Browse Definitions by Alphabet

SDRAM (synchronous DRAM) - SDRAM (synchronous DRAM) is a generic name for various kinds of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) that are synchronized with the clock speed that the microprocessor is optimized for.
search engine - A search engine is a coordinated set of programs that searches for and identifies items in a database that match specified criteria.
search engine marketing (SEM) - Search engine marketing (SEM) is a method of promotion and advertising to help companies' content rank higher among search engine traffic.
search engine optimization (SEO) - Search engine optimization is the science of improving a website to increase its visibility when people search for products or services.
search engine results page (SERP) - A search engine results page (SERP) is the list of results that a search engine returns in response to a specific word or keyword phrase query.
search operator - A search operator (sometimes referred to as a search parameter) is a character or string of characters used in a search engine query to narrow the focus of the search.
search string - A search string is the combination of text, numbers and sometimes special characters that a user enters into an application's search form to find specific types of information.
second (s or sec) - The second (s or sec) is the International System of Units (SI) unit of time measurement.
second-level address translation (SLAT) - Second-level address translation (SLAT) is a hardware virtualization technology that reduces hypervisor overhead.
secondary storage - Secondary storage is persistent storage for noncritical data that doesn't need to be accessed as frequently as data in primary storage or that doesn't have the same performance or availability requirements.
secure access service edge (SASE) - Secure access service edge, also known as SASE and pronounced sassy, is a cloud architecture model that bundles network and cloud-native security technologies together and delivers them as a single cloud service.
Secure Digital Extended Capacity card (SDXC) - A Secure Digital Extended Capacity (SDXC) card is a very small flash memory card that has greater storage capacity than the original SD (Secure Digital) memory cards.
Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) - Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) is a system and electronic protocol to ensure the integrity and security of transactions conducted over the internet.
Secure File Transfer Protocol (SSH File Transfer Protocol) - SFTP is a term that refers to either Secure File Transfer Protocol or SSH File Transfer Protocol, and is a computing network protocol for accessing and managing files on remote systems.
Secure Shell (SSH) - SSH, also known as Secure Shell or Secure Socket Shell, is a network protocol that gives users, particularly system administrators, a secure way to access a computer over an unsecured network.
Secure Sockets Layer certificate (SSL certificate) - A Secure Sockets Layer certificate (SSL certificate) is a small data file installed on a web server that allows for a secure, encrypted connection between the server and a web browser.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) - The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is the U.
security - Security for information technology (IT) refers to the methods, tools and personnel used to defend an organization's digital assets.
security (finance) - A security, in a financial context, is a certificate or other financial instrument that has monetary value and can be traded.
Security Accounts Manager - The Security Accounts Manager (SAM) is a database file in the Microsoft Windows operating system that contains usernames and passwords.
security analytics - Security analytics is a cybersecurity approach that uses data collection, data aggregation and analysis tools for threat detection and security monitoring.
Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) - Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is an open standard for sharing security information about identity, authentication and authorization across different systems.
security audit - A security audit is a systematic evaluation of the security of a company's information system by measuring how well it conforms to an established set of criteria.
security awareness training - Security awareness training is a strategic approach IT and security professionals take to educate employees and stakeholders on the importance of cybersecurity and data privacy.
security by design - Security by design is an approach to software and hardware development that seeks to make systems as free of vulnerabilities and impervious to attack as possible through such measures as continuous testing, authentication safeguards and adherence to best practices.
security clearance - A security clearance is an authorization that allows access to information that would otherwise be forbidden.
security identifier (SID) - In the context of Windows computing and Microsoft Active Directory (AD), a security identifier (SID) is a unique value that is used to identify any security entity that the operating system (OS) can authenticate.
security incident - A security incident is an event that could indicate that an organization's systems or data have been compromised or that security measures put in place to protect them have failed.
security information and event management (SIEM) - Security information and event management (SIEM) is an approach to security management that combines security information management (SIM) and security event management (SEM) functions into one security management system.
security information management (SIM) - Security information management (SIM) is the practice of collecting, monitoring and analyzing security-related data from computer logs and various other data sources.
security operations center (SOC) - A security operations center (SOC) is a command center facility in which a team of information technology (IT) professionals with expertise in information security (infosec) monitors, analyzes and protects an organization from cyberattacks.
security policy - A security policy is a document that states in writing how a company plans to protect its physical and information technology (IT) assets.
security posture - Security posture refers to an organization's overall cybersecurity strength and how well it can predict, prevent and respond to ever-changing cyberthreats.
security theater - Security theater includes any measures taken by a company or security team to create an atmosphere of safety that may only achieve the appearance of heightened security.
security through obscurity - Security through obscurity (STO) is reliance upon secrecy in software development to minimize the chance that weaknesses may be detected and targeted.
security token - A security token is a physical or wireless device that provides two-factor authentication (2FA) for users to prove their identity in a login process.
