Browse Definitions by Alphabet

session layer - The session layer is Layer 5 of the OSI communications model.
seven wastes - The seven wastes are categories of unproductive manufacturing practices identified by Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System (TPS).
shadow IT - Shadow IT is hardware or software within an enterprise that is not supported by the organization's central IT department.
shadow password file - A shadow password file, also known as /etc/shadow, is a system file in Linux that stores encrypted user passwords and is accessible only to the root user, preventing unauthorized users or malicious actors from breaking into the system.
sharding - Sharding is a type of database partitioning that separates large databases into smaller, faster, more easily managed parts.
share of wallet (SOW) or wallet share - Share of wallet (SOW) is a marketing metric used to calculate the percentage of a customer's spending for a type of product or service that goes to a particular company.
Shared Key Authentication (SKA) - Shared Key Authentication (SKA) is a process by which a computer can gain access to a wireless network that uses the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol.
shared services - Shared services is a delivery model organizations use to consolidate similar business functions into a single unit that supports the entire organization.
SharePoint administrator - A SharePoint administrator is the person who oversees an organization's installation and operation of the Microsoft SharePoint collaboration and content management platform.
SharePoint Online - Microsoft SharePoint Online is a collection of cloud- and web-based technologies that make it easy for organizations to store, share and manage digital information.
shareware - Shareware is software that is distributed free on a trial basis with the understanding that the user may need or want to pay for it later.
shell program - A shell program is software that provides users with an interface for accessing services in the kernel.
shift register - A shift register is a digital memory circuit found in calculators, computers, and data-processing systems.
shift-left testing - Shift-left testing is a software testing approach in which the code is tested in the earlier stages of the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
shingled magnetic recording (SMR) - Shingled magnetic recording (SMR) is a technique for writing data to a hard disk drive (HDD) whereby the data tracks partially overlap to increase the areal density and overall storage capacity per disk.
shoppable video - A shoppable video is a way for consumers to discover products and make a purchase through links within the video.
shoulder surfing - Shoulder surfing is using direct observation techniques, such as looking over someone's shoulder, to get information.
show-me marketing - Show-me marketing is the practice of telling a brand's story and engaging consumers through pictures, videos and other visual media.
sidecar proxy - A sidecar proxy is an application design pattern which abstracts certain features, such as inter-service communications, monitoring and security, away from the main architecture to ease the tracking and maintenance of an application.
sideloading - Sideloading is the installation of an application on a mobile device without using the device's official application distribution method.
SIGINT (signals intelligence) - SIGINT (signals intelligence) is information gained by the collection and analysis of the electronic signals and communications of a given target.
Signaling System 7 (SS7) - Signaling System 7 (SS7) is an international telecommunication protocol standard that defines how the network elements in a public switched telephone network (PSTN) exchange information and control signals.
simplex - Simplex is a communications mode in which only one signal is transmitted, and it always goes in the same direction.
single point of failure (SPOF) - A single point of failure (SPOF) is a potential risk posed by a flaw in the design, implementation or configuration of a circuit or system.
single-factor authentication (SFA) - Single-factor authentication (SFA) is a process for securing access to a given system, such as a network or website, that identifies the party requesting access through only one category of credentials.
single-user multiple input, multiple output (SU-MIMO) - Single-user multiple input, multiple output (SU-MIMO) is a multitransmitter and receiver technology that lets a wireless access point send multiple, simultaneous data streams to one compatible endpoint at a time.
SIPOC (suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, customers) diagram - A SIPOC (suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, customers) diagram is a visual tool for documenting a business process from beginning to end prior to implementation.
Siri - Siri is Apple's virtual assistant for iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS devices that uses voice recognition and is powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
site reliability engineer - Site reliability engineer is a job title for a specialist who works with software developers to ensure that an organization's computing systems are scalable, stable and predictable.
site reliability engineering (SRE) - Site reliability engineering (SRE) is the application of scripting and automation to IT operations tasks such as maintenance and support.
skeuomorphism - Skeuomorphism is when something is designed with extra ornamentation to make it resemble another object so it is more familiar.
skill-based learning - Skill-based learning develops students through hands-on practice and real-world application.
skills taxonomy - A skills taxonomy is a classification system for all the skills an employee at a business may have.
skunkworks project (Skunk Works) - A skunkworks project, also known as Skunk Works, is an innovative undertaking, involving a small group of people, that is outside the normal research and development (R&D) channels within an organization.
