Browse Definitions by Alphabet

CSO (Chief Security Officer) - A Chief Security Officer (CSO) is a C-suite executive responsible for a company's physical and digital security.
CSR (Certificate Signing Request) - A Certificate Signing Request (CSR) is a specially formatted encrypted message sent from a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) digital certificate applicant to a certificate authority (CA).
CSS (cascading style sheets) - This definition explains the meaning of cascading style sheets (CSS) and how using them with HTML pages is a user interface (UI) development best practice that complies with the separation of concerns design pattern.
CSSLP (Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional) - CSSLP (Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional) is a certification from ISC2 that focuses on application security within the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
CSU/DSU (Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit) - A CSU/DSU (Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit) is a hardware device about the size of a modem.
CSV (Cluster Shared Volumes) - CSV (Cluster Shared Volumes) is a feature in Windows Server in which shared disks are concurrently accessible to all nodes within a failover cluster.
Ctrl-Alt-Delete - On a personal computer with the Microsoft Windows operating system, Control+Alt+Delete is the combination of the Ctrl key, the Alt key, and Del key that a user can press at the same time to terminate an application task or to reboot the operating system.
culture of failure (blameless culture) - A culture of failure is a set of shared values, goals and practices that encourages learning through experimentation.
curation - Curation is a field of endeavor involved with assembling, managing and presenting some type of collection.
curiosity artificial intelligence (curiosity AI) - Curiosity artificial intelligence (curiosity AI) is the simulation of human curiosity in artificial intelligence.
currency - Currency is anything that is generally accepted to have value as a medium of exchange so that it can be traded for goods and services.
current - Current is a flow of electrical charge carriers, usually electrons or electron-deficient atoms.
cursor - A cursor is the position indicator on a computer display screen where a user can enter text.
customer acquisition cost - Customer acquisition cost is the fee associated with convincing a consumer to buy your product or service, including research, marketing and advertising costs.
customer analytics (customer data analytics) - Customer analytics, also called customer data analytics, is the systematic examination of a company's customer information and behavior to identify, attract and retain the most profitable customers.
customer base - Customer base is the group of clients to whom a business markets and sells their goods or services.
customer churn (customer attrition) - Customer churn, also called customer attrition, is the number of paying customers who fail to become repeat customers.
customer data integration (CDI) - Customer data integration (CDI) is the process of defining, consolidating and managing customer information across an organization's business units and systems to achieve a "single version of the truth" for customer data.
customer data management (CDM) - Customer data management (CDM) is a set of administrative processes that allow data about customers and customer interactions from different source systems to be aggregated and normalized.
customer data platform (CDP) - A customer data platform (CDP) is a type of software application that provides a unified platform of customer information that can be collected, viewed or accessed by other systems.
customer demographics - Customer demographics are categories of consumer populations that are relevant to a business' purposes, such as marketing and product design.
customer engagement - Customer engagement is the way a company creates a relationship with its customer base to foster brand loyalty and awareness.
customer insight (consumer insight) - Customer insight, also known as consumer insight, is the understanding and interpretation of customer data, behaviors and feedback into conclusions that can be used to improve product development and customer support.
customer journey map - A customer journey map is a visual representation of the stages a customer goes through when interacting with a company.
customer journey orchestration - Customer journey orchestration is the coordination of customer experiences in real time, in an omnichannel environment, to better understand customer needs and encourage further interaction with a brand.
customer lifecycle - In customer relationship management (CRM), customer lifecycle is a term used to describe the progression of steps a customer goes through when considering, purchasing, using and maintaining loyalty to a product or service.
customer premises equipment (CPE) - Customer premises equipment (CPE) is telecommunications and information technology equipment kept at the customer's physical location rather than on the service provider's premises.
customer profiling - Customer profiling is the detailed and systematic process of constructing a clear portrait of a company's ideal customer by gathering and analyzing information about their demographic, psychographic and behavioral attributes.
customer proprietary network information (CPNI) - Customer proprietary network information (CPNI) in the United States is information that telecommunications services -- such as local, long-distance and wireless telephone companies -- acquire about their subscribers.
customer retention - Customer retention is a metric that measures customer loyalty, or an organization's ability to retain customers over time.
customer satisfaction (CSAT) - Customer satisfaction (CSAT) is a measure of the degree to which a product or service meets customer expectations.
customer self-service (CSS) - Customer self-service is a type of electronic support (e-support) that allows end users to access information and perform routine tasks without requiring the assistance of a human.
customer service and support - Customer service is the support that organizations offer to customers before and after purchasing a product or service.
customer service charter - A customer service charter is a document that outlines how an organization promises to work with its customers along with providing insights into how an organization operates.
customer success - Customer success is a strategy to ensure a company's products are meeting the needs of the customer.
customer touchpoint - A customer touchpoint is any direct or indirect contact a customer has with a brand.
customer-managed relationship (CMR) - A customer-managed relationship (CMR) is a relationship in which a business uses a methodology, software, apps and perhaps internet capability to encourage the customer to control access to information and ordering.
