Networking

In computing, a payload is the carrying capacity of a packet or other transmission data unit. The term has its roots in the military and is often associated with the capacity of executable malicious code  to do damage. Technically, the payload of a specific packet or other protocol data unit (PDU) is the actual transmitted data sent by communicating endpoints.

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.

A network protocol is a set of established rules that dictates how to format, transmit and receive data so computer network devices -- from servers and routers to endpoints -- can communicate regardless of the differences in their underlying infrastructures, designs or standards.

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.

A2P messaging (application to person messaging), also known as enterprise or business SMS, is a type of SMS messaging technique where a text is sent from a software application run by an enterprise to a consumer's device.

Exchange Online is the hosted version of Microsoft's Exchange Server messaging platform that organizations can obtain as a stand-alone service or via an Office 365 subscription.

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.

Robotic process automation (RPA) is the use of software with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning capabilities to handle high-volume, repeatable tasks that previously required humans to perform.

Fog computing, also known as fog networking or fogging, is a decentralized computing infrastructure in which data, compute, storage and applications are distributed in the most logical, efficient place between the data source and the cloud.

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

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.

Power over Ethernet (PoE) is a technology for wired Ethernet local area networks (LANs) that allows the electrical current necessary for the operation of each device to be carried by the data cables rather than by power cords.

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.

A network interface card (NIC) is a hardware component, typically a circuit board or chip, that is installed on a computer so that it can connect to a network.

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

Apache Kafka is a distributed publish-subscribe messaging system that receives data from disparate source systems and makes the data available to target systems in real time. Kafka is written in Scala and Java and is often associated with real-time event stream processing for big data.

What is a proxy server? A proxy server acts as an intermediary between an end user and the Internet for security, privacy, administrative control and caching services.

An event, in a computing context, is an action or occurrence that can be identified by a program and has significance for system hardware or software.

Communications platform as a service (CPaaS) is a cloud-based delivery model that allows organizations to add real-time communication capabilities, such as voice, video and messaging, to business applications by deploying application program interfaces (APIs). 

802.3 is a standard specification for Ethernet, a method of physical communication in a local area network (LAN), which is maintained by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

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.

Power over Ethernet (PoE) is a technology for wired Ethernet local area networks (LANs) that allows the electrical current necessary for the operation of each device to be carried by the data cables rather than by power cords.

An application service provider (ASP) is an old-fashioned name for a company that offers individuals or enterprises internet access to applications and related services. The term has largely been replaced by software as a service (SaaS) provider, although in some parts of the world, companies use the two labels interchangeably.

The internet of things, or IoT, is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers (UIDs) and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.

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

GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) is a digital mobile network that is widely used by mobile phone users in Europe and other parts of the world.

CPRI (Common Public Radio Interface) is a specification for wireless communication networks in the interface between radio equipment and radio equipment control.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.