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WGU DAC1 Glossary

WGU DAC Glossary - definitions for Information Systems Management

Term	Definition
acceptable use policy (AUP)	A policy that a user must agree to follow in order to be provided access to a network or to the internet.
accessibility	Refers to the varying levels that define what a user can access, view, or perform when operating system.
access point (AP)	The computer or network device that serves as an interface between devices and the network.
accounting	Analyzes the transactional information of the business so the owners and investors can make sound economic decisions.
accounting and finance ERP compenet	Manages accounting data and financial processes within the enterprise with functions such as general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, budgeting and asset management.
accounting department	Provides quantitative information about the finances of the business including recording, measuring, and describing financial information.
active RFID tags	Have their own transmitter and a power source (typically a battery).
adaptive computer device	Input devices designed for special applications for use by people with different types of special needs.
administrator access	Unrestricted access to the entire system.
advanced encryption standard (AES)	Introduced by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), AES is an encryption standard designed to keep government information secure.
adware	Software that generates ads that install themselves on a computer when a person downloads some other program from the internet.
affinity grouping	Determine which things to together.
agile methodology	Aims for customer satisfaction through early and continuous delivery of useful software components developed by an iterative process with a design point that uses the bare minimum requirements.
agile MIS infrastructure	Includes the hardware, software, and telecommunications equipment that, when combined, provides the underlying foundation to support the organization's goals.
alpha testing	Assess if the entire system meets the design requirements of the users.
analysis latency	The time from which data are made available to the time when analysis is complete.
analysis phase	Analyzing end-user business requirements and refining project goals into defined functions and operations of the intended system.
analytical CRM	Supports back-office operations and strategic analysis and includes all systems that do not deal directly with the customers.
analytical information	Encompasses all organizational information, and its primary purpose is to support the performing of managerial analysis tasks
analytics	The science of fact-based decision making.
anti-spam policy	States that email users will not send unsolicited emails (or spam).
antivirus software	Scans and searches hard drives to prevent, detect, and remove known viruses, adware, and spyware.
application architecture	Determines how applications integrate and relate to each other
application programming interface (API)	A set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications
asset	Anything owned that has value or earning power.
asset tracking	Occurs when a company places active or semipassive RFID tags on expensive products or assets to gather data on the items' location with little or no manual intervention.
application service provider license	Specialty software paid for on a license basis or per use basis or usagebased licensing
application software	Used for specific information processing needs, including payroll, customer relationship management, project management, training, and many others
arithmetic/logic unit (ALU)	Performs all arithmetic operations (for example, addition and subtraction) and all logic operations (such as sorting and comparing numbers)
artificial intelligence (AI)	Simulates human intelligence such as the ability to reason and learn.
As-Is process model	Represents the current state of the operation that has been mapped, without any specific improvements or changes to existing processes.
association detection	Reveals the degree to which variables are related and the nature and frequency of these relationships in the information.
asynchronous-communication	Communication such as email in which the message and the response do not occur at the same time.
attribute	Characteristics or properties of an entity class
augmented reality	The viewing of the physical world with computer generated layers of information added to it
authentication	A method for confirming users' identities
authorization	The process of giving someone permission to do or have something
automatic vehicle location (AVL)	Uses GPS tracking to track vehicles
autonomic computing	A self managing computing model named after, and patterned on, the human body's autonomic nervous system
availability	Addresses when systems can be accessed by employees, customers, and partners
backup	An exact copy of a system's information
backward integration	Takes information entered into a given system and sends it automatically to all upstream systems and processes
balanced scorecard	A management system that enables organizations to clarify their vision and strategy and translate them into action
balance sheet	Gives an accounting picture of property owned by a company and of claims against the property on a specific date
bandwidth	The difference between the highest and the lowest frequencies that can be transmitted on a single medium; a measure of the medium's capacity
benchmark	Baseline values the system seeks to attain
benchmarking	The process of continuously measuring system results, comparing those results to optimal system performance (benchmark values), and identifying steps and procedures to improve system performance
best practices	The most successful solutions or problem solving methods that have been developed by a specific organization or industry
biometrics	The identification of a user based on a physical characteristic, such as a fingerprint, iris, face, voice, or handwriting
blog	Website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order
Bluetooth	An omnidirectional wireless technology that provides limited range voice and data transmission over the unlicensed 2-4 GHz frequency band, allowing connections with a wide variety of fixed and portable devices that normally would have to be cabled togethe
bookkeeping	The actual recording of the business's transactions, without any analysis of the information
brainstorming	A technique for generating ideas by encouraging participants to offer as many ideas as possible in a short period of time without any analysis until all the ideas have been exhausted
break-even point	The point at which revenues equal costs
bug	Defects in the code of an information system
bullwhip effect	Occurs when distorted product demand information passes from one entity to the next throughout the supply chain
business continuity planning (BCP)	A plan for how an organization will recover and restore partially or completely interrupted critical function(s) within a predetermined time after a disaster or extended disruption
business critical integrity constraint	Enforces business rules vital to an organization's success and often requires more insight and knowledge than relational integrity constraints
business facing process	Invisible to the external customer but essential to the effective management of the business and includes goal setting, day to day planning, performance feedback, rewards, and resource allocation
business impact analysis	A process that identifies all critical business functions and the effect that a specific disaster may have upon them
business intelligence (BI)	Refers to applications and technologies that are used to gather, provide access to, and analyze data and information to support decision making efforts
business intelligence dashboard	Tracks corporate metrics such as critical success factors and key performance indicators and includes advanced capabilities such as interactive controls, allowing users to manipulate data for analysis
business model	A plan that details how a company creates, delivers, and generates revenues
business process	A standardized set of activities that accomplish a specific task, such as processing a customer's order
business process management (BPM)	Integrates all of an organization's business processes to make individual processes more efficient
business process management tool	Used to create an application that is helpful in designing business process models and also helpful in simulating, optimizing, monitoring, and maintaining various processes that occur within an organization
business process model	A graphic description of a process, showing the sequence of process tasks, which is developed for a specific purpose and from a selected viewpoint
business process modeling (or mapping)	The activity of creating a detailed flow chart or process map of a work process showing its inputs, tasks, and activities, in a structured sequence
business process reengineering (BPR)	The analysis and redesign of workflow within and between enterprises
business requirement	The detailed set of business requests that the system must meet in order to be successful
business rule	Defines how a company performs a certain aspect of its business and typically results in either a yes/no or true/false answer
business strategy	A leadership plan that achieves a specific set of goals or objectives
business to business (B2B)	Applies to businesses buying from and selling to each other over the Internet
business to consumer (B2C)	Applies to any business that sells its products or services to consumers over the Internet
buyer power	Is assessed by analyzing the ability of buyers to directly impact the price they are willing to pay for an item
byte	Group of eight bits represents one natural language character
cache memory	A small unit of ultra fast memory that is used to store recently accessed or frequently accessed data so that the CPU does not have to retrieve this data from slower memory circuits such as RAM
capability maturity model integration method (CMMI)	A process improvement approach that contains 22 process areas
capacity	Represents the maximum throughput a system can deliver; for example, the capacity of a hard drive represents the size or volume
capacity planning	Determines the future IT infrastructure requirements for new equipment and additional network capacity
capital	Represents money whose purpose is to make more money, for example, the money used to buy a rental property or a business
carbon emission	Includes the carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in the atmosphere, produced by business processes and systems
cartography	The science and art of making an illustrated map or chart
central processing unit (CPU) (or microprocessor)	The actual hardware that interprets and executes the program (software) instructions and coordinates how all the other hardware devices work together
certificate authority	A trusted third party, such as VeriSign, that validates user identities by means of digital certificates
chief information officer (CIO)	Responsible for (1) overseeing all uses of information technology and (2) ensuring the strategic alignment of IT with business goals and objectives
chief knowledge officer (CKO)	Responsible for collecting, maintaining, and distributing the organization's knowledge
chief privacy officer (CPO)	Responsible for ensuring the ethical and legal use of information within an organization
chief security officer (CSO)	Responsible for ensuring the security of IT systems and developing strategies and IT safeguards against attacks from hackers and viruses
chief technology officer (CTO)	Responsible for ensuring the throughput, speed, accuracy, availability, and reliability of an organization's information technology
Child Online Protection Act (COPA)	A law that protects minors from accessing inappropriate material on the Internet
chipless RFID tags	Use plastic or conductive polymers instead of silicon based microchips, allowing them to be washed or exposed to water without damaging the chip
classification	Assigns records to one of a predefined set of classes
click fraud	The abuse of pay- per- click, pay -per- call, and pay- per -conversion revenue models by repeatedly clicking on a link to increase charges or costs for the advertiser
clickstream data	Exact pattern of a consumer's navigation through a site
client	Computer that is designed to request information from a server
client/server network	A model for applications in which the bulk of the backend processing, such as performing a physical search of a database, takes place on a server, while the frontend processing, which involves communicating with the users, is handled by the clients
cloud bursting	When a company uses its own computing infrastructure for normal usage and accesses the cloud when it needs to scale for high/peak load requirements, ensuring a sudden spike in usage does not result in poor performance or system crashes
cloud computing	Refers to resources and applications hosted remotely as a shared service over the Internet
cloud fabric	The software that makes the benefits of cloud computing possible, such as multi tenancy
cloud fabric controller	An individual who monitors and provisions cloud resources similar to a server administrator at an individual company
cluster analysis	A technique used to divide an information set into mutually exclusive groups such that the members of each group are as close together as possible to one another and the different groups are as far apart as possible
clustering	Segmenting a heterogeneous population of records into a number of more homogeneous subgroups
coaxial cable	Cable that can carry a wide range of frequencies with low signal loss
cold site	A separate facility that does not have any computer equipment, but is a place where employees can move after a disaster
collaboration system	An IT based set of tools that supports the work of teams by facilitating the sharing and flow of information
collaborative demand planning	Helps organizations reduce their investment in inventory, while improving customer satisfaction through product availability.
