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glossary

[ A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z ]

A

Analog:

A method of communication that uses a continuous electrical signal that varies in frequency and amplitude.

ASP (Application Service Provider):

An organisation that offers access over the Internet to pre-packaged services such as financial reporting, payroll, sales order entry, inventory management, shipping, customer service systems, etc.

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)

A type of telephone connection in which incoming traffic has higher speeds than outgoing traffic. See also DSL.

Authentication

Verifying the identity of a user logging onto a computer system or verifying the integrity of a transmitted message.

B

Backbone:

A larger transmission line that carries data gathered from smaller lines that interconnect with it. At the local level, a backbone is a line or set of lines that local area networks connect to for a wide area network connection or within a local area network to span distances efficiently (for example, between buildings).

Backend

The backend of a website is where all the communications between the customer and your site are processed. It's where all the work on the site is done, whether it involves sending data from forms to the server, searching for information on your site or processing online transactions.

Bandwidth:

A measure of spectrum use frequency or capacity. Refers to the speed at which data is transmitted, measured in bits per second (bps). Bandwidth Gap: The disparity between the computer processorís speed of processing data and the communication infrastructureís speed of transmitting data.

Bit:

A bit is the smallest unit of data in a computer. In most computer systems, there are eight bits in a byte and four eight-bit bytes or octets form a 32-bit word. A bit is abbreviated with a small "b"

Bit rate:

The number of bits that are transmitted in a given time period, usually a second.

Bluetooth:

Bluetooth is a computing and telecommunications industry specification that describes how mobile phones, computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) can easily interconnect with each other and with home and business phones and computers using a short-range wireless connection.

Broadband:

Broadband refers to high-bandwidth telecommunications facilities that provide multiple channels of data. In general, transmitting large volumes of data and video images are broadband applications whereas voice and text messages are considered narrowband applications The transmission speeds are generally greater than 1.5 Mbps.

Byte:

A unit of information that is eight bits long. A byte is the unit most computers use to represent a character such as a letter, number or symbol. A byte is abbreviated with a "B". Kilobyte: A measure of computer memory or storage abbreviated KB or Kbyte. A kilobyte is approximately one thousand bytes. Megabyte: A measure of computer processor storage and real and virtual memory abbreviated MB. A megabyte is approximately one million bytes. Gigabyte: A measure of data storage capacity, abbreviated GB. A gigabyte is approximately one billion bytes.

B2B (Business to Business):

On the Internet, business-to-business; also known as e-biz is the exchange of products, services, or information between businesses.

B2C (Business to Consumer):

On the Internet, business-to-consumer is known as the retailing part of e-commerce.

C

Cable modem:

Broadband data communication device that permits one or two- way high-speed data transfer using cable television distribution systems. Cable modems are devices that attach to cable TV network connections, with bandwidth speeds that range from 1.5Mbps to 45Mbps.

Coaxial Cable:

A type of cable used to carry video, data and voice signals used primarily by broadband technologies. Cables are made of pure copper or copper coated wires and surrounded by insulation ad encased in copper.

Co-location:

(also spelled collocation or colocation) The provision of space for a customerís telecommunications equipment on the service providerís premises.

Cookies

A packet of data stored on a computer hard disk by a website via the web browser, used to track website visitor behaviour.

CSV (Comma Separated Version also known as comma delimited file)

A computer file which consists of a string of data, each section of which is separated by a comma.  When imported into a spreadsheet each piece of data, separated by a comma, is loaded into a separate cell.  Often used to transfer data entered into an online form to the website owner, who can then import the data into a spreadsheet or database.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Uses proven methodologies and e-business technologies to help companies to identify, select, acquire, develop, and retain profitable customers, building the lasting relationships that are key to long-term financial success.

D

Data Mining

Data mining is the process of analysing business data in a data warehouse to find unknown patterns or rules of information that you can use to tailor business operations. Data mining can find patterns in data to answer questions, such as what item purchased in a given transaction triggers the purchase of additional related items or what items tend to be purchased using credit cards, cash or cheques. Data Mining predicts future trends and behaviours, allowing businesses to make proactive, knowledge-driven decisions.

DBTAG:

Digital Building Telecommunications Access Guidelines produced by the City of Melbourne and Digital River.

