Unified Communications Definitions

This glossary explains the meaning of key words and phrases that information technology (IT) and business professionals use when discussing unified communications and related software products. You can find additional definitions by visiting WhatIs.com or using the search box below.

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  • #

    4K video resolution

    4K video resolution is high-definition (HD) video that has four times the resolution of 1080p HD video.

  • A

    analog telephone adapter (ATA)

    An analog telephone adapter (ATA) is a device used to connect an analog telephone, fax machine or similar equipment to a computer or network to enable communications over the internet.

  • Avaya

    Avaya is an American technology company that specializes in business communications services, such as unified communications (UC) and contact center (CC).

  • B

    bring your own carrier (BYOC)

    Bring your own carrier (BYOC) is a method of letting businesses choose their own carrier to connect their unified communications provider to the public switched telephone network.

  • C

    Cisco Webex

    Cisco Webex is a video conferencing and collaboration product suite.

  • cloud PBX (private branch exchange)

    A cloud PBX (private branch exchange) is a business phone system for connecting employees to a telephone network using a managed service running in the cloud.

  • cloud telephony (cloud calling)

    Cloud telephony (cloud calling) is a type of unified communications as a service (UCaaS) that offers voice communication services through a third-party host.

  • codec

    A codec is a hardware- or software-based process that compresses and decompresses large amounts of data.

  • communications platform as a service (CPaaS)

    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).

  • D

    data transfer rate (DTR)

    The data transfer rate (DTR) is the amount of digital data that's moved from one place to another in a given time.

  • E

    eavesdropping

    Eavesdropping is the act of listening to, recording or intercepting private communications.

  • Erlang C

    Erlang C is a traffic modeling formula, primarily used in call center scheduling to calculate delays and to predict waiting times for callers.

  • G

    greenfield deployment

    A greenfield deployment is the design, installation and configuration of computer infrastructure where none existed before, for example, in a new office.

  • What is a H.323 gatekeeper?

    A gatekeeper is a management tool for H.323 multimedia networks.

  • H

    hairpinning

    In general telecommunication, hairpinning is returning a message from an origin endpoint back in the direction it came from as a way to get it to its destination endpoint.

  • I

    incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC)

    An incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) is a type of U.S. telephone company that provided local service when the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was enacted.

  • Indefeasible Right of Use (IRU)

    In telecommunications, the Indefeasible Right of Use (IRU) is a contractual agreement (temporary ownership) of a portion of the capacity of an international cable.

  • instant messaging

    Instant messaging, often shortened to IM or IM'ing, is the exchange of near real-time messages through a standalone application or embedded software.

  • Internet Protocol (IP)

    The Internet Protocol (IP) is the method or protocol by which data is sent from one computer to another on the internet.

  • IP telephony (Internet Protocol telephony)

    IP telephony (Internet Protocol telephony) is a general term for technologies, products and services that use the Internet Protocol's packet-switched connections to support voice calling, voicemail, video calling, video conferencing, faxing and instant messaging.

  • What is an inbound call?

    An inbound call is typically initiated by a customer to a call center or contact center.

  • J

    jitter

    Jitter is any deviation in, or displacement of, the signal pulses in a high-frequency digital signal.

  • L

    leased line

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

  • M

    Microsoft Teams

    Microsoft Teams is cloud-based team collaboration software that offers core capabilities, including business messaging, calling, video meetings and file sharing.

  • P

    private branch exchange (PBX)

    A private branch exchange is a telephone system within an enterprise that switches calls between users on local lines, while enabling all users to share a certain number of external phone lines.

  • What is podcasting?

    Podcasting is the preparation and distribution of digital audio files to the computers of subscribed users using Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds.

  • Q

    quality of service (QoS)

    Quality of service (QOS) refers to any technology that manages data traffic to reduce packet loss, latency and jitter on a network.

  • R

    real-time application (RTA)

    A real-time application is an application program that functions within a time frame that the user senses as immediate or current.

  • real-time communications (RTC)

    Real-time communications (RTC) is any mode of telecommunications in which all users can exchange information instantly or with negligible latency or transmission delays.

  • What is Real-Time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP)?

    Real-Time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP) is a network communication protocol that works alongside Real-Time Protocol (RTP) to monitor and track data delivery on large multicast networks via RTP's associated transmission metrics.

  • S

    Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)

    Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a signaling protocol used for initiating, maintaining, modifying and terminating real-time sessions that involve video, voice, messaging and other communications applications and services between two or more endpoints on IP networks.

  • What is SIP trunking (Session Initiation Protocol trunking)?

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

  • What is speech technology?

    Speech technology is a type of computing technology that enables an electronic device to recognize, analyze and understand spoken word or audio.

  • T

    team collaboration tools

    Team collaboration tools -- also known as team collaboration software -- is a term used to define the different types of software and online services available to companies and individuals that enable them to feasibly work together on common projects, regardless of their physical location.

  • teleconference

    A teleconference is a live audio or audio-visual meeting with two or more participants.

  • telegraph

    A telegraph is a communication system that sends information by making and breaking an electrical connection.

  • What is telephony?

    Telephony is technology associated with interactive communication between two or more physically distant parties using the electronic transmission of data.

  • U

    unified communications (UC)

    Unified communications (UC) is an umbrella term for the integration of multiple enterprise communication tools -- such as voice calling, video conferencing, instant messaging (IM), presence and content sharing -- into a single, streamlined interface, with the goal of improving user experience (UX) and productivity.

  • unified communications and collaboration (UCC)

    Unified communications and collaboration (UCC) is the collection of technology and software that combines enterprise communication with real-time and asynchronous cooperation capabilities.

  • What is UCaaS? Unified communications as a service guide

    Unified communications as a service (UCaaS) is a cloud delivery model that offers a variety of communication and collaboration applications and services.

  • V

    video conferencing

    Video conferencing is live, visual connection between two or more remote parties over the internet that simulates a face-to-face meeting.

  • video streaming

    Video streaming is a continuous transmission of video files from a server to a client.

  • vishing (voice or VoIP phishing)

    Vishing (voice or VoIP phishing) is a type of cyber attack that uses voice and telephony technologies to trick targeted individuals into revealing sensitive data to unauthorized entities.

  • VoIP caller ID (voice over Internet Protocol caller identification)

    VoIP caller ID (voice over Internet Protocol caller identification) is a caller ID application for VoIP phones that works in the same way as caller ID on a conventional telephone line.

  • VoIP phone

    A VoIP phone is a hardware- or software-based telephone designed to use voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to send and receive phone calls over an IP network.

  • What is a virtual contact center?

    A virtual contact center (VCC) is a type of call center in which an organization's representatives are geographically dispersed, rather than situated at workstations in one location.

  • What is VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol)?

    VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) is the transmission of voice and multimedia content over an internet connection.

  • W

    WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communications)

    WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communications) is an open source project that enables real-time voice, text and video communications capabilities between web browsers and devices.