collaborative engineering	Allows an organization to reduce the cost and time required during the design process of a product.
collective intelligence	Collaborating and tapping into the core knowledge of all employees, partners, and customers.
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO)	Key for evaluating internal controls such as human resources, logistics, information technology, risk, legal, marketing and sales, operations, financial functions, procurement, and reporting.
communication device	Equipment used to send information and receive it from one location to another.
community cloud	Serves a specific community with common business models, security requirements, and compliance considerations.
competitive advantage	A product or service that an organization's customers place a greater value on than similar offerings from a competitor.
competitive click fraud	A computer crime where a competitor or disgruntled employee increases a company's search advertising costs by repeatedly clicking on the advertiser's link.
competitive intelligence	The process of gathering information about the competitive environment, including competitors' plans, activities, and products, to improve a company's ability to succeed.
complex instruction set computer (CISC) chip	Type of CPU that can recognize as many as 100 or more instructions, enough to carry out most computations directly.
compliance	The act of conforming, acquiescing, or yielding.
computer	Electronic device operating under the control of instructions stored in its own memory that can accept, manipulate, and store data.
computer-aided software engineering (CASE)	Software suites that automate systems analysis, design, and development.
computer simulation	Complex systems, such as the U.S. economy, can be modeled by means of mathematical equations and different scenarios can be run against the model to determine “what if” analysis.
confidentiality	The assurance that messages and information are available only to those who are authorized to view them.
consolidation	Involves the aggregation of information and features simple roll-ups to complex groupings of interrelated information.
consumer-to-business (C2B)	Applies to any consumer that sells a product or service to a business over the Internet.
consumer-to-consumer (C2C)	Applies to sites primarily offering goods and services to assist consumers interacting with each other over the Internet.
content creator	The person responsible for creating the original website content.
content editor	The person responsible for updating and maintaining website content.
content filtering	Occurs when organizations use software that filters content to prevent the transmission of unauthorized information.
content management system (CMS)	Provides tools to manage the creation, storage, editing, and publication of information in a collaborative environment.
continuous process improvement model	Attempts to understand and measure the current process, and make performance improvements accordingly.
control objectives for information and related technologies (COBIT)	A set of best practices that helps an organization to maximize the benefits of an information system, while at the same time establishing appropriate controls to ensure minimum errors.
control panel	A Windows feature that provides a group of options that sets default values for the Windows operating system.
control unit	Interprets software instructions and literally tells the other hardware devices what to do, based on the software instructions.
conversion	The process of transferring information from a legacy system to a new system.
copyright	The legal protection afforded an expression of an idea, such as a song, video game, and some types of proprietary documents.
core ERP component	Traditional components included in most ERP systems and they primarily focus on internal operations.
corporate social responsibility	Companies' acknowledged responsibility to society.
corporation (also called organization, enterprise, or business)	An artificially created legal entity that exists separate and apart from those individuals who created it and carry on its operations.
counterfeit software	Software that is manufactured to look like the real thing and sold as such.
course management software	Contains course information such as a syllabus and assignments and offers drop boxes for quizzes and homework along with a grade book.
critical path	A path from the start to the finish that passes through all the tasks that are critical to completing the project in the shortest amount of time.
critical success factor (CSF)	A factor that is critical to an organization's success.
CRM analysis technologies	Help organizations segment their customers into categories such as best and worst customers.
CRM predicting technologies	Help organizations make predictions regarding customer behavior such as which customers are at risk of leaving.
CRM reporting technologies	Help organizations identify their customers across other applications.
crowdsourcing	Refers to the wisdom of the crowd.
cryptography	The science that studies encryption, which is the hiding of messages so that only the sender and receiver can read them.
cube	The common term for the representation of multidimensional information.
customer-facing process	Results in a product or service that is received by an organization's external customer.
customer metric	Assesses the management of customer relationships by the organization.
customer relationship management (CRM)	Involves managing all aspects of a customer's relationship with an organization to increase customer loyalty and retention and an organization's profitability.
cyberbullying	Threats, negative remarks, or defamatory comments transmitted via the Internet or posted on a website.
cybermediation	Refers to the creation of new kinds of intermediaries that simply could not have existed before the advent of ebusiness.
cyberterrorism	Seeks to cause harm to people or to destroy critical systems or information and use the Internet as a weapon of mass destruction.
cybervandalism	The electronic defacing of an existing website.
cyberwar	An organized attempt by a country's military to disrupt or destroy information and communication systems for another country.
data	Raw facts that describe the characteristics of an event.
database	Maintains information about various types of objects (inventory), events (transactions), people (employees), and places (warehouses).
database management system (DBMS)	Software through which users and application programs interact with a database.
data center	A facility used to house management information systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems.
data dictionary	Compiles all of the metadata about the data elements in the data model.
data-driven website	An interactive website kept constantly updated and relevant to the needs of its customers through the use of a database.
data element (or data field)	The smallest or basic unit of information.
data flow diagram (DFD)	Illustrates the movement of information between external entities and the processes and data stores within the system.
data governance	Refers to the overall management of the availability, usability, integrity, and security of company data.
data latency	The time duration to make data ready for analysis (i.e., the time for extracting, transforming, and cleansing the data) and loading the data into the database.
data mart	Contains a subset of data warehouse information.
data mining	The process of analyzing data to extract information not offered by the raw data alone.
data-mining tool	Uses a variety of techniques to find patterns and relationships in large volumes of information and infer rules from them that predict future behavior and guide decision making.
data model	A formal way to express data relationships to a database management system (DBMS).
data visualization	Describes technologies that allow users to “see” or visualize data to transform information into a business perspective.
data visualization tools	Moves beyond Excel graphs and charts into sophisticated analysis techniques such as pie charts, controls, instruments, maps, time-series graphs, etc.
data warehouse	A logical collection of information—gathered from many different operational databases—that supports business analysis activities and decision-making tasks.
decision latency	The time it takes a human to comprehend the analytic result and determine an appropriate action.
decision support system (DSS)	Models information to support managers and business professionals during the decision-making process.
decrypt	Decodes information and is the opposite of encrypted.
demand planning software	Generates demand forecasts using statistical tools and forecasting techniques.
dependency	A logical relationship that exists between the project tasks, or between a project task and a milestone.
