Browse Definitions by Alphabet

security clearance - A security clearance is an authorization that allows access to information that would otherwise be forbidden.
security identifier (SID) - In the context of Windows computing and Microsoft Active Directory (AD), a security identifier (SID) is a unique value that is used to identify any security entity that the operating system (OS) can authenticate.
security incident - A security incident is an event that could indicate that an organization's systems or data have been compromised or that security measures put in place to protect them have failed.
security information management (SIM) - Security information management (SIM) is the practice of collecting, monitoring and analyzing security-related data from computer logs and various other data sources.
security operations center (SOC) - A security operations center (SOC) is a command center facility in which a team of information technology (IT) professionals with expertise in information security (infosec) monitors, analyzes and protects an organization from cyberattacks.
security policy - A security policy is a document that states in writing how a company plans to protect its physical and information technology (IT) assets.
security posture - Security posture refers to an organization's overall cybersecurity strength and how well it can predict, prevent and respond to ever-changing cyberthreats.
security theater - Security theater includes any measures taken by a company or security team to create an atmosphere of safety that may only achieve the appearance of heightened security.
security through obscurity - Security through obscurity (STO) is reliance upon secrecy in software development to minimize the chance that weaknesses may be detected and targeted.
security token - A security token is a physical or wireless device that provides two-factor authentication (2FA) for users to prove their identity in a login process.
Seebeck effect - The Seebeck effect is a phenomenon in which a temperature difference between two dissimilar electrical conductors or semiconductors produces a voltage difference between the two substances.
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.
segregation of duties (SoD) - Segregation of duties (SoD) is an internal control designed to prevent error and fraud by ensuring that at least two individuals are responsible for the separate parts of any task.
self-driving car (autonomous car or driverless car) - A self-driving car -- sometimes called an autonomous car or driverless car -- is a vehicle that uses a combination of sensors, cameras, radar and artificial intelligence (AI) to travel between destinations without a human operator.
self-service analytics - Self-service analytics is a type of business intelligence (BI) that enables business users to access, manipulate, analyze and visualize data, as well as generate reports based on their discoveries.
self-sovereign identity - Self-sovereign identity (SSI) is a model for managing digital identities in which individuals or businesses have sole ownership over the ability to control their accounts and personal data.
SELinux (Security-Enhanced Linux) - SELinux, or Security-Enhanced Linux, is a part of the Linux kernel that acts as a protective agent to the operating system.
semantic network (knowledge graph) - A semantic network is a knowledge structure that depicts how concepts are related to one another and how they interconnect.
semantic search - Semantic search is a data searching technique that uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to improve the accuracy of search results by considering the searcher's intent and the contextual meaning of the terms used in their query.
Semantic Web - The Semantic Web is a vision for linking data across webpages, applications and files.
semaphore - In programming, especially in Unix systems, semaphores are a technique for coordinating or synchronizing activities in which multiple processes compete for the same operating system resources.
semiconductor - A semiconductor is a substance that has specific electrical properties that enable it to serve as a foundation for computers and other electronic devices.
semiconductor fab - A semiconductor fab -- short for fabrication -- is a manufacturing plant in which raw silicon wafers are turned into integrated circuits (ICs).
semiotics - Semiotics is the study of the use of symbolic communication.
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) - Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a protocol designed to restrict who can use an organization's domain as the source of an email message.
sensitive information - Sensitive information is data that must be protected from unauthorized access to safeguard the privacy or security of an individual or organization.
sensor - A sensor is a device that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment.
sensor data - Sensor data is the output of a device that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment.
SEO poisoning (search poisoning) - SEO poisoning, also known as 'search poisoning,' is a type of malicious advertising (malvertising) in which cybercriminals create malicious websites and then use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to cause the sites' links to show up prominently in search results, often as ads at the top of the results.
sequence diagram - A sequence diagram is one of the multiple types of system interaction diagrams used within Unified Modeling Language (UML) to visually represent interactions between the objects that live within a system.
SequenceFile - A SequenceFile is a flat, binary file type that serves as a container for data to be used in Hadoop distributed compute projects.
SerDes (serializer/deserializer) - A SerDes or serializer/deserializer is an integrated circuit (IC or chip) transceiver that converts parallel data to serial data and vice-versa.
Serenity BDD - Serenity BDD is a framework and open source library for the creation of automated software testing for code in development.
Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) - Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) is a command and transport protocol that defines how data is transferred between a computer's motherboard and mass storage devices, such as hard disk drives (HDDs), optical drives and solid-state drives (SSDs).
serial communications interface (SCI) - A serial communications interface (SCI) is a device that enables the serial exchange of data -- that is, one bit at a time -- between a microprocessor and peripherals, such as printers, external drives, scanners and mice.
serial digital interface (SDI) - Serial digital interface (SDI) is a standard for digital video and audio transmission over coaxial or fiber optic cabling.
serial peripheral interface (SPI) - A serial peripheral interface (SPI) is an interface commonly used in computers and embedded systems to facilitate short-distance communication between a microcontroller and one or more peripheral integrated circuits (ICs).
serial position effect - The serial position effect is the psychological tendency to remember the first and last items in a list better than those in the middle.
Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) - Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) is a method used to access computer peripheral devices that employs a serial -- one bit at a time -- means of digital data transfer over thin cables.
servant leadership - Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy built on the belief that the most effective leaders strive to serve others, rather than accrue power or take control.
server hardware degradation - Server hardware degradation is the gradual breakdown of the physical parts of a server.
Server Message Block protocol (SMB protocol) - The Server Message Block protocol (SMB protocol) is a client-server communication protocol used for sharing access to files, printers, serial ports and other resources on a network.
server stack - A server stack is the collection of software that forms the operational infrastructure on a given machine.
server-based storage - Server-based storage is a re-emerging class of data storage that removes cost and complexity by housing storage media inside servers rather than in dedicated and custom-engineered storage arrays.
serverless computing - Serverless computing is a cloud computing execution model that lets software developers build and run applications and servers without having to provision or manage the back-end infrastructure.
serverless database - A serverless database is a type of cloud database that is fully managed for an organization by a cloud service provider and runs on demand as needed to support applications.
service assurance (SA) - Service assurance (SA) is a procedure or set of procedures intended to optimize performance and provide management guidance in communications networks, media services and end-user applications.
service chaining - Service chaining, in an information technology (IT) context, is the addition of software-defined networking (SDN) capabilities in a specific sequence.
Service Data Objects (SDO) - Service Data Objects (SDO) is the name of a specification designed to streamline the processing of SOA (service-oriented architecture) data from diverse sources such as XML documents, relational databases and Web services.
service desk - An IT service desk is a communications center that provides a single point of contact (SPOC) between a company, its customers, employees and business partners.
service discovery - Service discovery is the automatic detection of devices and offered services over a network.
service level - Service level describes, usually in measurable terms, the services a network service provider furnishes a customer within a given time period.
service level indicator - A service level indicator (SLI) is a metric that indicates what measure of performance a customer is receiving at a given time.
service lifecycle management (SLM) - Service lifecycle management (SLM) describes the strategy and software for managing the maintenance and repair of products and maximizing the profit opportunities from these activities.
Service Profile Identifier (SPID) - In telecommunications, a Service Profile Identifier (SPID) is a number assigned by a phone company to a terminal on an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) B-channel.
service supply chain - The service supply chain is the part of the supply chain dedicated to providing service on products.
service virtualization - Service virtualization is the process of creating replicas of systems that new applications depend on to test how well the application and systems integrate.
service-level agreement (SLA) - A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its customers that documents what services the provider will furnish and defines the service standards the provider is obligated to meet.
service-level objective - A service-level objective (SLO) is the part of a service-level agreement (SLA) that documents the key performance indicators (KPIs) the customer should expect from a provider.
service-oriented architecture (SOA) - Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a software development model that makes services reusable and lets them communicate across different platforms and languages to form new applications.
ServiceNow - ServiceNow is a software company that provides a cloud-based, AI-driven platform for automating multiple management workflows in enterprises.
session border controller (SBC) - A session border controller (SBC) is a dedicated hardware device or software application that governs the manner in which phone calls are initiated, conducted and terminated on a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.
session ID - A session ID, also called a session token, is a unique identifier that a web server assigns to a user for the duration of the current session.
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.
session key - A session key is an encryption and decryption key that is randomly generated to ensure the security of a communications session between a user and another computer or between two computers.
session layer - The session layer is Layer 5 of the OSI communications model.
seven wastes - The seven wastes are categories of unproductive manufacturing practices identified by Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System (TPS).
shadow banning (shadowban) - Shadow banning, in discussion forums and social media, is the practice of making a particular user's posts visible only to that user.
shadow IT - Shadow IT is hardware or software within an enterprise that is not supported by the organization's central IT department.
shadow password file - A shadow password file, also known as /etc/shadow, is a system file in Linux that stores encrypted user passwords and is accessible only to the root user, preventing unauthorized users or malicious actors from breaking into the system.
sharding - Sharding is a type of database partitioning that separates large databases into smaller, faster, more easily managed parts.
share of wallet (SOW) or wallet share - Share of wallet (SOW) is a marketing metric used to calculate the percentage of a customer's spending for a type of product or service that goes to a particular company.