Digital:

Digital describes electronic technology that generates, stores and processes data in terms of two states: positive and non-positive. Positive is expressed or represented by the number 1 and non-positive by the number 0. Thus, data transmitted or stored with digital technology is expressed as a string of 0ís and 1ís. Each of these state digits is referred to as a bit. Digital technology is primarily used with new physical communications media, such as satellite and fiber optic transmission. A modem is used to convert the digital information in your computer to analog signals for your phone line and to convert analog phone signals to digital information for your computer.

Digital Certificate

A data file that is issued by a Certification Authority to an individual or organisation to identify them to online services.

Digital Signature

Data included within a digital document that identifies who produced it. It can also be used to detect and track any changes that have been made to the document.

Domain Name

A domain name identifies your website on the Internet.  A domain name must be registered. Your domain name is a very valuable marketing tool and should be chosen with great care.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line):

A technology that allows multiple forms of data, voice and video to be carried over existing copper wire via enhanced technologies on the local loop. DSL is located between a network service providerís central office and the customer site. Data rates vary due to distance from the central office, with connections providing speed from 144 Kbps to 6Mpbs. XDSL refers to all the variations of DSL.

E

802.11:

802.11 is a family of specifications for wireless local area networks (WLANs) developed by a working group of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The 802.11b standard - often called Wi-Fi - is backward compatible with 802.11. There are currently four specifications in the family: 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g. All four use the Ethernet protocol and CSMA/CA (carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance) for path sharing. The most recently approved standard, 802.11g, offers wireless transmission over relatively short distances at up to 54 megabits per second (Mbps) compared with the 11 megabits per second of the 802.11b standard. Like 802.11b, 802.11g operates in the 2.4 GHz range and is thus compatible with it.

E-Commerce (Electronic Commerce)

Use of electronic communications, particularly via the internet, to facilitate the purchase/sale of goods and services. E-commerce includes all forms of electronic trading including electronic data interchange (EDI), electronic banking, electronic mail and other online services.

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)

The electronic exchange of business documents (for example, purchase orders, invoices, and bills of lading) directly between applications executing on companies' computer systems via standardised forms. A precursor of today's e-business systems.

Encryption

Encryption is the conversion of data into a secret code for transmission over a public network. The original (plain) text is converted into a coded equivalent called ‘cipher text’ via an encryption algorithm. The cipher text is decoded (decrypted) at the receiving end and turned back into plain text. The encryption algorithm uses a key, a binary number that is typically from 40 to 128 bits in length. The greater the number of bits in the key (cipher strength), the more possible key combinations and the longer it would take to break the code. The data is encrypted, or ‘locked’, by combining the bits in the key mathematically with the data bits. At the receiving end, the key is used to ‘unlock’ the code and restore the original data. 

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system helps an organisation to manage the important parts of its business. It has different modules to look after areas such as production planning, procurement, human resources and finance. The implementation of an ERP system involves a considerable amount of process re-engineering and employee retraining. SAP, Peoplesoft, and J.D. Edwards are among the largest ERP providers.

Extranets

Extranets allow your clients to access parts of your internal networks, which are normally inaccessible to people outside the company. They are useful for online ordering and payment systems. In addition, clients can have access to work in progress or training and product information appropriate to them.

Ezine

An electronic magazine or newsletter delivered over the Internet via email.

F

Fibre Optics:

Fibre optic (or "optical fibre") refers to the medium and the technology associated with the transmission of information as light waves along a glass or plastic wire or fibre. Fibre optic wire carries much more information than conventional copper wire and is far less subject to electromagnetic interference. Most telephone company long-distance lines are now fibre optic. The glass fibre requires more protection within an outer cable than copper. The installation of fibre wiring is labor-intensive.

Firewall

A firewall is a set of related programs, located at a network gateway server, that protects the resources of a private network from users from other networks. (The term also implies the security policy that is used with the programs.) An enterprise with an intranet that allows its workers access to the wider Internet installs a firewall to prevent outsiders from accessing its own private data resources and for controlling what outside resources its own users have access to.

Frontend

The frontend of a website is the part that you see on the screen: the graphics, the fill-in forms, the overall interface design. If you want to do more than display graphics and text you will also need a Backend.

