Networking
Definitions about networking including routing and switching vocabulary, telecom terminology and words about email, messaging and mobile.
Circuit switched services equipment and providers
Terms related to circuit switched services equipment and providers, including dedicated communications channel definitions and words and phrases about telecommunications.
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leased line
A leased line is a bidirectional telephone line that has been rented for private voice, data exchange or telecommunication use.
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service-level agreement (SLA)
A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract that specifies what the service provider is responsible for.
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network switch
In a network, a switch is a device that channels incoming data from any of multiple input ports to the specific output port that will take it toward its intended destination.
Data transmission
Terms related to data transmission, including definitions about communication channels and words and phrases about point-to-point and point-to-multipoint data transfers.
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HTTP/2 protocol
HTTP/2 protocol is the second version of HTTP, a network protocol used to define the format and transmission of data.
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OFDMA (orthogonal frequency-division multiple access)
Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) is a feature of Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) that allows access points to serve multiple clients at the same time.
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streaming network telemetry
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.
Email and messaging
Terms related to email and messaging, including definitions about instant messenger and words and phrases about email servers, storage, spam and mobile access.
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spear phishing
Spear phishing is an email spoofing attack that targets a specific organization or individual, seeking unauthorized access to sensitive information.
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CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart)
A CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart) is a type of challenge-response system designed to differentiate humans from robotic software programs.
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Text message abbreviations and acronyms
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.
High-speed networks
Terms related to high-speed communication networks, including network and end-system architecture definitions and words and phrases about high-bandwidth and low-latency communication.
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data streaming
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.
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5G NR (new radio)
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.
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network convergence
Network convergence is the efficient coexistence of telephone, video and data communication within a single network.
Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a scenario in which objects, animals or people are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human interaction.
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micro-location
Micro-location is the process of pinpointing a person's placement to within a few inches or feet using various technologies.
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iBeacon
iBeacon is a small-scale network device that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and acts as a transmitter to detect and track smartphones.
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Nest Labs
Nest Labs was a home automation specialist company that produced programmable Wi-Fi-enabled products that can be remotely controlled through a Web service or an associated smart home app.
LANs
Terms related to local area networks (LANs), including definitions about Ethernet and words and phrases about devices that share a common communications line or link.
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wireline communication
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.
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interconnection
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.
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Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit
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.
Network hardware
Terms related to network hardware, including definitions about cables or file servers and words and phrases about routers and switches.
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hardware-as-a-service (in managed services)
Hardware-as-a-service (HaaS) is a procurement model that is similar to leasing or licensing in which hardware that belongs to a managed service provider (MSP) is installed at a customer's site and a service level agreement (SLA) defines the responsibilities of both parties.
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gatekeeper
A gatekeeper is a management tool for H.323 multimedia networks.
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bridge
A bridge is a class of network device that’s designed to connect networks at OSI Level 2, which is the data link layer of a local-area network (LAN).
Network software
Terms related to network software, including definitions about network monitoring and words and phrases about network administration.
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gatekeeper
A gatekeeper is a management tool for H.323 multimedia networks.
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peer-to-peer (P2P)
Peer-to-peer (P2P) is a decentralized communications model in which each party has the same capabilities and either party can initiate a communication session.
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Network File System (NFS)
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).
Networking and communications
Terms related to networking and communications, including definitions about network protocols and words and phrases about data transmission.
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Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)
Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) is a standard for synchronous data transmission on optical fibers.
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bogon
A bogon is an illegitimate IP address that falls into a set of IP addresses that have not been officially assigned to an entity by an internet registration institute, such as the Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA).
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OFDMA (orthogonal frequency-division multiple access)
Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) is a feature of Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) that allows access points to serve multiple clients at the same time.
Routing and switching
Terms related to routers and switches, including definitions about hubs and words and phrases about packet-switched networks.
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bogon
A bogon is an illegitimate IP address that falls into a set of IP addresses that have not been officially assigned to an entity by an internet registration institute, such as the Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA).
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Routing Information Protocol (RIP)
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.
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segment routing
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.
Smart grid
Terms related to smart grids, including definitions about utility electricity delivery systems and words and phrases about smart meters and distributing, monitoring and billing electrical power.
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application program interface (API)
An application program interface (API) is code that allows two software programs to communicate with each other.
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customer acquisition cost
Customer acquisition cost is the fee associated with convincing a consumer to buy your product or service, including research, marketing and advertising costs.
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intranet of things
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.
Telecom
Terms related to telecom, including definitions about telecommunication service providers and words and phrases about voice, video and Internet communication.
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attenuation
Attenuation is a general term that refers to any reduction in the strength of a signal.
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PSTN (public switched telephone network)
PSTN (public switched telephone network) is the world’s collection of interconnected voice-oriented public telephone networks.
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carrier cloud
A carrier cloud is a cloud computing system, or network of servers that store data in a way that it is easily accessible from multiple locations, that is owned and operated by a traditional telecommunications service provider.
VoIP
Terms related to voice over IP (VoIP), including definitions about communication protocols and words and phrases about making phone calls over the Internet.
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VoIP (voice over IP)
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.
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data deduplication
Data deduplication -- often called intelligent compression or single-instance storage -- is a process that eliminates redundant copies of data and reduces storage overhead.
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network convergence
Network convergence is the efficient coexistence of telephone, video and data communication within a single network.
Wireless LANs
Terms related to wireless LANs, including definitions about Wi-Fi and words and phrases about wireless access points, wireless controllers, wireless LAN security and WLAN configuration.
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VPN (virtual private 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.
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IoT security (internet of things security)
IoT security is the technology area concerned with safeguarding connected devices and networks in the internet of things (IoT).
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SIP trunking (Session Initiation Protocol trunking)
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).
Wireless technologies
Terms related to wireless technologies, including definitions about wireless devices and words and phrases about radio, microwave and infrared communication.
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single-user MIMO
Single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) is a multi-transmitter and receiver technology for wireless communication that allocates the bandwidth of a wireless access point to a single device.
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multi-user MIMO
Multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) is a wireless communication technology that uses multiple antennas to improve communication by creating multiple connections to the same device at the same time
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OFDMA (orthogonal frequency-division multiple access)
Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) is a feature of Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) that allows access points to serve multiple clients at the same time.

