Software applications

Definitions related to software applications, including tech terms about software programs for vertical industries and words and phrases about software development, use and management.

death by PowerPoint - Death by PowerPoint is a phenomenon caused by the poor use of presentation software.
defragmentation - Defragmentation is the process of locating the noncontiguous fragments of data into which a computer file may be divided as it is stored on a hard disk, and rearranging the fragments and restoring them into fewer fragments or into the whole file.
dependency hell - Dependency hell is a negative situation that occurs when a software application is not able to access the additional programming it requires to work.
deprecated - In information technology (IT), deprecation means that although something is available or allowed, it is not recommended or that -- in the case where something must be used -- to say it is deprecated means that its failings are recognized.
desktop management interface (DMI) - The desktop management interface (DMI) is a standard industry framework that manages and tracks components on one or more personal computers, usually from a centralized console.
desktop virtualization - Desktop virtualization is the concept of isolating a logical operating system (OS) instance from the client used to access it.
development environment - In software, web and mobile application development, the development environment is a workspace with a set of processes and programming tools used to develop the source code for an application or software product.
device-agnostic (device agnosticism) - Device agnosticism, or device-agnostic, is the capacity of a computing component to work with various systems without requiring any particular adaptations.
DevOps as a Service - DevOps as a Service is a delivery model for a set of tools that facilitates collaboration between an organization's software development team and the operations team.
DevOps engineer - A DevOps engineer is an IT professional who works with software developers, systems operators and other production IT staff to oversee code releases and deployments.
DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) - DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) is a standard protocol for the management and transmission of medical images and related data and is used in many healthcare facilities.
digital asset management (DAM) - Digital asset management (DAM) is a business process for organizing, storing and retrieving rich media and managing digital rights and permissions.
digital cash (e-cash) - Digital cash is a system of purchasing cash credits, storing the credits in your computer or digital wallet, and then spending them when making electronic purchases over the internet or in person on a mobile device at the point of sale.
digital enterprise - A digital enterprise is an organization that uses technology as a competitive advantage in its internal and external operations.
digital marketing - Digital marketing is the promotion and marketing of goods and services to consumers through digital channels and electronic technologies.
digital platform - A digital platform is a web-based structural software package that speeds and eases transactions among users.
discrete event simulation (DES) - Discrete event simulation (DES) is the process of codifying the behavior of a complex system as an ordered sequence of well-defined events.
disposable email - What is a disposable email?Disposable email is a service that allows a registered user to receive email at a temporary address that expires after a certain time period elapses.
distribution channel - A distribution channel is the network of individuals and organizations involved in getting a product or service from the producer to the customer.
Drupal - Drupal is a free, open source content management system (CMS) to build and maintain websites, online directories, e-commerce stores, intranets and other types of digital content.
DuckDuckGo - DuckDuckGo is an independent company that offers products geared toward internet privacy.
dynamic link library (DLL) - A dynamic link library (DLL) is a collection of small programs that larger programs can load when needed to complete specific tasks.
e-commerce - E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the buying and selling of goods and services, or the transmitting of funds or data, over an electronic network, primarily the internet.
e-recruitment (e-recruiting) - E-recruitment is an umbrella term for any electronic-based recruiting and recruitment management activity.
eClinicalWorks - eClinicalWorks is a Massachusetts-based company that sells electronic medical record (EMR), practice management (PM) and personal health record (PHR) software and services to reportedly more than 115,000 physicians and 70,000 facilities in the United States.
Eclipse (Eclipse Foundation) - Eclipse is a free, Java-based development platform known for its plugins that allow developers to develop and test code written in other programming languages.
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) - Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the transfer of data from one computer system to another by standardized message formatting without the need for human intervention.
electronic intensive care unit (eICU) - An Electronic Intensive Care Unit (eICU) is a form or model of telemedicine where state-of-the-art technology is used to provide an additional layer of critical care service to patients.
electronic protected health information (ePHI) - Electronic protected health information (ePHI) is protected health information that is produced, saved, transferred or received in an electronic form.
