Networking

Streaming network telemetry is a real-time data collection service in which network devices such as routers, switches and firewalls continuously push network health data and interface measurements to a centralized collector.

A leased line is a bidirectional telephone line that has been rented for private voice, data exchange or telecommunication use.

A mesh network is a network in which the devices -- or nodes -- are connected so that at least some, and sometimes all, have multiple paths to other nodes.

This handy fast reference will help you quickly understand hundreds of Text, Twitter and Chat abbreviations and acronyms that are popularly used in text messages and social media. Please bookmark this page and refer back to it as needed.

Group Policy is a hierarchical infrastructure that allows a network administrator in charge of Microsoft's Active Directory to implement specific configurations for users and computers. Group policy is primarily a security tool, and can be used to apply security settings to users and computers.

Cloud telephony, also known as cloud calling, is a type of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) that offers voice communication services and connects through a third party host in the cloud.

Data streaming is the continuous transfer of data at a steady, high-speed rate. To facilitate the need for real-time analytics from disparate data sources, many companies have replaced traditional batch processing with streaming data architectures that can accommodate batch processing.

5G NR (new radio) is a set of standards that replace the LTE network 4G wireless communications standard. 5G NR is designed to support high bandwidth transmissions required for streaming video, as well as low bandwidth transmissions used in machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. 5G NR will also support transmissions with low latency requirements -- an important consideration in vehicle to vehicle (V2V) and vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communications.

Network convergence is the efficient coexistence of telephone, video and data communication within a single network.

A MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) is a miniature machine that has both mechanical and electronic components.

An embedded operating system (OS) is a specialized operating system designed to perform a specific task for a device that is not a computer.

Swarm intelligence is the study of decentralized, self-organized systems that move quickly in a coordinated manner.

Wireline communication (also known as wired communication) is the transmission of information over a physical filament. Alternatively, communication technologies that transmit information over-the-air (OTA) are called wireless.

Interconnection is a strategy for ensuring that businesses can privately, securely and directly exchange digital information. An important goal of interconnection is to enable extremely high bandwidth exchanges with the lowest possible latency, at the lowest cost.

Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit is a free utility IT can use to determine whether or not its infrastructure is prepared for a migration to a new operating system, server version or cloud-based deployment.

A mesh network is a network in which the devices -- or nodes -- are connected so that at least some, and sometimes all, have multiple paths to other nodes.

A local area network (LAN) consists of computers and peripherals that share a common communications line or wireless link to a server. LANs are typically located within a distinct geographic area in an office or other facility.

A network topology is the arrangement of nodes -- usually switches, routers, or software switch/router features -- and connections in a network, often represented as a graph.

The Network File System (NFS) is a client/server application that lets a computer user view and optionally store and update files on a remote computer as though they were on the user's own computer. The NFS protocol is one of several distributed file system standards for network-attached storage (NAS).

A network operating system (NOS) is a computer operating system (OS) that is designed primarily to support workstations, personal computers and, in some instances, older terminals that are connected on a local area network (LAN).

A packet is the unit of data that is routed between an origin and a destination on the Internet or any other packet-switched network.

Streaming network telemetry is a real-time data collection service in which network devices such as routers, switches and firewalls continuously push network health data and interface measurements to a centralized collector.

Remote sensing is the use of various technologies to make observations and measurements at a target that is usually at a distance or scale beyond those observable to the naked eye.

A local area network (LAN) consists of computers and peripherals that share a common communications line or wireless link to a server. LANs are typically located within a distinct geographic area in an office or other facility.

RIP (Routing Information Protocol) is a protocol used to enable routers to share information about IP traffic routes as they move traffic within a larger network made up of separate LANs linked through routers.

Segment routing is a computer networking process used by networking and traffic engineering professionals that organizes collections of information, or packets, to follow a linear set of instructions.

Session-based routing is a type of routing architecture that is application-centric and designed to route entire sessions instead of individual packets.

Customer acquisition cost is the fee associated with convincing a consumer to buy your product or service, including research, marketing and advertising costs.

An intranet of things is, depending on your viewpoint, either an element of the all-encompassing Internet of Things (IoT) or an alternative model that uses similar systems and technologies but limits the accessibility of its things to the corporate network.

Distributed energy resources (DER) are the combination of physical and virtual resources used in the production and storage of energy at or near where it will be used and separate from the main grid.

A baseband unit (BBU) is a device that interprets baseband frequencies in telecom systems including computer networks, the internet, phone networks and radio broadcasting systems.

VoIP (voice over IP) is the transmission of voice and multimedia content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. VoIP historically referred to using IP to connect private branch exchanges (PBXs), but the term is now used interchangeably with IP telephony.

Network configuration management is the process of organizing and maintaining information about all of the components in a computer network.

VoIP (voice over IP) is the transmission of voice and multimedia content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. VoIP historically referred to using IP to connect private branch exchanges (PBXs), but the term is now used interchangeably with IP telephony.

Data deduplication -- often called intelligent compression or single-instance storage -- is a process that eliminates redundant copies of data and reduces storage overhead.

Network convergence is the efficient coexistence of telephone, video and data communication within a single network.

A virtual private network (VPN) is a technology that creates a safe and encrypted connection over a less secure network, such as the internet.

IoT security is the technology area concerned with safeguarding connected devices and networks in the internet of things (IoT).

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking is a service offered by a communications service provider that uses the protocol to provision voice over IP (VoIP) connectivity between an on-premises phone system and the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

High availability (HA) is the ability of a system or system component to be continuously operational for a desirably long length of time.

Wi-Fi 6 is a standard for wireless internet that replaces the 802.11ac (concurrently renamed Wi-Fi 5) standard.

Visible light communication (VLC) is the use of visible light as a method of wirelessly transmitting data.