CVO (Chief Visionary Officer) - The Chief Visionary Officer (CVO) is a newer title where the holder is expected to have a broad and comprehensive knowledge of all matters related to the business of the organization, as well as the vision required to steer its course into the future.
cyber espionage - Cyber espionage (cyberespionage) is a type of cyber attack that malicious hackers carry out against a business or government entity.
cyber extortion - Cyber extortion is a crime involving an attack or threat of an attack coupled with a demand for money or some other response in return for stopping or remediating the attack.
cyber hijacking - Cyber hijacking, or computer hijacking, is a type of network security attack in which the attacker takes control of computer systems, software programs and/or network communications.
cyber insurance - Cyber insurance, also called cyber liability insurance or cybersecurity insurance, is a contract an entity can purchase to help reduce the financial risks associated with doing business online.
cyber resilience - Cyber resilience is the ability of a computing system to identify, respond and recover quickly should it experience a security incident.
cyberbullying - Cyberbullying is a type of bullying in which one or more individuals use digital technologies to intentionally and repeatedly cause harm to another person.
cyberpicketing - Cyberpicketing is the use of the Internet to protest a corporation or other institution's wages, work conditions, products, environmental policy, or other issues.
cyberpsychology - Cyberpsychology is the field of study pertaining to the way people interact through computers or digital devices and the emotional effects that usage has on the brain.
cybersecurity - Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting internet-connected systems such as hardware, software and data from cyberthreats.
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) - Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is the division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that is tasked with defending the infrastructure of the internet and improving its resilience and security.
cybersecurity asset management (CSAM) - Cybersecurity asset management (CSAM) is the process created to continuously discover, inventory, monitor, manage and track an organization's assets to determine what those assets do and identify and automatically remediate any gaps in its cybersecurity protections.
cyberstalking - Cyberstalking is a crime in which someone harasses or stalks a victim using electronic or digital means, such as social media, email, instant messaging (IM) or messages posted to a discussion group or forum.
cyberterrorism - Cyberterrorism is usually defined as any premeditated, politically motivated attack against information systems, programs, and data that threatens violence or results in violence.
cyberwarfare - The generally accepted definition of cyberwarfare is a series of cyber attacks against a nation-state, causing it significant harm.
Cygwin - Cygwin is a collection of open source tools that allows Unix or Linux applications to be compiled and run on a Microsoft Windows operating system (OS) from within a Linux-like interface.
CYOD (choose your own device) - CYOD (choose your own device) is an employee provisioning model in which an organization allows people to select the mobile devices they would like, usually from a limited number of options.
IT consultant - A consultant is an experienced individual in a given field who provides expert advice for a fee.
What are CPE (continuing professional education) credits? - Continuing professional education, or CPE, credit is a term referring to the points professionals receive for participating in specialized training in IT and other fields.
What is a call center? Everything you need to know - A call center is a centralized department of customer service professionals who handle inbound and outbound calls from current and potential customers.
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.
What is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)? - Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) is a certification and globally recognized standard for appraising an IT auditor's knowledge, expertise and skill in assessing vulnerabilities and instituting IT controls in an enterprise environment.
What is a chief sustainability officer (CSO)? - A chief sustainability officer (CSO) is an executive tasked with improving sustainability within the company.
What is a class diagram? - A class diagram is an illustration of the relationships and source code dependencies among classes in the Unified Modeling Language (UML).
What is a cloud access security broker (CASB)? - A cloud access security broker (CASB) is a software tool or service that sits between an organization's on-premises infrastructure and a cloud provider's infrastructure.
What is a cloud architect and how do you become one? - A cloud architect is an IT professional who is responsible for overseeing a company's cloud computing strategy.
What is a cloud database? An in-depth cloud DBMS guide - A cloud database is an organized and managed collection of data in an IT system that resides on a public, private or hybrid cloud computing platform.
What is a cloud engineer? Key skills and how to become one - A cloud engineer is an IT professional responsible for any technological duties associated with cloud computing, including design, planning, management, maintenance and support.
What is a cloud-native network function (CNF)? - A cloud-native network function (CNF) is a service that performs network duties in software, as opposed to purpose-built hardware.
What is a command prompt? - A command prompt is the input field in a text-based user interface screen for an operating system (OS) or program.
