Microsoft

Definitions for Microsoft Windows, including terms about bugs or patches and words and phrases about Microsoft operating systems.
  • .NET Framework - .NET Framework is a managed execution environment for Windows that allows software developers to create a software application in one programming language and be assured the app can work with code written in other languages.
  • Active Directory forest (AD forest) - An Active Directory forest is the highest level of organization within Active Directory.
  • Active Directory functional levels - Active Directory functional levels are controls that specify which advanced Active Directory domain features can be used in an enterprise domain.
  • Active Directory tree - An Active Directory (AD) tree is a collection of domains within a Microsoft Active Directory network.
  • ActiveX - ActiveX is a set of object-oriented programming technologies and tools that Microsoft developed for Internet Explorer to facilitate rich media playback.
  • AppX file - AppX is the application distribution file format that was introduced with Microsoft Windows 8.
  • Azure Container Instances (ACI) - Azure Container Instances (ACI) is a service that enables a developer to deploy containers on the Microsoft Azure public cloud without having to provision or manage any underlying infrastructure.
  • Azure DevOps - Azure DevOps -- rebranded from Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) in 2018 -- is a software-as-a service (SaaS) platform from Microsoft designed to provide a comprehensive toolchain for developing and deploying software projects.
  • Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) - Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a managed container orchestration service based on the open source Kubernetes system, which is available on the Microsoft Azure public cloud.
  • Azure Migrate - Azure Migrate is a Microsoft service that helps an enterprise assess how its on-premises workloads will perform, and how much they will cost to host, in the Azure public cloud.
  • Azure Quantum - Azure Quantum is a full-stack cloud service designed to allow users remote access to quantum computers.
  • built-in administrator account - In the Windows operating system, the built-in administrator account -- the first account created when the OS was installed -- has the highest permissions of any profile on the computer system.
  • business continuity - Business continuity is an organization's ability to maintain critical business functions during and after a disaster has occurred.
  • clean architecture - Clean architecture is a software design philosophy that separates the elements of the design into ringed levels.
  • Client Access Server (CAS) - The Client Access Server (CAS) is a server role that handles all client connections to Exchange Server 2010 and Exchange 2013.
  • cmdlet - A cmdlet -- pronounced 'command-let' -- is a small, lightweight command that is used in the Windows PowerShell environment.
  • compliance as a service (CaaS) - Compliance as a service (CaaS) is a cloud service that specifies how a managed service provider (MSP) helps an organization meet its regulatory compliance mandates.
  • configuration service provider (CSP) - A configuration service provider (CSP) is a component of Windows client operating systems that shows IT professionals device configuration choices and allows them to apply the settings across multiple Windows OSes.
  • context menu (right-click menu) - A context menu is a pop-up menu that provides shortcuts for actions the software developer anticipates the user might want to take.
  • data recovery agent (DRA) - A data recovery agent (DRA) is a Microsoft Windows user account with the ability to decrypt data that was encrypted by other users.
  • Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM) - Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM) is a Safe Mode boot option for Windows Server domain controllers.
  • diskpart (Disk Partition Utility) - Diskpart is a command line utility in Windows operating systems (OSs) that is used to manage disks, partitions, and volumes.
  • Exchange Online - Exchange Online is the hosted version of Microsoft's Exchange Server messaging platform that organizations can obtain as a stand-alone service or via an Office 365 subscription.
  • Exchange Web Services (EWS) - Microsoft Exchange Web Services (EWS) is an application program interface (API) that lets applications access items in a Microsoft Exchange email mailbox, such as calendars, contacts, and messages.
  • Group Policy - Group Policy is a management feature in Microsoft's Active Directory (AD) that enables network and system administrators to configure and assign user and computer settings in an AD environment.
  • Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) - Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) is a Microsoft Management Console snap-in that provides a graphical user interface that enables Active Directory (AD) administrators to manage Group Policy Objects (GPOs) from one console.
  • HyperTerminal - HyperTerminal is a communications and terminal emulation program that came with the Windows 98 and Windows XP operating systems.