Skype for Business - Skype for Business, formerly known as Microsoft Lync Server, is a unified communications (UC) platform that integrates common channels of business communication and online meetings, including instant messaging (IM), presence, voice over IP (VoIP), video conferencing, file transfer, web conferencing, voicemail and email.
Slack software - Slack software is a cloud-based messaging application that enables the personnel in an organization to connect and collaborate.
slack space (file slack space) - Slack space, or file slack space, is the leftover storage space on a computer's hard disk drive when a file does not need all the space it has been allocated by the operating system.
sliding window (windowing) - The sliding window (windowing) technique is used by Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to manage the flow of packets between two computers or network hosts.
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.
smart card - A smart card is a physical card that has an embedded integrated chip that acts as a security token.
smart farming - Smart farming is a management concept focused on providing the agricultural industry with the infrastructure to leverage advanced technology – including big data, the cloud and the internet of things (IoT) – for tracking, monitoring, automating and analyzing operations.
smart home hub (home automation hub) - A smart home hub is hardware or software that connects devices on a home automation network and controls communications among them.
smart manufacturing (SM) - Smart manufacturing (SM) is a technology-driven approach that utilizes Internet-connected machinery to monitor the production process.
smart TV - A smart TV is a television that includes an internal processor and onboard storage and enables internet connectivity, similar to a smartphone or personal computer.
smart warehouse - A smart warehouse is a large building in which raw materials and manufactured goods are stored that uses machines and computers to complete common warehouse operations previously performed by humans.
smartphone - A smartphone is a cellular telephone with an integrated computer and other features not originally associated with telephones, such as an operating system (OS), web browsing and the ability to run software applications.
SMB (small and medium-sized business or small and midsize business) - SMB is an abbreviation for a small and medium-sized business, sometimes called a small and midsize business.
SMB 3.0 (Server Message Block 3.0) - SMB 3 (Server Message Block 3.
smishing (SMS phishing) - Smishing -- or Short Message Service (SMS) phishing -- is a social engineering tactic cybercriminals use to trick people into divulging sensitive information over text messages.
smoke testing - Smoke testing, also called build verification testing or confidence testing, is a software testing method that is used to determine if a new software build is ready for the next testing phase.
SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) - SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) is the processing of programs by multiple processors that share a common operating system and memory.
snackable content - Snackable content is website content that is designed to be easy for readers to consume and to share.
snake case - Snake case is a naming convention where a developer replaces spaces between words with an underscore.
Snapchat - Snapchat is a mobile app that allows users to send and receive "self-destructing" photos and videos.
SNOMED CT (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine -- Clinical Terms) - SNOMED CT (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine -- Clinical Terms) is a standardized, multilingual vocabulary of clinical terminology that is used by physicians and other health care providers for the electronic exchange of health information.
snooping - Snooping, in a security context, is unauthorized access to another person's or company's data.
Snort - Snort is an open source network intrusion detection system (NIDS) created by Sourcefire founder and former CTO Martin Roesch.
snowflaking (snowflake schema) - In data warehousing, snowflaking is a form of dimensional modeling in which dimensions are stored in multiple related dimension tables.
soak testing - Soak testing is a type of performance testing that gauges how an application handles a growing number of users or increasingly taxing tasks over an extended period of time.
SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) - SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is a message protocol that enables the distributed elements of an application to communicate.
SOAP fault - A SOAP fault is an error in a Simple Object Access Protocol communication resulting from an incorrect message format, header-processing problems, incompatibility between applications or other issues.
soap opera effect (motion interpolation) - The soap opera effect is the colloquial name for a visual effect caused by motion interpolation on television sets that some people find undesirable.
SOAR (security orchestration, automation and response) - SOAR (security orchestration, automation and response) is a stack of compatible software programs that enables an organization to collect data about security threats and respond to security events with little or no human assistance.
SOC 1 (System and Organization Controls 1) - System and Organization Controls 1, or SOC 1 (pronounced "sock one"), aims to control objectives within a SOC 1 process area and documents internal controls relevant to an audit of a user entity's financial statements.
SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) - SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2), pronounced "sock two," is a voluntary compliance standard for ensuring that service providers properly manage and protect the sensitive data in their care.
