IT management
Learn about the core elements of IT management, including operations, tech support and personal computing, as well as terms related to IT careers, certifications and project management.

Certifications
This glossary contains definitions related to IT Certifications.
-
Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)
Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) is an International Information System Security Certification Consortium, or (ISC)2, certification that covers cloud-based cybersecurity best practices.
-
International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2
(ISC)2, short for International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, is a nonprofit organization that provides security training and certificates.
-
CompTIA Project+
CompTIA Project+ is the Computing Technology Industry Association's certification program designed to demonstrate a person has a validated understanding of and skills in project management.
IT career paths
-
Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)
Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) is an International Information System Security Certification Consortium, or (ISC)2, certification that covers cloud-based cybersecurity best practices.
-
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)
The Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) is a certification that was offered by Microsoft for IT professionals who demonstrated expertise in designing, implementing, and administering Windows server infrastructure, as well as other Microsoft technologies.
-
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.
IT Operations
Terms related to the processes and services implemented and managed by an organization’s information technology (IT) department. Topics covered include systems management, configuration management, API management and DevOps, as well as real-time performance monitoring and management.
-
GitOps
GitOps is an operational framework that applies DevOps practices, such as continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) and version control, to infrastructure automation.
-
IT operations (IT ops)
The term IT operations (IT ops) describes the many processes and services that an IT department administers.
-
Mini-ITX
Mini-ITX is a compact motherboard configuration designed to support relatively low-cost computers in small spaces such as in automobiles, set-top boxes and network devices.
Personal computing
Terms related to personal computers, including definitions about computers sold as consumer products and words and phrases about laptops, tablets and smartphones.
-
third-party cookie
A third-party cookie is a cookie that's placed on a user's device -- computer, cellphone or tablet -- by a website from a domain other than the one the user is visiting.
-
virtual assistant (AI assistant)
A virtual assistant, also called an AI assistant or digital assistant, is an application program that understands natural language voice commands and completes tasks for the user.
-
Mini-ITX
Mini-ITX is a compact motherboard configuration designed to support relatively low-cost computers in small spaces such as in automobiles, set-top boxes and network devices.
Project management
Terms related to project management, including definitions about project management methodologies and tools.
-
continuous integration (CI)
Continuous integration (CI) is a software development practice in which frequent, isolated changes are immediately tested and reported on when they're added to a larger codebase.
-
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.
-
team collaboration tools
Team collaboration tools -- also known as team collaboration software -- is a term used to define the different types of software and online services available to companies and individuals that enable them to feasibly work together on common projects, regardless of their physical location.
Technical support
Terms related to computer fundamentals, including computer hardware definitions and words and phrases about software, operating systems, peripherals and troubleshooting.
-
What is patch management? Lifecycle, benefits and best practices
Patch management is the subset of systems management that involves identifying, acquiring, testing and installing patches, or code changes, that are intended to fix bugs, close security holes or add features.
-
data streaming
Data streaming is the continuous transfer of data from one or more sources at a steady, high speed for processing into specific outputs.
-
file extension (file format)
In computing, a file extension is a suffix added to the name of a file to indicate the file's layout, in terms of how the data within the file is organized.