IT management
Learn about the core elements of IT management, including operations, tech support and personal computing, as well as terms related to IT careers, certifications and project management.
Certifications
This glossary contains definitions related to IT Certifications.
-
data engineer
A data engineer is an IT professional whose primary job is to prepare data for analytical or operational uses.
-
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) is an advanced certification that indicates that an individual possesses the knowledge and experience required to develop and manage an enterprise information security (infosec) program.
-
cloud architect
A cloud architect is an IT professional who is responsible for overseeing a company's cloud computing strategy.
IT career paths
-
data engineer
A data engineer is an IT professional whose primary job is to prepare data for analytical or operational uses.
-
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) is an advanced certification that indicates that an individual possesses the knowledge and experience required to develop and manage an enterprise information security (infosec) program.
-
cloud architect
A cloud architect is an IT professional who is responsible for overseeing a company's cloud computing strategy.
IT Operations
Terms related to the processes and services implemented and managed by an organization’s information technology (IT) department. Topics covered include systems management, configuration management, API management and DevOps, as well as real-time performance monitoring and management.
-
change control
Change control includes the various steps needed to process changes made to a product or system. Completion of change controls in a systematic fashion is part of a change management process.
-
converged infrastructure
Converged infrastructure, sometimes called 'converged architecture,' is an approach to data center management that packages compute, networking, servers, storage and virtualization tools into a prequalified set of IT hardware.
-
strategic planning
Strategic planning is a process in which an organization's leaders define their vision for the future and identify their organization's goals and objectives.
Personal computing
Terms related to personal computers, including definitions about computers sold as consumer products and words and phrases about laptops, tablets and smartphones.
-
augmented reality (AR)
Augmented reality (AR) is the integration of digital information with the user's environment in real time.
-
DRAM (dynamic random access memory)
DRAM (dynamic random access memory) is a type of semiconductor memory that is typically used for the data or program code needed by a computer processor to function.
-
3D (three dimensions or three dimensional)
3D, or three dimensional, refers to the three spatial dimensions of width, height and depth.
Project management
Terms related to project management, including definitions about project management methodologies and tools.
-
change control
Change control includes the various steps needed to process changes made to a product or system. Completion of change controls in a systematic fashion is part of a change management process.
-
IT project management
IT project management is the process of planning, organizing and delineating responsibility for the completion of an organizations' specific information technology (IT) goals.
-
workflow management
Workflow management is the discipline of creating, documenting, monitoring and improving upon the series of steps, or workflow, that is required to complete a specific task.
Technical support
Terms related to computer fundamentals, including computer hardware definitions and words and phrases about software, operating systems, peripherals and troubleshooting.
-
raw data (source data or atomic data)
Raw data is the data originally generated by a system, device or operation, and has not been processed or changed in any way.
-
return on investment (ROI)
Return on investment (ROI) is a crucial financial metric investors and businesses use to evaluate an investment's efficiency or compare the efficiencies of several different investments.
-
cryptography
Cryptography is a method of protecting information and communications using codes, so that only those for whom the information is intended can read and process it.