Browse Definitions by Alphabet

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 as a Medical Device (SaMD) - Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) is software that performs a medical task without being part of a hardware device.
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 bill of materials (SBOM) - A software bill of materials (SBOM) is an inventory of all constituent components and software dependencies involved in the development and delivery of an application.
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 requirements specification (SRS) - A software requirements specification (SRS) is a comprehensive description of the intended purpose and environment for software under development.
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 networking (SDN) - Software-defined networking (SDN) is an architecture that abstracts different, distinguishable layers of a network to make networks agile and flexible.
software-defined networking monitoring application (SDN monitoring application) - An SDN monitoring application is a software program that oversees the traffic in a software-defined network (SDN) as a component of network management.
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 cooling - Solar cooling is a system that converts heat from the sun into cooling that can be used for refrigeration and air conditioning.
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.
solid-state storage - Solid-state storage is a type of computer storage media that stores data electronically and has no moving parts.
solid-state storage garbage collection - Solid-state storage garbage collection, or SSD garbage collection, is an automated process by which a solid-state drive (SSD) improves write performance.
solution provider - A solution provider is a vendor, service provider or value-added reseller (VAR) that comprehensively handles the project needs of their client from concept to installation through support.
solution selling - Solution selling refers to the philosophy or practice of uncovering a customer's pain points and then providing products and services that address the underlying business problem.
sound card - A sound card is a computer component responsible for generating and recording audio.
sound wave - A sound wave is the pattern of disturbance caused by the movement of energy traveling through a medium (such as air, water or any other liquid or solid matter) as it propagates away from the source of the sound.
source code - Source code is the fundamental component of a computer program that is created by a programmer, often written in the form of functions, descriptions, definitions, calls, methods and other operational statements.
source code analysis - Source code analysis is the automated testing of source code for the purpose of debugging a computer program or application before it is distributed or sold.
space - Space is a term that can refer to various phenomena in science, mathematics and computing and generally encompasses the concept of an area or region.
SpaceX - SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation) is a space transportation and aerospace manufacturer founded in 2002 by Elon Musk.
spam filter - A spam filter is a program used to detect unsolicited, unwanted and virus-infected emails and prevent those messages from getting to a user's inbox.
spam trap - A spam trap is an email address that is used to identify and monitor spam email.
spambot - A spambot is an automated system that sends unwanted, unsolicited messages to users, known as spam.
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) - Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is a Layer 2 network protocol used to prevent looping within a network topology.
spatial computing - Spatial computing broadly characterizes the processes and tools used to capture, process and interact with three-dimensional (3D) data.
spatial data - Spatial data is any type of data that directly or indirectly references a specific geographical area or location.
spatial intelligence - Spatial intelligence is the concept of being able to successfully perceive and derive insight from visual data.
spear phishing - Spear phishing is a malicious email spoofing attack that targets a specific organization or individual, seeking unauthorized access to sensitive information.
specific gravity - Specific gravity, more formally known as relative density, is a measure of the density of a substance in comparison to the density of water.
spectrum analyzer - A spectrum analyzer is a device that measures and displays signal amplitude (strength) as it varies by frequency within its frequency range (spectrum).
spectrum efficiency - Spectrum efficiency describes the amount of data transmitted over a given spectrum or bandwidth with minimum transmission errors.
speculative execution - Speculative execution is an optimization technique in which a processor (CPU) performs a series of tasks before it is prompted to in order to have the information ready if it is required at any point.
speculative risk - Speculative risk is a type of risk the risk-taker takes on voluntarily and will result in some degree of profit or loss.
speech analytics - Speech analytics is the process of analyzing voice recordings or live customer calls to contact centers with speech recognition software to find useful information and provide quality assurance.
speech disfluency - A speech disfluency is any disruption in the flow of spoken language that is caused by the speaker.
speech recognition - Speech recognition, or speech-to-text, is the ability of a machine or program to identify words spoken aloud and convert them into readable text.
SPI model - The SPI model is an abbreviation of the most common cloud computing service models: software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
SPIF (sales performance incentive fund) - A SPIF(sales performance incentive fund) is a financial incentive that encourages a sales representative to sell a specific item or group of items.
spike testing - Spike testing is a type of performance testing in which an application receives a sudden and extreme increase or decrease in load.
Spine-leaf (spine-leaf architecture) - Spine-leaf, or leaf-spine, is a two-layer network topology composed of spine and leaf switches.
spiral model - The spiral model is a systems development lifecycle (SDLC) method used for risk management that combines the iterative development process model with elements of the waterfall model.
split horizon - Split horizon is a method used by distance vector protocols to prevent network routing loops.
Splunk - Splunk Inc. is a San Francisco-based multinational company whose software platform indexes machine data, and makes it searchable so it can be turned into actionable intelligence.
SPML (Services Provisioning Markup Language) - Services Provisioning Markup Language (SPML) is an open source XML-based standard that facilitates the exchange of account provisioning information among applications, services and organizations.
spoliation - Spoliation is the destruction, alteration, or mutilation of evidence that may pertain to legal action.
spool (simultaneous peripheral operations online) - To spool (which stands for "simultaneous peripheral operations online") a computer document or task list (or "job") is to read it in and store it, usually on a hard disk or larger storage medium so that it can be printed or otherwise processed at a more convenient time (for example, when a printer is finished printing its current document).
spreadsheet - A spreadsheet is a computer program that can capture, display and manipulate data arranged in rows and columns.