deperimeterization	Occurs when an organization moves employees outside its firewall, a growing movement to change the way corporations address technology security.
design phase	Involves describing the desired features and operations of the system including screen layouts, business rules, process diagrams, pseudo code, and other documentation.
destructive agents	Malicious agents designed by spammers and other Internet attackers to farm email addresses off websites or deposit spyware on machines.
development phase	Involves taking all of the detailed design documents from the design phase and transforming them into the actual system.
development testing	Programmers test the system to ensure it is bug-free.
digital certificate	A data file that identifies individuals or organizations online and is comparable to a digital signature.
digital Darwinism	Organizations that cannot adapt to the new demands placed on them for surviving in the information age are doomed to extinction.
digital dashboard	Integrates information from multiple components and tailors the information to individual preferences.
digital ink (or electronic ink)	Technology that digitally represents handwriting in its natural form.
digital paper (or electronic paper)	Any paper that is optimized for any type of digital printing.
digital rights management	A technological solution that allows publishers to control their digital media to discourage, limit, or prevent illegal copying and distribution.
disaster recovery cost curve	Charts (1) the cost to the organization of the unavailability of information and technology and (2) the cost to the organization of recovering from a disaster over time.
disaster recovery plan	A detailed process for recovering information or an IT system in the event of a catastrophic disaster such as a fire or flood.
discovery prototyping	Builds a small-scale representation or working model of the system to ensure it meets the user and business requirements.
disintermediation	Occurs when a business sells direct to the customer online and cuts out the intermediary.
disruptive technology	A new way of doing things that initially does not meet the needs of existing customers.
distribution management system	Coordinates the process of transporting materials from a manufacturer to distribution centers to the final customer.
dividend	A distribution of earnings to shareholders.
drill-down	Enables users to get details, and details of details, of information.
drive-by hacking	A computer attack where an attacker accesses a wireless computer network, intercepts data, uses network services, and/or sends attack instructions without entering the office or organization that owns the network.
dual boot	Provides the user with the option of choosing the operating system when the computer is turned on.
dumpster diving	Looking through people's trash, another way hackers obtain information.
dynamic catalog	An area of a website that stores information about products in a database.
dynamic information	Includes data that change based on user actions.
dynamic scaling	Means that the MIS infrastructure can be automatically scaled up or down based on needed requirements.
ebook	An electronic book that can be read on a computer or special reading device.
ebusiness	The conducting of business on the Internet, not only buying and selling, but also serving customers and collaborating with business partners.
ebusiness model	An approach to conducting electronic business on the Internet.
ecommerce	The buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet.
edge matching (warping, rubber sheeting)	Occurs when paper maps are laid edge to edge, and items that run across maps but do not match are reconfigured to match.
ediscovery (or electronic discovery)	Refers to the ability of a company to identify, search, gather, seize, or export digital information in responding to a litigation, audit, investigation, or information inquiry.
effectiveness MIS metric	Measures the impact IT has on business processes and activities including customer satisfaction, conversion rates, and sell-through increases.
efficiency MIS metric	Measures the performance of the IT system itself including throughput, speed, and availability.
egovernment	Involves the use of strategies and technologies to transform government(s) by improving the delivery of services and enhancing the quality of interaction between the citizen-consumer within all branches of government.
elogistics	Manages the transportation and storage of goods.
email privacy policy	Details the extent to which email messages may be read by others.
emall	Consists of a number of eshops; it serves as a gateway through which a visitor can access other eshops.
embedded operating system	Used for a single purpose in computer appliances and special-purpose applications, such as an automobile, ATM, or media player.
emergency	A sudden, unexpected event requiring immediate action due to potential threat to health and safety, the environment, or property.
emergency notification service	An infrastructure built for notifying people in the event of an emergency.
emergency preparedness	Ensures a company is ready to respond to an emergency in an organized, timely, and effective manner.
employee monitoring policy	States how, when, and where the company monitors its employees.
employee relationship management (ERM)	Provides employees with a subset of CRM applications available through a web browser.
encryption	Scrambles information into an alternative form that requires a key or password to decrypt the information.
energy consumption	The amount of energy consumed by business processes and systems.
enterprise application integration (EAI) middleware	Represents a new approach to middleware by packaging together commonly used functionality, which reduces the time necessary to develop solutions that integrate applications from multiple vendors
enterprise architect (EA)	Person grounded in technology, fluent in business, a patient diplomat, and provides the important bridge between IT and the business.
enterprise architecture	Includes the plans for how an organization will build, deploy, use, and share its data, processes, and IT assets.
enterprise resource planning (ERP)	Integrates all departments and functions throughout an organization into a single IT system (or integrated set of IT systems) so that employees can make decisions by viewing enterprisewide information on all business operations.
entity	In the relational database model, a person, place, thing, transaction, or event about which information is stored.
entity-relationship diagram (ERD)	A technique for documenting the relationships between entities in a database environment.
entry barrier	A product or service feature that customers have come to expect from organizations in a particular industry and must be offered by an entering organization to compete and survive.
epolicies	Policies and procedures that address the ethical use of computers and Internet usage in the business environment.
eprocurement	The B2B purchase and sale of supplies and services over the Internet.
eshop (estore or etailer)	A version of a retail store where customers can shop at any hour of the day without leaving their home or office.
estimated time enroute (ETE)	The time remaining before reaching a destination using the present speed; typically used for navigation applications.
estimated time of arrival (ETA)	The time of day of an expected arrival at a certain destination; typically used for navigation applications.
estimation	Determine values for an unknown continuous variable behavior or estimated future value.
ethernet	A physical and data layer technology for LAN networking.
ethical computer use policy	Contains general principles to guide computer user behavior.
ethics	Principles and standards that guide our behavior toward other people.
ewaste	Old computer equipment, does not end up in a landfill, where the toxic substances it contains can leach into groundwater, among other problems.
executive information system (EIS)	A specialized DSS that supports senior level executives within the organization.
executive sponsor	The person or group who provides the financial resources for the project.
expense	Refers to the costs incurred in operating and maintaining a business.
expert system	Computerized advisory programs that imitate the reasoning processes of experts in solving difficult problems.
explicit knowledge	Consists of anything that can be documented, archived, and codified, often with the help of IT.
extended ERP component	The extra components that meet the organizational needs not covered by the core components and primarily focus on external operations.
extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL)	A process that extracts information from internal and external databases, transforms the information using a common set of enterprise definitions, and loads the information into a data warehouse.
extreme programming (XP) methodology	Breaks a project into tiny phases, and developers cannot continue on to the next phase until the first phase is complete.
fact	The confirmation or validation of an event or object.
failback	Occurs when the primary machine recovers and resumes operations, taking over from the secondary server.
failover	Backup operational mode in which the function of a computer component is assumed by secondary system components when the primary component becomes unavailable through either failure or scheduled down time.
fair use doctrine	In certain situations, it is legal to use copyrighted material.
fault tolerance	A computer system designed so that in the event a component fails, a backup component or procedure can immediately take its place with no loss of service.
feasibility	Determines if the proposed solution is feasible and achievable from a financial, technical, and organizational standpoint.
feedback	Information that returns to its original transmitter (input, transform, or output) and modifies the transmitter's actions.
fiber optic (optical fiber)	The technology associated with the transmission of information as light impulses along a glass wire or fiber.
finance	Deals with the strategic financial issues associated with increasing the value of the business while observing applicable laws and social responsibilities.
financial accounting	Involves preparing financial reports that provide information about the business's performance to external parties such as investors, creditors, and tax authorities.
financial quarter	A three-month period (four quarters per year).
financial statement	Written records of the financial status of the business that allow interested parties to evaluate the profitability and solvency of the business.
firewall	Hardware and/or software that guards a private network by analyzing the information leaving and entering the network.
first-mover advantage	An organization can significantly impact its market share by being first to market with a competitive advantage.
flash memory	A special type of rewriteable read-only memory (ROM) that is compact and portable.
folksonomy	Similar to taxonomy except that crowdsourcing determines the tags or keyword-based classification system.
forecast	Predictions made on the basis of time-series information.
foreign key	A primary key of one table that appears as an attribute in another table and acts to provide a logical relationship between the two tables.
for profit corporations	Primarily focus on making money and all profits and losses are shared by the business owners.
forward integration	Takes information entered into a given system and sends it automatically to all downstream systems and processes.
fourth-generation language (4GL)	Programming languages that look similar to human languages.
fuzzy logic	A mathematical method of handling imprecise or subjective information.