SOC 3 (System and Organization Controls 3) - A System and Organization Controls 3 (SOC 3) report outlines information related to a service organization's internal controls for security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy.
social analysis - Social analysis is the practice of systematically examining a social problem, issue or trend, often with the aim of prompting changes in the situation being analyzed.
social BPM (business process management) - Social business process management (BPM) is an approach to improving business processes that seeks to break down silos by encouraging a more collaborative, transparent approach to process improvement.
social commerce - Social commerce is a rapidly growing branch of e-commerce that uses social networks and digital media to facilitate transactions between businesses and customers.
social comparison - Social comparison can lead to issues caused by the fear of missing out (FOMO), including anxiety, depression and a lack of self-esteem.
social CRM - Social CRM, or social customer relationship management, is customer relationship management and engagement fostered by communication with customers through social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
social engineering penetration testing - Social engineering penetration testing is the practice of deliberately conducting typical social engineering scams on employees to ascertain the organization's level of vulnerability to this type of exploit.
social listening (social media listening) - Social listening, also referred to as social media listening, is the process of identifying and assessing what is being said about a company, individual, product or brand on the internet.
social media influence - Social media influence is a marketing term that describes an individual's ability to affect other people's thinking in a social online community.
social media policy - A social media policy is a corporate code of conduct that provides guidelines for employees who post content on the internet either as part of their job or as a private person.
social media recruitment (social media recruiting) - Social media recruitment, or social media recruiting, is the process of using social media platforms to identify, engage and vet people the organization may want to hire.
social robot - A social robot is an artificial intelligence (AI) system that is designed to interact with humans and other robots.
soft computing - Soft computing is the use of approximate calculations to provide approximate solutions to complex computational problems.
soft copy - A soft copy (sometimes spelled 'softcopy') is an electronic copy (or e-copy) of some type of data, such as a file viewed on a computer's display or transmitted as an email attachment.
soft reset - A soft reset is a restart of a device, such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop or personal computer (PC).
soft token - A soft token is a software-based security token that generates a single-use login personal identification number (PIN).
software - Software is a set of instructions, data or programs used to operate computers and execute specific tasks.
software agent - A software agent is a persistent, goal-oriented computer program that reacts to its environment and runs without continuous direct supervision to perform some function for an end user or another program.
software asset management (SAM) - Software asset management (SAM) is the administration of processes, policies and procedures that support the procurement, deployment, use, maintenance and disposal of software applications within an organization.
software audit - A software audit is an internal or external review of a software program to check its quality, progress or adherence to plans, standards and regulations.
software development - Software development is the body of processes involved in creating software programs, embodying all the stages throughout the systems development life cycle (SDLC).
software development kit (SDK) - A software development toolkit (SDK) is a set of software tools and programs provided by hardware and software vendors that developers can use to build applications for specific platforms.
software engineering - Software engineering is the process of developing, testing and deploying computer applications to solve real-world problems by adhering to a set of engineering principles and best practices.
software package - A software package is a group of programs bundled together into a product suite.
software patch - A software patch or fix is a quick-repair job for a piece of programming designed to resolve functionality issues, improve security or add new features.
Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (SPICE) - Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (SPICE) is an international framework to assess software development processes.
software redundant array of independent disk (software RAID) - Software RAID, also known as virtual RAID, is a form of RAID (software redundant array of independent disk) performed on an internal server.
software testing - Software testing is the process of assessing the functionality of a software program.
software toolchain - A software toolchain is a set of software development tools used simultaneously to complete complex software development tasks or to deliver a software product.
software-defined perimeter (SDP) - A software-defined perimeter, or SDP, is a security technique that controls access to resources based on identity and forms a virtual boundary around networked resources.
software-defined storage (SDS) - Software-defined storage (SDS) is a software program that manages data storage resources and functionality and has no dependencies on the underlying physical storage hardware.
solar power - Solar power is a renewable form of energy harvested from the sun for the purpose of producing electricity or thermal energy (heat).
solid - A solid is a state of matter that retains its shape and density when not confined.
solid-state - Solid-state is a common descriptor used to refer to electronic components, devices and systems based entirely on semiconductor materials such as silicon, germanium or gallium arsenide.
solid-state drive (SSD) capacity - Solid-state drive (SSD) capacity is the maximum amount of data that can be stored on a solid-state drive.