Spring Framework (Spring) - The Spring Framework (Spring) is an open source software development framework that provides infrastructure support for building Java-based applications on any deployment platform.
spyware - Spyware is a type of malicious software -- or malware -- that is installed on a computing device without the end user's knowledge.
SQL injection (SQLi) - A SQL injection (SQLi) is a technique that attackers use to gain unauthorized access to a web application database by adding a string of malicious code to a database query.
square meter (meter squared) - The square meter, also called the meter squared, is the International System of Units (SI) unit of area.
Squid proxy server - Squid is a Unix-based proxy server that caches Internet content closer to a requestor than its original point of origin.
SRAM (static random access memory) - SRAM (static RAM) is a type of random access memory (RAM) that retains data bits in its memory as long as power is being supplied.
SRTP (Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol or Secure RTP) - SRTP (Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol or Secure RTP) is an extension to RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol) that incorporates enhanced security features.
SS7 attack - An SS7 attack is a security exploit that takes advantage of a weakness in the design of SS7 (Signaling System 7) to enable data theft, eavesdropping, text interception and location tracking.
SSADM (Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method) - SSADM (Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method) is a widely used computer application development method in the United Kingdom, where its use is often specified as a requirement for government computing projects.
SSAE 16 - The Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements No.
SSD (solid-state drive) - An SSD, or solid-state drive, is a type of storage device used in computers.
SSD caching - SSD caching, also known as 'flash caching' or 'flash memory caching,' is the temporary storage of frequently-accessed data on NAND flash memory chips in a solid-state drive (SSD) to improve the drive's input/output (I/O) performance and allow data requests to be met with improved speed.
SSD form factor - An SSD form factor is the size, configuration or physical arrangement of solid state storage media.
SSD TRIM - SSD TRIM is a command for the Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) interface that enables an operating system (OS) to inform a NAND flash solid-state drive (SSD) which data blocks it can erase because they are no longer in use.
SSD write cycle - An SSD write cycle is the process of programming data to a NAND flash memory chip in a solid-state storage device.
stablecoin - Stablecoin is a fixed-price cryptocurrency whose market value is attached to another stable asset.
stack overflow - A stack overflow is a type of buffer overflow error that occurs when a computer program tries to use more memory space in the call stack than has been allocated to that stack.
stack pointer - A stack pointer is a small register that stores the memory address of the last data element added to the stack or, in some cases, the first available address in the stack.
stacked ranking (stack ranking) - Stacked ranking (stack ranking) is an employee evaluation method that slots a certain percentage of employees into each of several levels of performance.
staging environment - A staging environment (stage) is a nearly exact replica of a production environment for software testing.
stakeholder - A stakeholder is a person, group or organization with a vested interest, or stake, in the decision-making and activities of a business, organization or project.
stand-up - In agile software development, a stand-up is a daily progress meeting, traditionally held within a development area.
standard business reporting (SBR) - Standard business reporting (SBR) is a group of frameworks adopted by governments to promote standardization in reporting business data.
standard operating procedure (SOP) - A standard operating procedure is a set of step-by-step instructions for performing a routine activity.
standard temperature and pressure (STP) - Standard temperature and pressure (STP) refers to the nominal conditions in the atmosphere at sea level.
standardization - Standardization is the process of developing, promoting and possibly mandating standards-based and compatible technologies and processes within an industry.
standing wave ratio (SWR) - Standing wave ratio (SWR) is the ratio of the maximum magnitude or amplitude of a standing wave to its minimum magnitude.
star network - A star network is a local area network (LAN) topology in which all nodes -- personal computers (PCs), workstations or other devices -- are directly connected to a common central computer that is often referred to as a hub.
star schema - A star schema is a database organizational structure optimized for use in a data warehouse or business intelligence that uses a single large fact table to store transactional or measured data, and one or more smaller dimensional tables that store attributes about the data.
Starlab space station - Starlab is a commercial space station set to be deployed in low Earth orbit (LEO) by 2030.
Starlink - Starlink is a satellite internet constellation system that aims to deliver global internet coverage.
startup culture - A startup culture is a workplace environment that values creative problem-solving, open communication and a flat hierarchy.
state diagram (state machine diagram or statechart diagram) - A state diagram (also known as a state machine or statechart diagram) is an illustration of all the possible behavioral states a software system component may exhibit and the various state changes it's predicted to undergo over the course of its operations.
state management - Application state management is the process of maintaining knowledge of an application's inputs across multiple related data flows that form a complete business transaction -- or a session -- to understand the condition of the app at any given moment.
state of charge (SOC) - The state of charge (SOC) is a measurement of the amount of energy available in a battery at a specific point in time.
stateful app - A stateful app is a program that saves client data from the activities of one session for use in the next session.
stateful inspection - Stateful inspection, also known as dynamic packet filtering, is a firewall technology that monitors the state of active connections and uses this information to determine which network packets to allow through the firewall.
stateless app - A stateless app is an application program that does not save client data generated in one session for use in the next session with that client.
statement of work (SOW) - A statement of work (SOW), in project management, is a document in which a contracting officer or chief procurement officer (CPO) specifies the objectives and deliverables for a particular project or service contract.
states of digital data - A state of digital data is a way to describe the current functionality of a data file.