Gantt chart	A simple bar chart that depicts project tasks against a calendar.
genetic algorithm	An artificial intelligence system that mimics the evolutionary, survival-of-the-fittest process to generate increasingly better solutions to a problem.
geocache	A GPS technology adventure game that posts on the Internet the longitude and latitude location of an item for users to find.
geocoding	Spatial databases in a coding process that takes a digital map feature and assigns it an attribute that serves as a unique ID (tract number, node number) or classification (soil type, zoning category).
geocoin	A round, coin-sized object that is uniquely numbered and hidden in geocache.
geoeconomic	Refers to the effects of geography on the economic realities of international business activities.
geographic information system (GIS)	Designed to work with information that can be shown on a map.
gigabyte (GB)	Roughly 1 billion bytes.
gigahertz (GHz)	The number of billions of CPU cycles per second.
GIS map automation	Links business assets to a centralized system where they can be tracked and monitored over time.
global inventory management system	Provides the ability to locate, track, and predict the movement of every component or material anywhere upstream or downstream in the supply chain.
global positioning system (GPS)	A device that determines current latitude, longitude, speed, and direction of movement.
goal-seeking analysis	Finds the inputs necessary to achieve a goal such as a desired level of output.
goods	Material items or products that customers will buy to satisfy a want or need. Clothing, groceries, cell phones, and cars are all examples of goods that people buy to fulfill their needs.
governance	Method or system of government for management or control.
granularity	Refers to the level of detail in the model or the decision-making process.
graphical user interface (GUI)	The interface to an information system.
grid computing	An aggregation of geographically dispersed computing, storage, and network resources, coordinated to deliver improved performance, higher quality of service, better utilization, and easier access to data.
hacker	People very knowledgeable about computers who use their knowledge to invade other people's computers.
hard drive	Secondary storage medium that uses several rigid disks coated with a magnetically sensitive material and housed together with the recording heads in a hermetically sealed mechanism.
hardware	Consists of the physical devices associated with a computer system.
help desk	A group of people who respond to internal system user questions.
high availability	Refers to a system or component that is continuously operational for a desirably long length of time.
historical analysis	Historical events are studied to anticipate the outcome of current developments.
hot site	A separate and fully equipped facility where the company can move immediately after a disaster and resume business.
hotspots	Designated locations where Wi-Fi access points are publicly available.
human resource ERP component	Tracks employee information including payroll, benefits, compensation, and performance assessment, and assures compliance with the legal requirements of multiple jurisdictions and tax authorities.
human resources (HR)	Includes the policies, plans, and procedures for the effective management of employees (human resources).
hybrid cloud	Includes two or more private, public, or community clouds, but each cloud remains separate and is only linked by technology that enables data and application portability.
hypertext markup language (HTML)	Links documents allowing users to move from one to another simply by clicking on a hotspot or link.
identity theft	The forging of someone's identity for the purpose of fraud.
IEEE 802.11n (or Wireless-N)	The newest standard for wireless networking.
implementation phase	Involves placing the system into production so users can begin to perform actual business operations with the system.
incident	Unplanned interruption of a service.
incident management	The process responsible for managing how incidents are identified and corrected.
incident record	Contains all of the details of an incident.
income statement (also referred to as earnings report, operating statement, and profit-and-loss (P&L) statement)	Reports operating results (revenues minus expenses) for a given time period ending at a specified date.
infographics (information graphics)	Displays information graphically so it can be easily understood.
information	Data converted into a meaningful and useful context.
information architecture	Identifies where and how important information, like customer records, is maintained and secured.
information cleansing or scrubbing	A process that weeds out and fixes or discards inconsistent, incorrect, or incomplete information.
information compliance	The act of conforming, acquiescing, or yielding information.
information ethics	Govern the ethical and moral issues arising from the development and use of information technologies, as well as the creation, collection, duplication, distribution, and processing of information itself (with or without the aid of computer technologies).
information granularity	Refers to the extent of detail within the information (fine and detailed or “coarse” and abstract information).
information inconsistency	Occurs when the same data element has different values.
information integrity	A measure of the quality of information.
information management	Examines the organizational resource of information and regulates its definitions, uses, value, and distribution ensuring it has the types of data/information required to function and grow effectively.
information MIS infrastructure	Identifies where and how important information, such as customer records, is maintained and secured.
information privacy	Concerns the legal right or general expectation of individuals, groups, or institutions to determine for themselves when and to what extent information about them is communicated to others.
information privacy policy	Contains general principles regarding information privacy.
information property	An ethical issue that focuses on who owns information about individuals and how information can be sold and exchanged.
information redundancy	The duplication of data, or the storage of the same data in multiple places.
information richness	Refers to the depth and breadth of information transferred between customers and businesses.
information secrecy	The category of computer security that addresses the protection of data from unauthorized disclosure and confirmation of data source authenticity.
information security	A broad term encompassing the protection of information from accidental or intentional misuse by persons inside or outside an organization.
information security plan	Details how an organization will implement the information security policies.
information security policy	Identifies the rules required to maintain information security.
Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA)	A set of guidelines and supporting tools for IT governance that is accepted worldwide and generally used by auditors and companies as a way to integrate technology to implement controls and meet specific business objectives.
Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)	A framework provided by the government of the United Kingdom that offers eight sets of management procedures.
informing	Accessing large amounts of data from different management information systems.
infrastructure	Includes the hardware, software, and telecommunications equipment that, when combined, provide the underlying foundation to support the organization's goals.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)	The delivery of computer hardware capability, including the use of servers, networking, and storage, as a service.
input device	Equipment used to capture information and commands.
insider	Legitimate users who purposely or accidentally misuse their access to the environment and cause some kind of business-affecting incident.
in-sourcing (in-house development)	A common approach using the professional expertise within an organization to develop and maintain the organization's information technology systems.
instant messaging (IM or IMing)	A type of communications service that enables someone to create a kind of private chat room with another individual in order to communicate in real-time over the Internet.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)	An organization that researches and institutes electrical standards for communication and other technologies.
intangible benefits	Difficult to quantify or measure.
integration	Allows separate systems to communicate directly with each other.
integration testing	Verifies that separate systems can work together passing data back and forth correctly.
integrity constraint	The rules that help ensure the quality of information.
intellectual property	Intangible creative work that is embodied in physical form.
intelligent agent	A special-purpose knowledge-based information system that accomplishes specific tasks on behalf of its users.
intelligent system	Various commercial applications of artificial intelligence.
interactive voice response (IVR)	Directs customers to use touch-tone phones or keywords to navigate or provide information.
interactivity	Measures the visitor interactions with the target ad.
intermediary	Agent, software, or business that brings buyers and sellers together to provide a trading infrastructure to enhance ebusiness.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)	A nongovernmental organization established in 1947 to promote the development of world standards to facilitate the international exchange of goods and services.
Internet	A global public network of computer networks that pass information from one to another using common computer protocols.
Internet censorship	Government attempts to control Internet traffic, thus preventing some material from being viewed by a country's citizens.
Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6)	Distributes digital video content using IP across the Internet and private IP networks.
Internet service provider (ISP)	A company that provides individuals and other companies access to the Internet along with additional related services, such as website building.
Internet use policy	Contains general principles to guide the proper use of the Internet.
interoperability	Capability of two or more computer systems to share data and resources, even though they are made by different manufacturers.
intrusion detection software (IDS)	Searches out patterns in information and network traffic to indicate attacks and quickly responds to prevent any harm.
inventory management and control system	Provides control and visibility to the status of individual items maintained in inventory.
iterative development	Consists of a series of tiny projects.