Seebeck effect - The Seebeck effect is a phenomenon in which a temperature difference between two dissimilar electrical conductors or semiconductors produces a voltage difference between the two substances.
segment routing - Segment routing is a computer networking process used by networking and traffic engineering professionals that organizes collections of information, or packets, to follow a linear set of instructions.
segregation of duties (SoD) - Segregation of duties (SoD) is an internal control designed to prevent error and fraud by ensuring that at least two individuals are responsible for the separate parts of any task.
self-driving car (autonomous car or driverless car) - A self-driving car (sometimes called an autonomous car or driverless car) is a vehicle that uses a combination of sensors, cameras, radar and artificial intelligence (AI) to travel between destinations without a human operator.
self-service analytics - Self-service analytics is a type of business intelligence (BI) that enables business users to access, manipulate, analyze and visualize data, as well as generate reports based on their discoveries.
self-service business intelligence (self-service BI) - Self-service business intelligence (BI) is an approach to data analytics that enables business users to access and explore data sets even if they don't have a background in BI or related functions such as data mining and statistical analysis.
self-service rate (self-service bounce rate) - Self-service rate, also known as self-service completion rate, is a key performance indicator (KPI) used to analyze the effectiveness of a help desk or support team by measuring the percentage of issues that users are able to troubleshoot on their own.
self-sovereign identity - Self-sovereign identity (SSI) is a model for managing digital identities in which individuals or businesses have sole ownership over the ability to control their accounts and personal data.
SELinux (Security-Enhanced Linux) - SELinux, or Security-Enhanced Linux, is a part of the Linux security kernel that acts as a protective agent on servers.
semantic network (knowledge graph) - A semantic network is a knowledge structure that depicts how concepts are related to one another and how they interconnect.
semantic technology - Semantic technology is a set of methods and tools that provide advanced means for categorizing and processing data, as well as for discovering relationships within varied data sets.
Semantic Web - The Semantic Web is a vision for linking data across webpages, applications and files.
semaphore - In programming, especially in Unix systems, semaphores are a technique for coordinating or synchronizing activities in which multiple processes compete for the same operating system resources.
semi-structured data - Semi-structured data is data that has not been organized into a specialized format, such as a table, a record, an array or a tree but that nevertheless has associated information, such as metadata, that makes it more amenable to processing than raw data.
semiconductor - A semiconductor is a substance that has specific electrical properties that enable it to serve as a foundation for computers and other electronic devices.
semiconductor fab - A semiconductor fab -- short for fabrication -- is a manufacturing plant in which raw silicon wafers are turned into integrated circuits (ICs).
semiotics - Semiotics is the study of the use of symbolic communication.
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) - Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a protocol designed to restrict who can use an organization's domain as the source of an email message.
sensitive information - Sensitive information is data that must be protected from unauthorized access to safeguard the privacy or security of an individual or organization.
sensor - A sensor is a device that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment.
sensor data - Sensor data is the output of a device that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment.
sentiment analysis (opinion mining) - Sentiment analysis systems help organizations gather insights into real-time customer sentiment, customer experience and brand reputation.
SEO poisoning (search poisoning) - SEO poisoning, also known as 'search poisoning,' is a type of malicious advertising (malvertising) in which cybercriminals create malicious websites and then use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to cause the sites' links to show up prominently in search results, often as ads at the top of the results.
sequence diagram - A sequence diagram is one of the multiple types of system interaction diagrams used within Unified Modeling Language (UML) to visually represent interactions between the objects that live within a system.
SequenceFile - A SequenceFile is a flat, binary file type that serves as a container for data to be used in Hadoop distributed compute projects.
SerDes (serializer/deserializer) - A SerDes or serializer/deserializer is an integrated circuit (IC or chip) transceiver that converts parallel data to serial data and vice-versa.
Serenity BDD - Serenity BDD is a framework and open source library for the creation of automated software testing for code in development.
Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) - Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) is a command and transport protocol that defines how data is transferred between a computer's motherboard and mass storage devices, such as hard disk drives (HDDs), optical drives and solid-state drives (SSDs).
serial communications interface (SCI) - A serial communications interface (SCI) is a device that enables the serial exchange of data -- that is, one bit at a time -- between a microprocessor and peripherals, such as printers, external drives, scanners and mice.
serial digital interface (SDI) - Serial digital interface (SDI) is a standard for digital video and audio transmission over coaxial or fiber optic cabling.
serial peripheral interface (SPI) - A serial peripheral interface (SPI) is an interface commonly used in computers and embedded systems to facilitate short-distance communication between a microcontroller and one or more peripheral integrated circuits (ICs).
serial position effect - The serial position effect is the psychological tendency to remember the first and last items in a list better than those in the middle.
Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) - Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) is a method used to access computer peripheral devices that employs a serial -- one bit at a time -- means of digital data transfer over thin cables.
servant leadership - Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy built on the belief that the most effective leaders strive to serve others, rather than accrue power or take control.
server hardware degradation - Server hardware degradation is the gradual breakdown of the physical parts of a server.
Server Message Block protocol (SMB protocol) - The Server Message Block protocol (SMB protocol) is a client-server communication protocol used for sharing access to files, printers, serial ports and other resources on a network.
server stack - A server stack is the collection of software that forms the operational infrastructure on a given machine.
server-based storage - Server-based storage is a re-emerging class of data storage that removes cost and complexity by housing storage media inside servers rather than in dedicated and custom-engineered storage arrays.
serverless computing - Serverless computing is a cloud computing execution model that lets software developers build and run applications and servers without having to provision or manage the back-end infrastructure.
serverless database - A serverless database is a type of cloud database that is fully managed for an organization by a cloud service provider and runs on demand as needed to support applications.
service assurance (SA) - Service assurance (SA) is a procedure or set of procedures intended to optimize performance and provide management guidance in communications networks, media services and end-user applications.
service chaining - Service chaining, in an information technology (IT) context, is the addition of software-defined networking (SDN) capabilities in a specific sequence.
Service Data Objects (SDO) - Service Data Objects (SDO) is the name of a specification designed to streamline the processing of SOA (service-oriented architecture) data from diverse sources such as XML documents, relational databases and Web services.
service desk - An IT service desk is a communications center that provides a single point of contact (SPOC) between a company, its customers, employees and business partners.
service discovery - Service discovery is the automatic detection of devices and offered services over a network.
service level - Service level describes, usually in measurable terms, the services a network service provider furnishes a customer within a given time period.
service level indicator - A service level indicator (SLI) is a metric that indicates what measure of performance a customer is receiving at a given time.
service lifecycle management (SLM) - Service lifecycle management (SLM) describes the strategy and software for managing the maintenance and repair of products and maximizing the profit opportunities from these activities.
service mesh - A service mesh is a dedicated infrastructure layer that controls service-to-service communication over a network.
Service Profile Identifier (SPID) - In telecommunications, a Service Profile Identifier (SPID) is a number assigned by a phone company to a terminal on an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) B-channel.
service set identifier (SSID) - A service set identifier (SSID) is a sequence of characters that uniquely names a Wi-Fi network.
service supply chain - The service supply chain is the part of the supply chain dedicated to providing service on products.
service virtualization - Service virtualization is the process of creating replicas of systems that new applications depend on to test how well the application and systems integrate.
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.
service-level objective - A service-level objective (SLO) is the part of a service-level agreement (SLA) that documents the key performance indicators (KPIs) the customer should expect from a provider.
service-oriented architecture (SOA) - Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a software development model that makes services reusable and lets them communicate across different platforms and languages to form new applications.
ServiceNow - ServiceNow is a software company that provides a cloud-based, AI-driven platform for automating multiple management workflows in enterprises.
session border controller (SBC) - A session border controller (SBC) is a dedicated hardware device or software application that governs the manner in which phone calls are initiated, conducted and terminated on a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.
session ID - A session ID, also called a session token, is a unique identifier that a web server assigns to a user for the duration of the current session.
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) - Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a signaling protocol used for initiating, maintaining, modifying and terminating real-time sessions that involve video, voice, messaging and other communications applications and services between two or more endpoints on IP networks.
session key - A session key is an encryption and decryption key that is randomly generated to ensure the security of a communications session between a user and another computer or between two computers.
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).
SFX (special effects) - SFX, an abbreviation for special effects, is a software product that makes it easy to create certain kinds of hypertext links within a collection of information such as the description of a library collection.