Eloqua - Eloqua is a marketing automation platform that follows a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.
encryption key management - Encryption key management is the practice of generating, organizing, protecting, storing, backing up and distributing encryption keys.
enterprise content services - Enterprise content services are the evolution of enterprise content management (ECM); their goal is to adapt to the changing needs of enterprises and the emergence of new technologies, such as cloud computing.
enterprise document management (EDM) - Enterprise document management (EDM) is a strategy for overseeing an organization's paper and electronic documents so they can be easily retrieved in the event of a compliance audit or subpoena.
enterprise file sync and share (EFSS) - Enterprise file sync and share (EFSS) is a service that allows users to save files in cloud or on-premises storage and then access them on desktop and mobile devices.
enterprise license agreement (ELA) - An enterprise license agreement (ELA) is a contract between a customer and a vendor that allows purchase of a software product for a company at a discounted, fixed rate for a certain time period.
enterprise master patient index (EMPI) - An enterprise master patient index (EMPI) is a database that is used to maintain consistent and accurate information about each patient registered by a healthcare organization.
EOM (end of message) - EOM means 'end of message,' a phrase used in written communications -- typically email messages, instant messages or text -- to indicate a complete message that doesn't require a response.
Epic Systems - Epic Systems, also known simply as Epic, is one of the largest providers of health information technology, used primarily by large U.
ERP (enterprise resource planning) - ERP, or enterprise resource planning, is software designed to manage and integrate the functions of core business processes like finance, HR, supply chain and inventory management in a single system.
event handler - In programming, an event handler is a callback routine that operates asynchronously once an event takes place.
event-driven architecture (EDA) - An event-driven architecture (EDA) is a framework that orchestrates behavior around the production, detection and consumption of events as well as the responses they evoke.
Excel - Excel is a spreadsheet program from Microsoft and a component of its Office product group for business applications.
expert system - An expert system is a computer program that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to simulate the judgment and behavior of a human or an organization that has expertise and experience in a particular field.
FaceTime - FaceTime is a proprietary video and audio calling service developed by Apple Inc.
failover - Failover is a backup operational mode in which the functions of a system component are assumed by a secondary component when the primary becomes unavailable.
falsifiability - Falsifiability is the capacity for some proposition, statement, theory or hypothesis to be proven wrong.
fault tolerance - Fault tolerance is the capability of a system to deliver uninterrupted service despite one or more of its components failing.
FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) - The FDA (U.S.
Feature Manipulation Engine (FME) - The Feature Manipulation Engine (FME) is a platform that streamlines the translation of spatial data between geometric and digital formats.
fee-for-service (FFS) - Fee-for-service (FFS) is a payment model in which doctors, hospitals, and medical practices charge separately for each service they perform.
femtech - 'Femtech' is a term that refers to diagnostic tools, products, services, wearables and software that use technology to address women's health issues, including menstrual health, reproductive health, sexual health, maternal health and menopause.
FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) - Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) is an interoperability standard for electronic exchange of healthcare information.
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.
Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) - Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM), formerly called Google Cloud Messaging (GCM), is a free cloud service from Google that allows app developers to send notifications and messages to users across a variety of platforms, including Android, iOS and web applications.
font - The word 'font' refers to a set of printable or displayable typography or text characters in a specific style and size.
freeware - Freeware (not to be confused with free software) is a type of proprietary software that is released without charge to the public.
front end and back end - Front end and back end are terms used by programmers and computer professionals to describe the layers that make up hardware, a computer program or a website which are delineated based on how accessible they are to a user.
fuzz testing (fuzzing) - Fuzz testing (fuzzing) is a quality assurance technique used to discover coding errors or bugs and security loopholes in software, operating systems and networks.
fuzzy search - A fuzzy search is a technique that uses search algorithms to find strings that match patterns approximately.
garbage in, garbage out (GIGO) - Garbage in, garbage out, or GIGO, refers to the idea that in any system, the quality of output is determined by the quality of the input.
Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles (the Principles) - Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles is a framework for managing records in a way that supports an organization's immediate and future regulatory, legal, risk mitigation, environmental and operational requirements.
genomics - Genomics is the study of an organism's entire genome, including all its genes and how those genes interact with each other and their environment.
Gmail - Gmail (pronounced Gee-mail) is a free web-based email service that provides users with 15 GB of storage for messages and the ability to search for specific messages.
GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment) - GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment) is a graphical user interface (GUI) and set of computer desktop applications for Linux operating system (OS) users.
good automated manufacturing practice (GAMP) - Good automated manufacturing practice (GAMP) is a set of guidelines manufacturers and other automation users follow to maintain operational efficiency and reliability.
Google ChromeOS - Google ChromeOS, formerly Chrome OS, is a lightweight operating system (OS) built on ChromiumOS, an open source OS that shares the same code base as ChromeOS.