What is a CompactFlash card (CF card)? - A CompactFlash card (CF card) is a memory card format developed by SanDisk in 1994 that uses flash memory technology to store data on a very small portable device.
What is a computer exploit? - A computer exploit, or exploit, is a program or piece of code developed to take advantage of a vulnerability in a computer or network system.
What is a Consensus Algorithm? - A consensus algorithm is a process in computer science used to achieve agreement on a single data value among distributed processes or systems.
What is a contact center? - A contact center is a central point from which organizations manage all customer interactions across various channels.
What is a content management system (CMS)? - A content management system (CMS) is a software application that lets users create, edit, collaborate on, publish and store digital content.
What is a customer account record? - A customer account record is the basic unit of information about a customer that resides in a CRM, or customer relationship management system.
What is a customer effort score (CES)? - Customer effort score (CES) is a system for evaluating how much effort is required on the part of a customer to achieve satisfaction in their experience with a company.
What is a customer health score? - A customer health score is a value that indicates the long-term prospect for a customer to drop off or, conversely, to become a high-value, repeat customer through renewal or Cross-selling or up-selling strategies.
What is a cyber attack? How they work and how to stop them - A cyber attack is any malicious attempt to gain unauthorized access to a computer, computing system or computer network with the intent to cause damage.
What is C (programming language)? - The C programming language is a procedural and general-purpose language that provides low-level access to system memory.
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.
What is call management? - Call management is a process in which inbound telephone calls are routed to call center agents.
What is Ceph? - Ceph is an open source software solution that provides a unified system for enterprise-level object, block- and file-based storage.
What is change failure rate (CFR)? - Change failure rate is a software development performance metric that measures the percentage of software deliveries that required remediation after release to production.
What is Change Healthcare? - Change Healthcare is a healthcare technology provider specializing in revenue cycle management, payment management and health information exchange solutions.
What is ChatGPT? - ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that uses natural language processing to create humanlike conversational dialogue.
What is Cisco Performance Routing (PfR)? - Cisco Performance Routing (PfR) is a way of sending network packets based on intelligent path control.
What is closed loop reporting? - Closed loop reporting (CLR) is a system in which data and information collected by marketing and sales professionals is made available to both teams.
What is cloud application performance management (cloud APM)? - Cloud application performance management (cloud APM) is the process of monitoring resources that support software application performance in public cloud, private cloud and hybrid cloud environments.
What is cloud automation? - Cloud automation is a broad term that refers to processes and tools that reduce or eliminate manual efforts used to provision and manage cloud computing workloads and services.
What is cloud backup and how does it work? - Cloud backup, also known as online backup or remote backup, is a strategy for sending a copy of a physical or virtual file or database to a secondary, off-site location for preservation in case of equipment failure, site catastrophe or human malfeasance.
What is cloud computing? Types, examples and benefits - Cloud computing is a general term for the delivery of hosted computing services and IT resources over the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing.
What is cloud consulting? Everything you should know - Cloud consulting assists organizations with the complexity of cloud computing including building, deploying, managing and securing applications and infrastructure in the cloud.
What is cloud detection and response (CDR)? - Cloud computing requires a security approach that is different than traditional protections.
What is cloud economics? - Cloud economics analyzes the total cost of ownership, benefits of cloud services and the overall computing costs in an enterprise environment, focusing on the economic principles driving these factors.
What is cloud elasticity? - Cloud elasticity is the ability, in real time, to increase or decrease cloud computing resources, such as central processing unit (CPU) power, memory and storage capacity, as well as input and output bandwidth, to meet unexpected changes in online traffic.
What is cloud infrastructure? - Cloud infrastructure refers to the hardware and software components -- such as servers, storage, networking, virtualization software, services and management tools -- that support the computing requirements of a cloud computing model.
What is cloud management? Definition, benefits and guide - Cloud management refers to the exercise of control over public, private or hybrid cloud infrastructure resources and services.
What is cloud migration? Essential guide to moving to the cloud - Cloud migration is the process of moving data, applications or other business elements to a cloud computing environment.
What is cloud networking? - Cloud networking is a type of IT infrastructure in which the cloud hosts some or all of an organization's networking resources.
What is cloud repatriation and what are the leading causes? - Cloud repatriation refers to the practice of relocating public cloud applications to different locations, most often on premises and for financial, performance and regulatory reasons.
What is cloud scalability? - Scalability in cloud computing refers to the ability of a cloud environment to adapt to increasing workloads over time without a noticeable change in performance or reliability.
What is cloud sprawl? - Cloud sprawl is the uncontrolled proliferation of an organization's cloud instances, services or providers.