Our Technology Glossary
Centrend is pleased to provide this Glossary as a work in process. We are always adding to this glossary and do our best to link important words from our web site and our blog posts to make it as easy as possible for our friends and customers to use our information.
If you come across a weakness in this Glossary, please tell us so we can improve it and make it more complete.
Centrend Technology Glossary
broadband or broadband internet
Generally refers to high speed internet access. To be considered Broadband, speeds must exceed 144kbs. To frame it, a typical dial-up connection is 56kbs.
CMS, content management systems
A content management system or CMS, is computer software that enables users to publish their own web content without any web development experience in web programming. With features such as version control and automated notification of changes, a properly designed CMS offers organizations a powerful solution for document sharing and project colaboration. The content managed through the site portal may include computer files, picture libraries, audio files, word and excel documents, and HTML Web content.
complexity requirement
Computer system rule that a password have specific characteristics to be more resistant to hackers. Suppose a computer system required a password that is at least 7 characters long and has to have at least one capital letter and one number. Under these rules, a password of "charlie" would not be allowed because it does not meet the system's complexity requirement.
A modern cafe such as Panera Bread or Starbucks that offers internet access to customers. Some cafes like Panera Bread are free, while others charge a small fee for access. As of this writing (September '06), many McDonald's restaurants are now prototyping a system where a cardholder can earn free minutes for swiping their card when making a purchase at the restaurant. My personal opinion is that this strategy will fail as they are trying to limit something that many other cybercafes are giving away for free.
When data is stored in more than one computer system, it is said to be decentralized. This is not the same as replicating data into more than one place. With decentralized data storage, only one copy of the data is stored; usually closest to the people or systems that are the primary users of the data. A peer-to-peer network in which there is no file server, is a simple example of decentralized data storage.
Physical computers, their components and peripherals
Technology such as AOL Instant Messenger or Yahoo Instant Messenger that allows an instant, free-flow chat on demand to take place between two computer users on the same or different networks.
The unique number of a specific computer or device using the Internet Protocol to communicate on a network.
The unique number of a specific computer or device using the Internet Protocol to communicate on a network.
Internet Service Provider. A company the provides individuals or business with Internet Access. Charter Communications, for example, provides broadband Internet access through cable. Verizon is noted for its high-speed DSL.
RSS, RSS Aggregator
RSS is a news aggregator protocol for blogs.
social engineering
A hacker process to determine a user's password through personal knowledge about the target, such as names of pets, cars, children, grandchildren, etc... Centrend recommends the use of strong passwords, which are sometimes enforced by a system's complexity requirement.
software
The programs that get loaded into a computer to perform a specific function or task.
Spam or UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) is all the junk that builds up in your inbox until you delete it. Spammers are those that send SPAM. Despite attempts by U.S. and International regulators to curb the amount of junk e-mail sent out, it is a very common problem. What's worse, the SPAM is often profane or pornographic in nature. Centrend has systems that can be installed to block most SPAM. If you are tired of all the SPAM you receive, contact us and we'll be glad to help you put a stop to it.
strong passwords
Strong passwords cannot be guessed easily by a hacker. What makes a password strong is the length of the password (longer is better), adding in upper and lower case letters and numbers. For example, a password of "mustang" is weak, while a password of MustanG69gt is much better. Many modern systems have complexity requirements that enforce strong password use.
USB refers to Universal Serial Bus. USB Hard Drives connect to your computer via a USB port. The primary benefit of a USB Hard drive is it can easily be moved from one computer to another. USB Hard drives can be quite large; 500mb or larger which is equivalent to roughly 500 CD-Roms. Many organizations use USB Hard drives to backup their data. While this is an important component of a backup strategy, Centrend always recommends the security and reliability of automated, encrypted online backups for critical data.