Google Hangouts - Google Hangouts is a unified communications service that allows members to initiate and participate in text, voice or video chats, either one-on-one or in a group.
Google Maps - Google Maps is a web-based service that provides detailed information about geographical regions and sites worldwide.
Google Play - Google Play, formerly known as Android Market, is the official online store for digital media distributed by Google.
Google Sheets - Google Sheets is a web-based application that enables users to create, update and modify spreadsheets and share the data live online.
grid computing - Grid computing is a system for connecting a large number of computer nodes into a distributed architecture that delivers the compute resources necessary to solve complex problems.
guest operating system (guest OS) - A guest operating system is the operating system installed on either a virtual machine (VM) or partitioned disk.
gzip (GNU zip) - Gzip (GNU zip) is a free and open source algorithm for file compression.
hackathon - A hackathon, also known as a codefest, is a social coding event that brings computer programmers and other interested people together to improve upon or build a new software program.
Hadoop - Hadoop is an open source distributed processing framework that manages data processing and storage for big data applications in scalable clusters of computer servers.
hamburger icon (slide drawer navigation) - A hamburger icon is a navigational symbol in user interface (UI) design.
HashiCorp - HashiCorp is a software company that provides a suite of modular DevOps infrastructure provisioning and management products.
health informatics - Health informatics is the practice of acquiring, studying and managing health data and applying medical concepts in conjunction with health information technology systems to help clinicians provide better healthcare.
Health Information Exchange (HIE) - Health information exchange (HIE) is the electronic transmission of healthcare-related data among medical facilities, health information organizations -- companies that oversee and govern the exchange of this data -- and government agencies according to national standards.
Health IT (health information technology) - Health IT (health information technology) is the area of IT involving the design, development, creation, use and maintenance of information systems for the healthcare industry.
healthcare CIO (healthcare chief information officer) - A healthcare CIO (healthcare chief information officer) is an executive at a healthcare organization that oversees the operation of the information technology department and consults with other C-level personnel on technology-related needs and purchasing decisions.
HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) - The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to promote the best use of IT and management systems in the healthcare industry.
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) - HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is United States legislation that provides data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding medical information.
HL7 (Health Level Seven International) - HL7 (Health Level Seven International) is a set of standards, formats and definitions for exchanging and developing electronic health records (EHRs).
hybrid application (hybrid app) - A hybrid app is a software application that combines elements of both native apps and web applications.
IBM IMS (Information Management System) - IBM IMS (Information Management System) is a database and transaction management system that was first introduced by IBM in 1968.
IBM Watson supercomputer - Watson was a supercomputer designed and developed by IBM.
ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision) - The International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), is a global standard for classifying and coding mortality and morbidity data.
ICD-10-CM (Clinical Modification) - The ICD-10-CM (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification) is a system used by physicians and other healthcare providers to classify and code all diagnoses, symptoms and procedures related to inpatient and outpatient medical care in the United States.
ICD-10-PCS (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Procedure Coding System) - The International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) is an American adaptation of the World Health Organization's ICD-10 system, tailored for procedural coding in inpatient and hospital settings.
identity management (ID management) - Identity management (ID management) is the organizational process for ensuring individuals have the appropriate access to technology resources.
IDoc (intermediate document) - IDoc (intermediate document) is a standard data structure used in SAP applications to transfer data to and from SAP system applications and external systems.
image recognition - Image recognition, in the context of machine vision, is the ability of software to identify objects, places, people, writing and actions in digital images.
in-app purchase (IAP) - An in-app purchase (IAP) is something bought from within an application, typically a mobile app running on a smartphone or other mobile device.
Inbox Zero - Inbox Zero is a rigorous approach to email management that aims to keep an inbox empty -- or almost empty -- at all times.
infographic - An infographic (information graphic) is a representation of information in a graphic format designed to make the data easily understandable at a glance.
Information and Content Exchange (ICE) - Information and Content Exchange (ICE) is an XML-based standard protocol for electronic business-to-business (B2B) asset management.
information lifecycle management (ILM) - Information lifecycle management (ILM) is a comprehensive approach to managing an organization's data and associated metadata, starting with its creation and acquisition through when it becomes obsolete and is deleted.
instance - In object-oriented programming (OOP), an instance is a specific realization of any object.
integrated development environment (IDE) - An integrated development environment (IDE) is a software suite that consolidates basic tools required to write and test software.