IT infrastructure	Includes the hardware, software, and telecommunications equipment that, when combined, provide the underlying foundation to support the organization's goals.
joint application development (JAD)	A session where employees meet, sometimes for several days, to define or review the business requirements for the system.
key performance indicator (KPI)	Measures that are tied to business drivers.
kill switch	A trigger that enables a project manager to close the project prior to completion.
knowledge	Skills, experience, and expertise coupled with information and intelligence that creates a person's intellectual resources.
knowledge management (KM)	Involves capturing, classifying, evaluating, retrieving, and sharing information assets in a way that provides context for effective decisions and actions.
knowledge management system (KMS)	Supports the capturing, organization, and dissemination of knowledge (i.e., know-how) throughout an organization.
knowledge workers	Individuals valued for their ability to interpret and analyze information.
latitude	Represents a north/south measurement of position.
legacy system	An old system that is fast approaching or beyond the end of its useful life within an organization.
liability	An obligation to make financial payments.
limited liability	Means that the shareholders are not personally liable for the losses incurred by the corporation.
limited liability corporation (LLC)	A hybrid entity that has the legal protections of a corporation and the ability to be taxed (one time) as a partnership.
limited partnership	Much like a general partnership except for one important fundamental difference; the law protects the limited partner from being responsible for all of the partnership's losses.
local area network (LAN)	Computer network that uses cables or radio signals to link two or more computers within a geographically limited area, generally one building or a group of buildings.
location-based services (LBS)	Wireless mobile content services that provide location-specific information to mobile users moving from location to location.
logical view	Focuses on how users logically access information to meet their particular business needs.
longitude	Represents an east/west measurement of position.
long tail	Referring to the tail of a typical sales curve.
loss	Occurs when businesses sell products or services for less than they cost to produce.
loyalty program	Rewards customers based on the amount of business they do with a particular organization.
magnetic medium	Secondary storage medium that uses magnetic techniques to store and retrieve data on disks or tapes coated with magnetically sensitive materials.
magnetic tape	Older secondary storage medium that uses a strip of thin plastic coated with a magnetically sensitive recording medium.
mail bomb	Sends a massive amount of email to a specific person or system resulting in filling up the recipient's disk space, which, in some cases, may be too much for the server to handle and may cause the server to stop functioning.
maintainability (or flexibility)	Refers to how quickly a system can transform to support environmental changes.
maintenance phase	Involves performing changes, corrections, additions, and upgrades to ensure the system continues to meet the business goals.
management information systems (MIS)	A general name for the business function and academic discipline covering the application of people, technologies, and procedures—collectively called information systems—to solve business problems.
managerial accounting	Involves analyzing business operations for internal decision making and does not have to follow any rules issued by standard-setting bodies such as GAAP.
managerial level	Employees are continuously evaluating company operations to hone the firm's abilities to identify, adapt to, and leverage change.
market basket analysis	Analyzes such items as websites and checkout scanner information to detect customers' buying behavior and predict future behavior by identifying affinities among customers' choices of products and services.
marketing	The process associated with promoting the sale of goods or services.
marketing communication	Seeks to build product or service awareness and to educate potential consumers on the product or service.
marketing mix	Includes the variables that marketing managers can control in order to best satisfy customers in the target market.
market segmentation	The division of a market into similar groups of customers.
market share	Calculated by dividing the firm's sales by the total market sales for the entire industry.
mashup	A website or web application that uses content from more than one source to create a completely new product or service.
mashup editor	WYSIWYGs (What You See Is What You Get) for mashups that provide a visual interface to build a mashup, often allowing the user to drag and drop data points into a web application.
mass customization	Ability of an organization to give its customers the opportunity to tailor its products or services to the customers' specifications.
materials requirement planning (MRP) system	Sales forecasts to make sure that needed parts and materials are available at the right time and place in a specific company.
megabyte (MB or M or Meg)	Roughly 1 million bytes.
megahertz (MHz)	The number of millions of CPU cycles per second.
memory card	Contains high-capacity storage that holds data such as captured images, music, or text files.
memory stick	Provides nonvolatile memory for a range of portable devices including computers, digital cameras, MP3 players, and PDAs.
metadata	Details about data.
methodology	A set of policies, procedures, standards, processes, practices, tools, techniques, and tasks that people apply to technical and management challenges.
metrics	Measurements that evaluate results to determine whether a project is meeting its goals.
metropolitan area network (MAN)	A computer network that provides connectivity in a geographic area or region larger than that covered by a local area network, but smaller than the area covered by a wide area network.
microblogging	The practice of sending brief posts (140 to 200 characters) to a personal blog, either publicly or to a private group of subscribers who can read the posts as IMs or as text messages.
middleware	Different types of software that sit in the middle of and provide connectivity between two or more software applications.
MIS infrastructure	Includes the plans for how a firm will build, deploy, use, and share its data, processes, and MIS assets.
mobile business (mcommerce or mbusiness)	The ability to purchase goods and services through a wireless Internet-enabled device.
model	A simplified representation or abstraction of reality.
Moore's Law	Refers to the computer chip performance per dollar doubling every 18 months.
multiple in/multiple out (MIMO) technology	Multiple transmitters and receivers allow sending and receiving greater amounts of data than traditional networking devices.
multitasking	Allows more than one piece of software to be used at a time.
multi-tenancy	A single instance of a system serves multiple customers.
mutation	The process within a genetic algorithm of randomly trying combinations and evaluating the success (or failure) of the outcome.
nearshore outsourcing	Contracting an outsourcing agreement with a company in a nearby country.
net income	The amount of money remaining after paying taxes.
network	A communications, data exchange, and resource-sharing system created by linking two or more computers and establishing standards, or protocols, so that they can work together.
network effect	Describes how products in a network increase in value to users as the number of users increases.
network operating system (NOS)	The operating system that runs a network, steering information between computers and managing security and users.
network topology	Refers to the geometric arrangement of the actual physical organization of the computers (and other network devices) in a network.
network transmission media	Various types of media used to carry the signal between computers.
network user license	Enables anyone on the network to install and use the software.
neural network (artificial neural network)	A category of AI that attempts to emulate the way the human brain works.
nonrepudiation	A contractual stipulation to ensure that ebusiness participants do not deny (repudiate) their online actions.
nonvolatile	Does not require constant power to function.
not for profit (or nonprofit) corporation	Usually exists to accomplish some charitable, humanitarian, or educational purpose, and the profits and losses are not shared by the business owners.
object-oriented languages	Languages that group data and corresponding processes into objects.
offshore outsourcing	Using organizations from developing countries to write code and develop systems.
off-the-shelf application	Supports general business processes and does not require any specific software customization to meet the organization's needs.
online analytical processing (OLAP)	The manipulation of information to create business intelligence in support of strategic decision making.
online training	Runs over the Internet or off a CD-ROM.
online transaction processing (OLTP)	The capturing of transaction and event information using technology to (1) process the information according to defined business rules, (2) store the information, and (3) update existing information to reflect the new information.
onshore outsourcing	The process of engaging another company within the same country for services.
open source	Refers to any software whose source code is made available free for any third party to review and modify.
open system	A broad term that describes nonproprietary IT hardware and software made available by the standards and procedures by which their products work, making it easier to integrate them.
operating system software	Controls the application software and manages how the hardware devices work together.
operational CRM	Supports traditional transactional processing for day-to-day front-office operations or systems that deal directly with the customers.
operational level	Employees develop, control, and maintain core business activities required to run the day-to-day operations.
operational planning and control (OP&C)	Deals with the day-to-day procedures for performing work, including scheduling, inventory, and process management.
operations management (OM)	The management of systems or processes that convert or transform resources (including human resources) into goods and services.
optimization analysis	An extension of goal-seeking analysis, finds the optimum value for a target variable by repeatedly changing other variables, subject to specified constraints.
opt out	Customer specifically chooses to deny permission of receiving emails.
output device	Equipment used to see, hear, or otherwise accept the results of information processing requests.
outsourcing	An arrangement by which one organization provides a service or services for another organization that chooses not to perform them in-house.
owner's equity	The portion of a company belonging to the owners.
packet-switching	Occurs when the sending computer divides a message into a number of efficiently sized units called packets, each of which contains the address of the destination computer.