H

Hot Spot:

Location with public access wireless. Usually 802.11b

I

IP (Internet Protocol):

The open standard that dictates delivery of data over the Internet. To cut a long story short, the data is transmitted in packets.

Internet

A network of networks that adhere to the TCP/IP (Telecommunications Control Protocol / Internet Protocol)

Interoperability

The degree to which different types of software and hardware can interact effectively with each other.

Intranet

Intranets are websites that can only be accessed within a company through your internal network or LAN. They are protected from the outside world by a combination of hardware and software security. Intranets are a good way of sharing information within the company; enhancing internal communication and enabling better customer care. Intranets commonly hold products and service guides, employee handbooks, company-wide memos, phone numbers and email addresses.

ISDN:

Integrated Services Digital Networks are digital telecommunications lines that can transmit both voice and digital network services overs existing copper wires. ISDN is transmitted at speeds up to 128 Kbps and are offered by RBOCs. ISDN is faster and more reliable than high speed analog modems. Many telephone companies offer ISDN lines.

ISP:

An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a company that provides access to the Internet and other related services such as Web site building and hosting. An ISP has the equipment and the telecommunications line access required to have points-of-presence on the Internet for the geographic area served. The larger ISPs have their own high-speed leased lines so that they are less dependent on the telecommunication providers and can provide better service to their customers.

IP (Internet Protocols) and TCP (Transmission Control Protocols):

IP/TCP establishes the way in which data is sent from one computer to another on the Internet.  Each computer (known as a host) on the Internet has at least one IP address that uniquely identifies it from all other computers on the Internet. IP/TCP establishes the unique numerical addresses assigned to every computer connected to the Internet.

K

Knowledge Management (KM)

The creation, storage and collaborative sharing of employee information within the business environment. Through sharing and collaboration, an organisation's efficiency, productivity and profitability is enhanced. Supported by advanced Information Technology tools and methods.

L

LAN:

Local Area Network (LAN) is a network of interconnected workstations sharing the resources of a single processor or server within a relatively small geographic area. Typically, this might be within the area of a small office building.

Last mile:

Last-mile technology is any telecommunications technology, such are wireless radio, that carries signals from the broad telecommunication infrastructure along the relatively short distance (hence, the ìlast mileî) to and from the home or business. To put is another way: last mile is the infrastructure at the neighbourhood level. In many communities, last-mile technology represents a major remaining challenge to high-bandwidth applications.

M

Microwave:

Microwave signals propagate in straight lines and are not refracted or reflected by ionized regions in the upper atmosphere. Microwave beams do not readily diffract around barriers such as hills, mountains and large human-made structures. Some reduction in strength occurs when microwave energy passes through trees and frame houses. Radio-frequency energy at longer wavelengths is affected to a lesser degree by such obstacles. The microwave band is well suited for wireless transmission of signals having a larger bandwidth.

O

Open Source

Open source refers to software products that are freely available and offered by development communities online. They come with no warranty but are usually very well tested by development groups. Open source software can help reduce commercial licencing costs, but there are still deployment, customisation and maintenance service costs involved in using it. The most renowned open source product is Linux. This is a free UNIX-type operating system (see www.linux.com).

P

PDA:

Personal Digital Assistant or PDA is a tem for any small mobile hand-held device that provides computing and information storage and retrieval capabilities. A PDA is also referred to as a handheld computer. The PDA device may be used for personal or business use, with calendars, address books and in some instances Internet connectivity. Other services PDA devices provide include the capability of scanning bar codes on products, connectivity with telephone and paging systems, wireless fax services and compatibility with PCs.

PGP (Pretty Good Privacy)

A popular form of cryptography often used to encrypt email.

PKI  (Public Key Infrastructure)

The policies and procedures that exist for establishing a secure method for exchanging information within an organisation, an industry, a nation or worldwide. It makes use of Certification Authorities (CAs), Registration Authorities (RAs) and digital signatures, as well as all of the hardware and software used to manage the process. This infrastructure, consisting of policies, legislation and facilities, creates a system of trustworthy CAs and RAs that enables e-commerce to occur with an extremely high level of confidence. 