  • Internet Explorer (IE) - Internet Explorer (IE) is a web browser that formerly came bundled with the Microsoft Windows operating system.
  • IO.SYS - IO.SYS is a hidden executable binary file that processes instructions that tell the operating system (OS) how the computer is set up when it is booted or started.
  • kernel panic - A kernel panic refers to a computer error from which the system's operating system (OS) cannot quickly or easily recover.
  • kiosk mode (Windows assigned access) - Kiosk mode is a feature in Windows operating system (OS) that allows a device to run only specified applications and settings.
  • live USB (operating system on a stick) - Windows To Go is a feature of Windows 8 Enterprise edition that allows administrators to put a full blown copy of Windows 8 on an external USB 3.
  • Local Group Policy Editor - Local Group Policy Editor is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that provides a user interface for managing local Group Policy settings on a Windows computer.
  • MCSA (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate) - MCSA (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate) was a certification program offered by Microsoft and intended for people seeking entry-level jobs in an IT environment.
  • Microsoft Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) - The Microsoft Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) is a free utility administrators can use to move Active Directory objects, such as computers, users and groups, from one Windows Server Active Directory domain or forest to another.
  • Microsoft App-V (Microsoft Application Virtualization) - Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) is an application virtualization client that makes an application available to end users without installing it on a personal computer (PC).
  • Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit - Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit is a free utility IT can use to determine whether its infrastructure is prepared for a migration to a new operating system, server version or cloud-based deployment.
  • Microsoft Azure Data Lake - Microsoft Azure Data Lake is a highly scalable public cloud service that allows developers, scientists, business professionals and other Microsoft customers to gain insight from large, complex data sets.
  • Microsoft Azure Functions - Azure Functions is a serverless computing service, hosted on the Microsoft Azure public cloud, that streamlines the development of systems and applications.
  • Microsoft Azure Marketplace - The Microsoft Azure Marketplace is an online store that offers applications and services either built on or designed to integrate with Microsoft's public cloud.
  • Microsoft Azure Security Center - Microsoft Azure Security Center is a set of tools and services for securing virtual machines that run on the Azure public cloud.
  • Microsoft Azure Stack - Microsoft Azure Stack is an integrated platform of hardware and software that delivers Microsoft Azure public cloud services in a local data center to enable organizations to construct hybrid clouds.
  • Microsoft Click-To-Run - Microsoft Click-to-Run is a way to quickly install Microsoft products, including versions of Office 2010 and Office 2013.
  • Microsoft Cortana - Cortana is Microsoft's digital assistant.
  • Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (formerly Windows Defender ATP) - Microsoft Defender for Endpoint -- formerly Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection or Windows Defender ATP -- is an endpoint security platform designed to help enterprise-class organizations prevent, detect and respond to security threats.
  • Microsoft Edge - Microsoft Edge is a cross-platform browser created by Microsoft and installed by default on all new Windows devices.
  • Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Replication Service (MRS) - The Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Replication Service (MRS) is a feature that handles mailbox import, export, migration and restoration requests on Exchange Server.
  • Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) - Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is a cloud-based service that provides email filtering designed to protect organizations against spam, malware, and other email-based threats.
  • Microsoft Exchange Server - Microsoft Exchange Server is Microsoft's email, calendaring, contact, scheduling and collaboration platform.
  • Microsoft Hybrid Configuration Wizard - The Microsoft Hybrid Configuration Wizard (HCW) is a tool provided by Microsoft to help organizations set up and configure a hybrid deployment between their on-premises Exchange Server and Exchange Online, which is part of Microsoft 365.
  • Microsoft Hyper-V Shielded VM - A Microsoft Hyper-V Shielded VM is a security feature of Windows Server 2016 that protects a Hyper-V second-generation virtual machine (VM) from access or tampering by using a combination of Secure Boot, BitLocker encryption, virtual Trusted Platform Module (TPM) and the Host Guardian Service.
  • Microsoft Identity Manager - Microsoft Identity Manager -- also called Microsoft Identity Manager 2016 or MIM -- is an on-premises tool that enables organizations to manage access, users, policies and credentials.
