a holistic approach to managing corporate information by implementing processes, roles, controls and metrics that treat information as a valuable business asset.Continue Reading

• 5 tips for creating a data-driven culture

  A Capital One data product executive lists best practices for data-driven organizations, including top-down messaging, a three-tiered data ecosystem and democratized data access.Continue Reading

• Today's virtual reality use cases and industry applications

  Applications of virtual reality in business are growing, as a range of industries finds valuable uses for this rapidly evolving technology.Continue Reading

• Nvidia Omniverse

  Nvidia Omniverse is a computing platform built to enhance digital design and development by integrating 3D design, spatial computing and physics-based workflows across Nvidia tools, third-party apps and AI services.Continue Reading

• model-based systems engineering (MBSE)

  Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) uses models to share information across collaborators in the design, development, test and operation of complex systems.Continue Reading

• digital strategy (digital media strategy)

  A digital strategy, sometimes called a digital media strategy, is a plan for maximizing the business benefits of data assets and technology-focused initiatives.Continue Reading

• Metaverse vs. multiverse vs. omniverse: Key differences

  Virtual realities are coming to a computer interface near you. Will you be joining a metaverse, multiverse or an enterprise-oriented version of the omniverse?Continue Reading

• 5 ways to reduce an organization's digital carbon footprint

  From optimizing video conferences to minimizing unnecessary data storage, learn practical strategies that can help shrink an organization's digital carbon footprint.Continue Reading

• The Metaverse Standards Forum: What you need to know

  Creating an open and inclusive metaverse will require the development and adoption of interoperability standards. That's the tall order of the Metaverse Standards Forum.Continue Reading

• conflict-free replicated data type (CRDT)

  A conflict-free replicated data type (CRDT) is a data structure that lets multiple people or applications make changes to the same piece of data.Continue Reading

• 10 skills CIO job candidates need in 2024

  Learn which capabilities chief information officer candidates need in 2024 if they want to land top roles and which macro factors are driving changes in IT leadership.Continue Reading

• Top business process modeling techniques with examples

  Business process modeling techniques and tools provide a visual representation of processes that's crucial to effectively monitoring, improving and streamlining the flow of tasks.Continue Reading

• RMM software (remote monitoring and management software)

  RMM software (remote monitoring and management software) is a type of application that information technology (IT) service providers and departments use to maintain their clients' and business organizations' IT assets, infrastructure and systems.Continue Reading

• How to develop a business process in 8 steps

  Well-designed business processes help organizations achieve their goals faster, but they require planning and effort. Follow these steps to develop processes that deliver value.Continue Reading

• How to improve and optimize a business process, step by step

  The processes that form the backbone of modern business operations require continuous improvement to stay effective and efficient. Here is a method for improving them.Continue Reading

• robotic process automation (RPA)

  Robotic process automation (RPA) is a technology that mimics the way humans interact with software to perform high-volume, repeatable tasks.Continue Reading

• spatial computing

  Spatial computing broadly characterizes the processes and tools used to capture, process and interact with three-dimensional (3D) data.Continue Reading

• 7 top technologies for metaverse development

  Several advanced technologies in various stages of maturity have been powering everyday business processes. How will they one day transform the 3D virtual world into reality?Continue Reading

• embodied carbon

  Embodied carbon is the measurable greenhouse gas emissions of an infrastructure's entire construction, maintenance and demolition processes.Continue Reading

• value chain

  A value chain is a concept describing the full chain of a business's activities in creating a product or service -- from initial receipt of materials through its delivery to market.Continue Reading

• consumer data

  Consumer data is the information that organizations collect from individuals who use internet-connected platforms, including websites, social media networks, mobile apps, text messaging apps or email systems.Continue Reading

• Top metaverse investors and how to start investing

  Would-be metaverse investors have many ways to get in on the action. Read our coverage of the metaverse's top investors, direct investing opportunities and investment risks.Continue Reading

• competitive differentiation

  Competitive differentiation is a strategic positioning tactic an organization can undertake to set its products, services and brands apart from those of its competitors.Continue Reading

• reshoring

  Reshoring is the process of bringing back manufacturing or production operations to their country of origin or a nearby region.Continue Reading

• shared services

  Shared services is a delivery model organizations use to consolidate similar business functions into a single unit that supports the entire organization.Continue Reading

• enterprise agility

  Enterprise agility is a paradigm for scaling agile methodologies beyond development teams.Continue Reading

• Gaussian splatting

  Gaussian splatting renders extremely high-quality images -- using numerous scans of an object -- that can then be viewed from any angle and explored in real time.Continue Reading

• Tech a double-edged sword in race to sustainability

  As cloud computing and digital reliance grow, so, too, does the need to focus on sustainability. Here's a look at some of the urgent issues, as well as some of the progress.Continue Reading

• startup culture

  A startup culture is a workplace environment that values creative problem-solving, open communication and a flat hierarchy.Continue Reading

• SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud)

  SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud) is the concept that the convergence of four technologies is currently driving business innovation.Continue Reading

• OODA loop

  The OODA loop -- Observe, Orient, Decide, Act -- is a four-step approach to decision-making that focuses on filtering available information, putting it in context and quickly making the most appropriate decision, while also understanding that ...Continue Reading

• paternalistic leadership

  Paternalistic leadership is a managerial approach that involves a dominant authority figure who acts as a patriarch or matriarch and treats employees and partners as though they were members of a large, extended family.Continue Reading