Plug-in

An auxiliary program that works with a major software package to enhance its capability. For instance, PGP security systems can be added to email programs.

Private Key

The key in public key cryptography that is kept private by an individual or organisation.

Public Key

The key in public key cryptography that is openly available and is not kept private.

S

Set-top box:

A set-top box is a device that enables a television set to become a user interface to the Internet and also enables a television set to receive and decode digital television (DTV) broadcasts. DTV set-top boxes are sometimes called receivers. A set-top box is necessary to television viewers who wish to use their current analog television sets to receive digital broadcasts.

Search Engines

These are websites which store information about webpages and which allow you to search through this information to find the specific page that you are looking for. Some of the most popular search engines are Yahoo, Alta Vista and Google. You can register your website with all the search engines and this is one of the most important methods of marketing your site online. Hidden words, known as meta tags, can be inserted into your webpages and the search engines use these meta tags to identify your site.

Search Engine Optimisation

This covers a variety of measures to ensure that when a potential customer keys in words relevant to your products, your site is as close as possible to the top of the search engine's list.

Server

A computer linked to a network that handles requests from other computers, or clients, serving them with files and processing power.

SSL (Secure Socket Layer)

The most widely-used security protocol on the Internet, often used for online shopping sites. SSL creates a secure channel over which data can be exchanged.

Supplier Hub

An online content hub for suppliers and buyers linking supplier catalogues to buyer's e-procurement systems.

Supply-Chain Management (SCM)

An electronic alternative to the traditional paper chain, providing companies with a smarter, faster, more efficient way to get the right product to the right customer at the right time and price. Combines the power of the Internet with the latest technology, enabling participating suppliers to access up-to-date company information and enabling companies to better manage and track supply and demand.

T

T1 line:

A telephone line connection for digital transmission that can handle 24 voice or data channels at 64 kilobits per second, over two twisted pair wires. T1 lines are used for heavy telephone traffic, or for computer networks linked directly to the Internet. T1 lines are normally used by small and medium-sized companies with heavy network traffic. They can send and receive very large text files, graphics, sounds, and databases very quickly.

TCP/IP

Telecommunications Control Protocol / Internet Protocol

T3 line:

A connection made up of 28 T1 carriers, used to transmit digital signals on fibre-optic cable over 44 megabits per second. T3 can handle 672 voice conversations or one video channel. The T3 line has enough bandwidth to transmit full-motion real-time video, and very large databases over a busy network. A T3 line would be installed as a major networking channel for a large corporation or university with high volume network traffic. The backbones of the major Internet service providers are comprised of T3 lines.

V

VoIP

VoIP (voice over IP - that is, voice delivered using the Internet Protocol) is a term used in IP telephony for a set of facilities for managing the delivery of voice information using the Internet Protocol (IP). In general, this means sending voice information in digital form in discrete packets rather than in the traditional circuit- committed protocols of the public switched telephone network (PSTN). A major advantage of VoIP and Internet telephony is that it avoids the tolls charged by ordinary telephone service.

VPN (Virtual Private Network):

A private data network that makes use of the public telecommunication infrastructure, maintaining privacy through the use of security procedures. The idea of the VPN is to give the company the same capabilities at much lower cost by using the shared public infrastructure rather than a private one.

W

WAN:

Wide Area Network (WAN) is a network in which computer are connected to each other over a long distance, using telephone lines and satellite communications.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi (short for "wireless fidelity") is the popular term for a high-frequency wireless local area network ( WLAN ). The Wi-Fi technology is rapidly gaining acceptance in many companies as an alternative to a wired LAN. It can also be installed for a home network.

Wireless:

In computer networking, this term refers to networks that are connected by radio rather than by wires. Wireless communications are enabled by packet radio, spread spectrum, cellular technology, satellites, and microwave towers, and can be used for voice, data, video, and images. Sometimes wireless networks can interconnect with regular computer networks. Wireless speed begins at 250kbps but quality may vary depending in weather conditions.

WLAN:

A wireless LAN is one in which a mobile user can connect to a local area network (LAN) through a wireless (radio) connection. A standard, IEEE 802.11, specifies the technologies for wireless LANs. The standard includes an encryption method, the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) algorithm.

Source: Whatis.com, e-Business Guide

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