  • Microsoft Intune - Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based unified endpoint management (UEM) tool that aims to help organizations manage the mobile devices employees use to access corporate data and applications, such as email.
  • Microsoft Managed Desktop (MMD) - Microsoft Managed Desktop (MMD) is a subscription-based desktop as a service (DaaS) cloud platform that includes Windows 10 Enterprise, Office 365, Enterprise Mobility and Security on select Windows PCs and Windows 10-enabled devices.
  • Microsoft Nano Server - Microsoft Nano Server is a lightweight version of the Windows Server operating system that was introduced with Windows Server 2016 for use as an OS layer for virtualized container instances.
  • Microsoft Network Device Enrollment Service (NDES) - Microsoft Network Device Enrollment Service (NDES) is a security feature in Windows Server 2008 R2 and later Windows Server operating versions.
  • Microsoft Network Policy and Access Services (Microsoft NPAS) - Microsoft Network Policy and Access Services (Microsoft NPAS) is a server role in Windows 2008 and Windows Server 2012 that allows administrators to provide local and remote network access.
  • Microsoft Office 365 Admin Center - The Microsoft Office 365 Admin Center is the web-based portal administrators use to manage user accounts and configuration settings for the Office 365 subscription services, including Exchange Online and SharePoint Online.
  • Microsoft Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection - Microsoft Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) is Microsoft's optional cloud-based service that scans and filters email to protect subscribers from malware in attachments and hyperlinks to malicious websites.
  • Microsoft Office 365 suite - Microsoft Office 365 suite is a hosted, online version of Microsoft Office software.
  • Microsoft Office Delve - Microsoft Office Delve is a search engine and discovery tool for the Microsoft Office 365 productivity suite.
  • Microsoft OneDrive - OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) is an online cloud storage service from Microsoft.
  • Microsoft Outlook on the web (formerly Outlook Web App, OWA) - Outlook on the web is the browser-based email client for users to access email, calendars, tasks and contacts from Microsoft's on-premises Exchange Server and cloud-based Exchange Online.
  • Microsoft Planner - Microsoft Planner is a web-based visual task management application that enables enterprise teams to create, assign and organize work in order to execute projects.
  • Microsoft Power Apps - Power Apps is a suite of Microsoft products that enable both developers and nontechnical users to build custom applications to fulfill various business needs.
  • Microsoft Power Automate - Microsoft Power Automate, formerly called Microsoft Flow, is cloud-based software that allows employees to create and automate workflows and tasks across multiple applications and services without help from developers.
  • Microsoft Project (Microsoft Office Project) - Microsoft Office Project is the company's project and portfolio management software.
  • Microsoft Remote Desktop Web Access (Microsoft RD Web Access) - Microsoft Remote Desktop Web Access (Microsoft RD Web Access) is a Remote Desktop Services role in some versions of the Windows Server OS.
  • Microsoft Schannel (Microsoft Secure Channel) - The Microsoft Secure Channel, or Schannel, is a security support package that facilitates the use of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption on Windows platforms.
  • Microsoft SCOM (System Center Operations Manager) - Microsoft SCOM (System Center Operations Manager) is a set of tools for infrastructure monitoring and application performance management.
  • Microsoft Software Assurance (SA) - Microsoft Software Assurance is a software maintenance program that helps organizations gain access to the latest software versions and releases, without incurring additional licensing costs.
  • Microsoft SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services) - Microsoft SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services) is an enterprise data integration, data transformation and data migration tool built into Microsoft's SQL Server database.
  • Microsoft Store - The Microsoft Store -- formerly called the Windows Store -- is an online marketplace for consumers to buy and download a variety of items.
  • Microsoft System Center - Microsoft System Center is a suite of software products designed to simplify the deployment, configuration and management of IT infrastructure and virtualized software-defined data centers.
  • Microsoft System Center 2012 - Microsoft System Center 2012 is a bundled suite of systems management products that offers tools to monitor and automate virtualized environments, including private clouds based on Microsoft Hyper-V.
  • Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) - Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) is a Windows product that enables the management, deployment and security of devices and applications across an enterprise.
  • Microsoft System Center Operations Manager Management Pack (Microsoft SCOM Management Pack) - A System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) Management Pack is a pre-fabricated rule set intended to extend and configure SCOM for specific services or applications.
  • Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Teams is cloud-based team collaboration software that offers core capabilities, including business messaging, calling, video meetings and file sharing.
  • Microsoft Windows 10 Shared PC Mode - Microsoft Windows 10 Shared PC Mode is an operating system feature that allows IT administrators to configure computers for multiple user access.
  • Microsoft Windows Azure Active Directory (Windows Azure AD) - Microsoft Windows Azure Active Directory (Windows Azure AD or Azure AD) is a cloud service that provides administrators with the ability to manage end-user identities and access privileges.
  • Microsoft Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) - Microsoft Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) is a service in Microsoft Windows operating systems (OSes) that allows download from and upload of files to Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) web servers and Server Message Block (SMB) file servers.
  • Microsoft Windows Credential Guard - Microsoft Credential Guard is a security feature in Microsoft Windows operating system (OS) that isolates user credentials, such as login information, from the rest of the operating system.
  • Microsoft Windows Defender Device Guard - Windows Defender Device Guard is a security feature for Windows 10 and Windows Server designed to use application whitelisting and code integrity policies to protect users' devices from malicious code that could compromise the operating system.
  • Microsoft Windows Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) - Microsoft Windows Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) is a command-line tool that allows IT administrators to service Windows desktop images and virtual hard disks prior to deployment to users.
  • Microsoft Windows Features on Demand - Microsoft Windows Features on Demand is a feature that allows system administrators to add or remove roles and features in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, and later versions of the client and server operating system to alter the file size of those operating systems.
  • Microsoft Windows File Explorer - Microsoft Windows File Explorer is a graphical file management utility for the Windows operating system (OS).
  • Microsoft Windows Hello - Microsoft Windows Hello is a biometric identity and access control feature that supports fingerprint scanners, iris scanners and facial recognition technology on compatible devices running Windows.
  • Microsoft Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE) - The Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE) is a graphical user interface and front-end hosting application for Windows PowerShell.
  • Microsoft Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) - The Microsoft Windows Recovery Environment, or Windows RE, is a simplified, scaled-back version of the Windows operating system that is used to boot the system when Windows 8.
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2016 - Microsoft Windows Server 2016 is Microsoft's server operating system (OS).
  • Microsoft Windows Server LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel) - Microsoft Windows Server LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel) is one of the servicing options available for users of the Windows Server operating system (OS).
  • Microsoft Windows Server OS (operating system) - Microsoft Windows Server OS (operating system) is a series of enterprise-class server operating systems designed to share services with multiple users and provide extensive administrative control of data storage, applications and corporate networks.
  • Microsoft Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) - Microsoft Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a series of Microsoft components that allow native Linux 64-bit Executable and Linkable Format (ELF64) binaries to run on the Windows kernel in the Windows 10 operating system (OS).
  • Microsoft Windows Update - Microsoft Windows Update is a security service for Windows users that, once activated, automatically searches for and installs updates.
  • Monad Manifesto - The Monad Manifesto is a document written by Jeffrey Snover in 2002 that outlined his idea for a new Windows systems administration tool named Monad, which was changed to Windows PowerShell.
  • OST file (.ost) - An OST file (.
  • perpetual software license - A perpetual software license is a type of software license that authorizes an individual to use a program indefinitely.
  • Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) - The Preboot Execution Environment or PXE (commonly pronounced as pixie) is a client-server environment that enables network computers to boot over the network interface card (NIC), instead of from a CD-ROM or hard disk.
  • Process Explorer - Process Explorer is a free Windows task manager and system monitoring tool that details which programs in a user's system have a specific file or directory open.
  • remote code execution (RCE) - Remote code execution (RCE) is when an attacker accesses a target computing device and makes changes remotely, no matter where the device is geographically located.