paradigm shift	Occurs when a new radical form of business enters the market that reshapes the way companies and organizations behave.
parallel implementation	Uses both the legacy system and new system until all users verify that the new system functions correctly.
partner relationship management (PRM)	Focuses on keeping vendors satisfied by managing alliance partner and reseller relationships that provide customers with the optimal sales channel.
partnership	Similar to sole proprietorships, except that this legal structure allows for more than one owner.
partnership agreement	A legal agreement between two or more business partners that outlines core business issues.
passive RFID tags	Do not have a power source.
patent	An exclusive right to make, use, and sell an invention granted by a government to the inventor.
pay-per-call	Generates revenue each time users click on a link that takes them directly to an online agent waiting for a call.
pay-per-click	Generates revenue each time a user clicks on a link to a retailer's website.
pay-per-conversion	Generates revenue each time a website visitor is converted to a customer.
peer-to-peer (P2P) network	Any network without a central file server and in which all computers in the network have access to the public files located on all other workstations.
performance	Measures how quickly a system performs a certain process or transaction.
personal area network (PAN)	Provide communication over a short distance that is intended for use with devices that are owned and operated by a single user.
personal information management (PIM) software	Software handles contact information, appointments, task lists, and email.
personalization	Occurs when a website can know enough about a person's likes and dislikes that it can fashion offers that are more likely to appeal to that person.
PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) chart	A graphical network model that depicts a project's tasks and the relationships between those tasks.
pharming	Reroutes requests for legitimate websites to false websites.
pharming attack	Uses a zombie farm, often by an organized crime association, to launch a massive phishing attack.
phased implementation	Installs the new system in phases (for example, by department) until it is verified that it works correctly.
phishing	Technique to gain personal information for the purpose of identity theft, usually by means of fraudulent email.
phishing expedition	A masquerading attack that combines spam with spoofing.
physical security	Tangible protection such as alarms, guards, fireproof doors, fences, and vaults.
physical view	The physical storage of information on a storage device such as a hard disk.
pilot implementation	A small group uses the new system until it is verified that it works correctly, then the remaining users migrate to the new system.
pirated software	The unauthorized use, duplication, distribution, or sale of copyrighted software.
planning phase	Involves establishing a high-level plan of the intended project and determining project goals.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)	Supports the deployment of entire systems including hardware, networking, and applications using a pay-per-use revenue model.
plunge implementation	Discards the legacy system and immediately migrates all users to the new system.
podcasting	Distribution of audio or video files, such as radio programs or music videos, over the Internet to play on mobile devices and personal computers.
portability	Refers to the ability of an application to operate on different devices or software platforms, such as different operating systems.
preventive maintenance	Makes system changes to reduce the chance of future system failure.
primary key	A field (or group of fields) that uniquely identifies a given entity in a table.
primary storage	Computer's main memory, which consists of the random access memory (RAM), cache memory, and read-only memory (ROM) that is directly accessible to the CPU.
primary value activities	Found at the bottom of the value chain, these include business processes that acquire raw materials and manufacture, deliver, market, sell, and provide after-sales services.
privacy	The right to be left alone when you want to be, to have control over your own personal possessions, and not to be observed without your consent.
private cloud	Serves only one customer or organization and can be located on the customer's premises or off the customer's premises.
process modeling	Involves graphically representing the processes that capture, manipulate, store, and distribute information between a system and its environment.
product differentiation	An advantage that occurs when a company develops unique differences in its products with the intent to influence demand.
production	The creation of goods and services using the factors of production: land, labor, capital, entrepreneurship, and knowledge.
production and materials management ERP component	Handles the various aspects of production planning and execution such as demand forecasting, production scheduling, job cost accounting, and quality control.
production management	Describes all the activities managers do to help companies create goods.
productivity	The rate at which goods and services are produced based upon total output given total inputs.
product life cycle	Includes the four phases a product progresses through during its life cycle including introduction, growth, maturity, and decline.
profit	Occurs when businesses sell products or services for more than they cost to produce.
project	A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service.
project assumption	Factor that is considered to be true, real, or certain without proof or demonstration.
project constraint	Specific factor that can limit options.
project deliverable	Any measurable, tangible, verifiable outcome, result, or item that is produced to complete a project or part of a project.
project management	The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities in order to meet or exceed stakeholder needs and expectations from a project.
project management office (PMO)	An internal department that oversees all organizational projects.
project management software	Supports the long-term and day-to-day management and execution of the steps in a project.
project manager	An individual who is an expert in project planning and management, defines and develops the project plan, and tracks the plan to ensure all key project milestones are completed on time.
project milestone	Represents key dates when a certain group of activities must be performed.
project objective	Quantifiable criteria that must be met for the project to be considered a success.
project plan	A formal, approved document that manages and controls project execution.
project requirements document	Defines the specifications for product/output of the project and is key for managing expectations, controlling scope, and completing other planning efforts.
project risk	An uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on a project objective(s).
project scope	Defines the work that must be completed to deliver a product with the specified features and functions.
project scope statement	Links the project to the organization's overall business goals.
project stakeholders	Individuals and organizations actively involved in the project or whose interests might be affected as a result of project execution or project completion.
protocol	A standard that specifies the format of data as well as the rules to be followed during transmission.
prototype	A smaller-scale representation or working model of the user's requirements or a proposed design for an information system.
public cloud	Promotes massive, global, industrywide applications offered to the general public.
public key encryption (PKE)	Encryption system that uses two keys: a public key that everyone can have and a private key for only the recipient.
query-by-example (QBE) tool	Helps users graphically design the answer to a question against a database.
radio frequency identification (RFID)	Technologies using active or passive tags in the form of chips or smart labels that can store unique identifiers and relay this information to electronic readers.
RadioPaper	A dynamic high-resolution electronic display that combines a paper-like reading experience with the ability to access information anytime, anywhere.
random access memory (RAM)	The computer's primary working memory, in which program instructions and data are stored so that they can be accessed directly by the CPU via the processor's high-speed external data bus.
rapid application development (RAD) (also called rapid prototyping) methodology	Emphasizes extensive user involvement in the rapid and evolutionary construction of working prototypes of a system to accelerate the systems development process.
rational unified process (RUP) methodology	Provides a framework for breaking down the development of software into four gates.
read-only memory (ROM)	The portion of a computer's primary storage that does not lose its contents when one switches off the power.
real simple syndication (RSS)	Family of web feed formats used for web syndication of programs and content.
real-time communication	Occurs when a system updates information at the same rate it receives it.
real-time information	Immediate, up-to-date information.
real-time system	Provides real-time information in response to query requests.
record	A collection of related data elements.
recovery	The ability to get a system up and running in the event of a system crash or failure and includes restoring the information backup.
reduced instruction set computer (RISC) chip	Limits the number of instructions the CPU can execute to increase processing speed.
reintermediation	Using the Internet to reassemble buyers, sellers, and other partners in a traditional supply chain in new ways.
relational database management system	Allows users to create, read, update, and delete data in a relational database.
relational database model	A type of database that stores information in the form of logically related two-dimensional tables.
relational integrity constraint	The rules that enforce basic and fundamental information-based constraints.
reliability (or accuracy)	Ensures all systems are functioning correctly and providing accurate information.
requirements definition document	Contains the final set of business requirements, prioritized in order of business importance.
requirements management	The process of managing changes to the business requirements throughout the project.
response time	The time it takes to respond to user interactions such as a mouse click.
responsibility matrix	Defines all project roles and indicates what responsibilities are associated with each role.
return on investment (ROI)	Indicates the earning power of a project.
revenue	Refers to the amount earned resulting from the delivery or manufacture of a product or from the rendering of a service.
RFID reader (RFID interrogator)	A transmitter/receiver that reads the contents of RFID tags in the area.
RFID tag	Contains a microchip and an antenna, and typically works by transmitting a serial number via radio waves to an electronic reader, which confirms the identity of a person or object bearing the tag.