Shared Key Authentication (SKA) - Shared Key Authentication (SKA) is a process by which a computer can gain access to a wireless network that uses the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol.
shared services - Shared services is a delivery model organizations use to consolidate similar business functions into a single unit that supports the entire organization.
SharePoint administrator - A SharePoint administrator is the person who oversees an organization's installation and operation of the Microsoft SharePoint collaboration and content management platform.
SharePoint farm - A SharePoint farm is a collection of servers that work in concert to provide a set of basic SharePoint services to support a single site.
SharePoint Online - Microsoft SharePoint Online is a collection of cloud- and web-based technologies that make it easy for organizations to store, share and manage digital information.
shareware - Shareware is software that is distributed free on a trial basis with the understanding that the user may need or want to pay for it later.
sharing economy - The sharing economy, also known as collaborative consumption or peer-to-peer-based sharing, is a concept that highlights the ability -- and perhaps the preference -- of individuals to rent or borrow goods rather than buy and own them.
shell program - A shell program is software that provides users with an interface for accessing services in the kernel.
shielded twisted pair (STP) - Shielded twisted pair (STP) is a special kind of copper telephone and local area network (LAN) wiring used in some business installations.
shift register - A shift register is a digital memory circuit found in calculators, computers, and data-processing systems.
shift-left testing - Shift-left testing is a software testing approach in which the code is tested in the earlier stages of the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
shingled magnetic recording (SMR) - Shingled magnetic recording (SMR) is a technique for writing data to a hard disk drive (HDD) whereby the data tracks partially overlap to increase the areal density and overall storage capacity per disk.
Shodan - Shodan (Sentient Hyper-Optimised Data Access Network) is a search engine designed to map and gather information about internet-connected devices and systems.
shoppable video - A shoppable video is a way for consumers to discover products and make a purchase through links within the video.
Short Message Service (SMS) - SMS (Short Message Service), commonly referred to as 'text messaging,' is a service for sending short messages of up to 160 characters (224 character limit if using a 5-bit mode) to mobile devices, including cellular phones, smartphones and tablets.
short message service center (SMSC) - The short message service center (SMSC) is the portion of a mobile phone network that handles text message operations.
shoulder surfing - Shoulder surfing is using direct observation techniques, such as looking over someone's shoulder, to get information.
side-channel attack - A side-channel attack is a security exploit that aims to gather information from or influence the program execution of a system by measuring or exploiting indirect effects of the system or its hardware -- rather than targeting the program or its code directly.
sidecar proxy - A sidecar proxy is an application design pattern which abstracts certain features, such as inter-service communications, monitoring and security, away from the main architecture to ease the tracking and maintenance of an application.
sideloading - Sideloading is the installation of an application on a mobile device without using the device's official application distribution method.
SIGINT (signals intelligence) - SIGINT (signals intelligence) is information gained by the collection and analysis of the electronic signals and communications of a given target.
signal-to-noise ratio (S/N or SNR) - In analog and digital communications, a signal-to-noise ratio, often written S/N or SNR, is a measure of the strength of the desired signal relative to background noise (undesired signal).
Signaling System 7 (SS7) - Signaling System 7 (SS7) is an international telecommunication protocol standard that defines how the network elements in a public switched telephone network (PSTN) exchange information and control signals.
SIM card - A SIM card, also known as a subscriber identity module, is a smart card that stores identification information that pinpoints a smartphone to a specific mobile network.
SIM swap attack (SIM intercept attack) - A SIM Swap Attack, also known as a SIM Intercept Attack, is a form of identity theft in which an attacker convinces a cell phone carrier into switching a victim’s phone number to a new device in order to gain access to bank accounts, credit card numbers, and other sensitive information.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) - Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is an application-layer protocol for monitoring and managing network devices on a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN).
simplex - Simplex is a communications mode in which only one signal is transmitted, and it always goes in the same direction.
single pane of glass - A single pane of glass is a management console that presents data from multiple sources in a unified display.