RFIS accelerometer	A device that measures the acceleration (the rate of change of velocity) of an item and is used to track truck speeds or taxi cab speeds.
rivalry among existing competitors	High when competition is fierce in a market and low when competition is more complacent.
router	An intelligent connecting device that examines each packet of data it receives and then decides which way to send it onward toward its destination.
safe mode	Occurs if the system is failing and will load only the most essential parts of the operating system and will not run many of the background operating utilities.
sales	The function of selling a good or service that focuses on increasing customer sales, which increases company revenues.
satellite	A big microwave repeater in the sky; it contains one or more transponders that listen to a particular portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, amplifying incoming signals, and retransmitting them back to Earth.
scalability	Refers to how well a system can adapt to increased demands.
scripting language	A programming method that provides for interactive modules to a website.
scrum methodology	Uses small teams to produce small pieces of deliverable software using sprints, or 30-day intervals, to achieve an appointed goal.
search engine	Website software that finds other pages based on keyword matching.
search engine optimization (SEO)	Set of methods aimed at improving the ranking of a website in search engine listings.
search engine ranking	Evaluates variables that search engines use to determine where a URL appears on the list of search results.
secondary storage	Consists of equipment designed to store large volumes of data for long-term storage.
selling chain management	Applies technology to the activities in the order life cycle from inquiry to sale.
semantic web	An evolving extension of the World Wide Web in which web content can be expressed not only in natural language, but also in a format that can be read and used by software agents, thus permitting them to find, share, and integrate information more easily.
semi-passive RFID tags	Include a battery to run the microchip's circuitry, but communicate by drawing power from the RFID reader.
semistructured decisions	Occurs in situations in which a few established processes help to evaluate potential solutions, but not enough to lead to a definite recommended decision.
sensitivity analysis	The study of the impact that changes in one (or more) parts of the model have on other parts of the model.
server	Computer that is dedicated to providing information in response to external requests.
service	A business task.
serviceability	How quickly a third party or vendor can change a system to ensure it meets user needs and the terms of any contracts, including agreed levels of reliability, maintainability, or availability.
service-oriented architecture (SOA)	A collection of services that communicate with each other, for example, passing data from one service to another or coordinating an activity between one or more services.
shareholder	Another term for business owners.
shopping bot	Software that will search several retailer websites and provide a comparison of each retailer's offerings including price and availability.
sign-off	The system users' actual signatures indicating they approve all of the business requirements.
single-user license	Restricts the use of the software to one user at a time.
site license	Enables any qualified users within the organization to install the software, regardless of whether the computer is on a network. Some employees might install the software on a home computer for working remotely.
slice-and-dice	The ability to look at information from different perspectives.
smart card	A device that is around the same size as a credit card, containing embedded technologies that can store information and small amounts of software to perform some limited processing.
smart grid	Delivers electricity using two-way digital technology.
smartphone	Combines the functions of a cellular phone and a PDA in a single device.
social bookmarking	Allows users to share, organize, search, and manage bookmarks.
social engineering	Using one's social skills to trick people into revealing access credentials or other information valuable to the attacker.
social media	Refers to websites that rely on user participation and user-contributed content.
social media policy	Outlines the corporate guidelines or principles governing employee online communications.
social network	An application that connects people by matching profile information.
social networking	The practice of expanding your business and/or social contacts by constructing a personal network.
social networking analysis (SNA)	Maps group contacts, identifying who knows each other and who works together.
social tagging	Describes the collaborative activity of marking shared online content with keywords or tags as a way to organize it for future navigation, filtering, or search.
software	The set of instructions that the hardware executes to carry out specific tasks.
Software as a Service (SaaS)	A model of software deployment where an application is licensed for use as a service provided to customers on demand.
software customization	Modifies software to meet specific user or business requirements.
software engineering	A disciplined approach for constructing information systems through the use of common methods, techniques, or tools.
software updates (software patch)	Occurs when the software vendor releases updates to software to fix problems or enhance features.
software upgrade	Occurs when the software vendor releases a new version of the software, making significant changes to the program.
sole proprietorship	A business form in which a single person is the sole owner and is personally responsible for all the profits and losses of the business.
solvency	Represents the ability of the business to pay its bills and service its debt.
source code	Contains instructions written by a programmer specifying the actions to be performed by computer software.
source document	Describes the basic transaction data such as its date, purpose, and amount and includes cash receipts, canceled checks, invoices, customer refunds, employee time sheet, etc.
spam	Unsolicited email.
spatial data (geospatial data or geographic information)	Identifies the geographic location of features and boundaries on Earth, such as natural or constructed features, oceans, and more.
spear phishing	A phishing expedition in which the emails are carefully designed to target a particular person or organization.
spyware	Software that comes hidden in free downloadable software and tracks online movements, mines the information stored on a computer, or uses a computer's CPU and storage for some task the user knows nothing about.
statement of cash flow	Summarizes sources and uses of cash, indicates whether enough cash is available to carry on routine operations, and offers an analysis of all business transactions, reporting where the firm obtained its cash and how it chose to allocate the cash.
statement of owner's equity (also called the statement of retained earnings or equity statement)	Tracks and communicates changes in the shareholder's earnings.
static information	Includes fixed data that are not capable of change in the event of a user action.
statistical analysis	Performs such functions as information correlations, distributions, calculations, and variance analysis.
status report	Periodic reviews of actual performance versus expected performance.
strategic business units (SBUs)	Consists of several stand-alone businesses.
strategic level	Managers develop overall business strategies, goals, and objectives as part of the company's strategic plan.
strategic planning	Focuses on long-range planning such as plant size, location, and type of process to be used.
streaming	A method of sending audio and video files over the Internet in such a way that the user can view the file while it is being transferred.
structured decisions	Involves situations where established processes offer potential solutions.
structured query language	Users write lines of code to answer questions against a database.
stylus	A pen-like device used to tap the screen to enter commands.
supplier power	High when one supplier has concentrated power over an industry.
supplier relationship management (SRM)	Focuses on keeping suppliers satisfied by evaluating and categorizing suppliers for different projects, which optimizes supplier selection.
supply chain	Consists of all parties involved, directly or indirectly, in the procurement of a product or raw material.
supply chain event management (SCEM)	Enables an organization to react more quickly to resolve supply chain issues.
supply chain execution (SCE) software	Automates the different steps and stages of the supply chain.
supply chain management (SCM)	Involves the management of information flows between and among stages in a supply chain to maximize total supply chain effectiveness and profitability.
supply chain planning (SCP) software	Uses advanced mathematical algorithms to improve the flow and efficiency of the supply chain while reducing inventory.
supply chain visibility	The ability to view all areas up and down the supply chain.
support value activities	Found along the top of the value chain and includes business processes, such as firm infrastructure, human resource management, technology development, and procurement that support the primary value activities.
sustainable MIS disposal	Refers to the safe disposal of IT assets at the end of their life cycle.
sustainable MIS infrastructure	Identifies ways that a company can grow in terms of computing resources while simultaneously becoming less dependent on hardware and energy consumption.
sustainable, or “green,” MIS	Describes the manufacture, management, use, and disposal of information technology in a way that minimizes damage to the environment, which is a critical part of a corporation's responsibility.
sustaining technology	Produces an improved product customers are eager to buy, such as a faster car or larger hard drive.
switching cost	The costs that can make customers reluctant to switch to another product or service.
synchronous communication	Communications that occur at the same time such as IM or chat.
system	A collection of parts that link to achieve a common purpose.
system availability	Number of hours a system is available for users.
system clock	Works like a wristwatch and uses a battery mounted on the motherboard to provide power when the computer is turned off.
system restore	Enables a user to return to the previous operating system.
systems development life cycle (SDLC)	The overall process for developing information systems from planning and analysis through implementation and maintenance.
system software	Controls how the various technology tools work together along with the application software.
systems thinking	A way of monitoring the entire system by viewing multiple inputs being processed or transformed to produce outputs while continuously gathering feedback on each part.
system testing	Verifies that the units or pieces of code function correctly when integrated.
system virtualization	The ability to present the resources of a single computer as if it is a collection of separate computers (“virtual machines”), each with its own virtual CPUs, network interfaces, storage, and operating system.
tacit knowledge	The knowledge contained in people's heads.
tactical planning	Focuses on producing goods and services as efficiently as possible within the strategic plan.
tags	Specific keywords or phrases incorporated into website content for means of classification or taxonomy.
tangible benefits	Easy to quantify and typically measured to determine the success or failure of a project.
taxonomy	The scientific classification of organisms into groups based on similarities of structure or origin.
technology failure	Occurs when the ability of a company to operate is impaired because of a hardware, software, or data outage.
technology recovery strategy	Focus specifically on prioritizing the order for restoring hardware, software, and data across the organization that best meets business recovery requirements.
teergrubbing	Anti-spamming approach where the receiving computer launches a return attack against the spammer, sending email messages back to the computer that originated the suspected spam.
telecommunication system	Enables the transmission of data over public or private networks.
teleliving	Using information devices and the Internet to conduct all aspects of life seamlessly.
terabyte (TB)	Roughly 1 trillion bytes.
test condition	The detailed steps the system must perform along with the expected results of each step.
testing phase	Involves bringing all the project pieces together into a special testing environment to test for errors, bugs, and interoperability and verify that the system meets all of the business requirements defined in the analysis phase.
threat	An act or object that poses a danger to assets.
threat of new entrants	High when it is easy for new competitors to enter a market and low when there are significant entry barriers to entering a market.
threat of substitute products or services	High when there are many alternatives to a product or service and low when there are few alternatives from which to choose.
time bombs	Computer viruses that wait for a specific date before executing instructions.
time-series information	Time-stamped information collected at a particular frequency.
To-Be process model	Shows the results of applying change improvement opportunities to the current (As-Is) process model.
token	Small electronic devices that change user passwords automatically.
transaction	Exchange or transfer of goods, services, or funds involving two or more people.
transactional information	Encompasses all of the information contained within a single business process or unit of work, and its primary purpose is to support the performing of daily operational tasks.
transaction processing system (TPS)	The basic business system that serves the operational level (analysts) in an organization.
transaction speed	Amount of time a system takes to perform a transaction.
transborder data flows (TDF)	When business data flows across international boundaries over the telecommunications networks of global information systems.
transformation process	The technical core, especially in manufacturing organizations; the actual conversion of inputs to outputs.
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)	Provides the technical foundation for the public Internet as well as for large numbers of private networks.
transportation planning system	Tracks and analyzes the movement of materials and products to ensure the delivery of materials and finished goods at the right time, the right place, and the lowest cost.
trend analysis	A trend is examined to identify its nature, causes, speed of development, and potential impacts.
trend monitoring	Trends viewed as particularly important in a specific community, industry, or sector are carefully monitored, watched, and reported to key decision makers.
trend projection	When numerical data are available, a trend can be plotted to display changes through time and into the future.
twisted-pair cable	A type of cable composed of four (or more) copper wires twisted around each other within a plastic sheath.
typosquatting	A problem that occurs when someone registers purposely misspelled variations of well-known domain names.
unavailable	When a system is not operating or cannot be used.
unit testing	Testing individual units or pieces of code for a system.
universal resource locator (URL)	The address of a file or resource on the web such as www.apple.com.
unstructured decisions	Occurs in situations in which no procedures or rules exist to guide decision makers toward the correct choice.
usability	The degree to which a system is easy to learn, efficient, and satisfying to use.
user acceptance testing (UAT)	Determines if the system satisfies the user and business requirements.
user-contributed content (user-generated content)	Content created and updated by many users for many users.
user documentation	Highlights how to use the system.
utility computing	Offers a pay-per-use revenue model similar to a metered service such as gas or electricity.
utility software	Provides additional functionality to the operating system.
value-added	The term used to describe the difference between the cost of inputs and the value of price of outputs.
value chain analysis	Views a firm as a series of business processes that each add value to the product or service.
variable	A data characteristic that stands for a value that changes or varies over time.
virtual assistant (VA)	A small program stored on a PC or portable device that monitors emails, faxes, messages, and phone calls.
virtualization	Protected memory space created by the CPU allowing the computer to create virtual machines.
virtual reality	A computer-simulated environment that can be a simulation of the real world or an imaginary world.
virus	Software written with malicious intent to cause annoyance or damage.
vishing (or voice phishing)	A phone scam that attempts to defraud people by asking them to call a bogus telephone number to “confirm” their account information.
volatile	Must have constant power to function; contents are lost when the computer's electric supply fails.
volatility	Refers to RAM's complete loss of stored information if power is interrupted.
vulnerability	A system weakness that can be exploited by a threat; for example, a password that is never changed or a system left on while an employee goes to lunch.
war chalking	The practice of tagging pavement with codes displaying where Wi-Fi access is available.
war driving	Deliberately searching for Wi-Fi signals from a vehicle.
warm site	A separate facility with computer equipment that requires installation and configuration.
waterfall methodology	A sequential, activity-based process in which each phase in the SDLC is performed sequentially from planning through implementation and maintenance.
Web 1.0	Refers to the World Wide Web during its first few years of operation between 1991 and 2003.
Web 2.0 (or Business 2.0)	A set of economic, social, and technology trends that collectively form the basis for the next generation of the Internet—a more mature, distinctive medium characterized by user participation, openness, and network effects.
web accessibility	Means that people with disabilities—including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities—can use the web.
web accessibility initiative (WAI)	Brings together people from industry, disability organizations, government, and research labs from around the world to develop guidelines and resources to help make the web accessible to people with disabilities. ie: neuro or physical or speech
web browser	Allows users to access the WWW.
web conferencing (webinar)	Blends audio, video, and document-sharing technologies to create virtual meeting rooms where people “gather” at a password-protected website.
web log	Consists of one line of information for every visitor to a website and is usually stored on a web server.
website bookmark	A locally stored URL or the address of a file or Internet page saved as a shortcut.
website name stealing	The theft of a website's name that occurs when someone, posing as a site's administrator, changes the ownership of the domain name assigned to the website to another website owner.
what-if analysis	Checks the impact of a change in an assumption on the proposed solution.
wide area network (WAN)	Computer network that provides data communication services for business in geographically dispersed areas (such as across a country or around the world).
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)	A wireless security protocol to protect Wi-Fi networks.
wiki	Web-based tools that make it easy for users to add, remove, and change online content.
wired equivalent privacy	An encryption algorithm designed to protect wireless transmission data. (WEP)
wireless access point (WAP)	Enables devices to connect to a wireless network to communicate with each other. WAP with multiple-in/multiple-out(MIMO) technology have multiple transmitters and receivers allowing them to send and receive greater amounts of data.
wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi)	A means of linking computers using infrared or radio signals.
wireless LAN (WLAN)	A local area network that uses radio signals to transmit and receive data over distances of a few hundred feet.
wireless MAN (WMAN)	A metropolitan area network that uses radio signals to transmit and receive data.
wireless media	Natural parts of the Earth's environment that can be used as physical paths to carry electrical signals.
wireless WAN (WWAN)	A wide area network that uses radio signals to transmit and receive data.
wire media	Transmission material manufactured so that signals will be confined to a narrow path and will behave predictably.
workflow	Defines all the steps or business rules, from beginning to end, required for a business process.
workplace MIS monitoring	Tracks people's activities by such measures as number of keystrokes, error rate, and number of transactions processed.
workshop training	Set in a classroom-type environment and led by an instructor.
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)	A telecommunications technology aimed at providing wireless data over long distances in a variety of ways, from point-to-point links to full mobile cellular type access.
World Wide Web (WWW)	A global hypertext system that uses the Internet as its transport mechanism.
zombie	A program that secretly takes over another computer for the purpose of launching attacks on other computers.
zombie farm	A group of computers on which a hacker has planted zombie programs.
3G	A service that brings wireless broadband to mobile phones.
WiMAX	Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access Communication technology aimed at providing high-speed wireless data over a metropolitan area networks.
Seven phase process in the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)	1-Planning 2-Analysis 3-Develop 4-Design 5-Testing 6-Implementation 7-Maintenance
Change Agent	Person or event that is the catalyst of for implementing major change for a system to meet business changes.

Created by: dmurr23

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