Software applications

Definitions related to software applications, including tech terms about software programs for vertical industries and words and phrases about software development, use and management.
  • CSSLP (Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional) - CSSLP (Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional) is a certification from ISC2 that focuses on application security within the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
  • curation - Curation is a field of endeavor involved with assembling, managing and presenting some type of collection.
  • customer service and support - Customer service is the support that organizations offer to customers before and after purchasing a product or service.
  • customer-managed relationship (CMR) - A customer-managed relationship (CMR) is a relationship in which a business uses a methodology, software, apps and perhaps internet capability to encourage the customer to control access to information and ordering.
  • cybersecurity - Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting internet-connected systems such as hardware, software and data from cyberthreats.
  • dark post - A dark post is an inexpensive sponsored message on a social media website that is not published to the sponsor page timeline and will not display in follower feeds organically.
  • data availability - Data availability is a term used by computer storage manufacturers and storage service providers to describe how data should be available at a required level of performance in situations ranging from normal through disastrous.
  • data breach - A data breach is a cyber attack in which sensitive, confidential or otherwise protected data has been accessed or disclosed in an unauthorized fashion.
  • data classification - Data classification is the process of organizing data into categories that make it easy to retrieve, sort and store for future use.
  • data feed - A data feed is an ongoing stream of structured data that provides users with updates of current information from one or more sources.
  • data lifecycle management (DLM) - Data lifecycle management (DLM) is a policy-based approach to managing the flow of an information system's data throughout its lifecycle: from creation and initial storage to when it becomes obsolete and is deleted.
  • data mining - Data mining is the process of sorting through large data sets to identify patterns and relationships that can help solve business problems through data analysis.
  • data protection management (DPM) - Data protection management (DPM) is the administration, monitoring and management of backup processes to ensure backup tasks run on schedule and data is securely backed up and recoverable.
  • data source name (DSN) - A data source name (DSN) is a data structure containing information about a specific database to which an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) driver needs to connect.
  • death by PowerPoint - Death by PowerPoint is a phenomenon caused by the poor use of presentation software.
  • defragmentation - Defragmentation is the process of locating the noncontiguous fragments of data into which a computer file may be divided as it is stored on a hard disk, and rearranging the fragments and restoring them into fewer fragments or into the whole file.
  • demand planning - Demand planning is the process of forecasting the demand for a product or service so it can be produced and delivered more efficiently and to the satisfaction of customers.
  • dependency hell - Dependency hell is a negative situation that occurs when a software application is not able to access the additional programming it requires to work.
  • deprecated - In information technology (IT), deprecation means that although something is available or allowed, it is not recommended or that -- in the case where something must be used -- to say it is deprecated means that its failings are recognized.
  • desktop management interface (DMI) - The desktop management interface (DMI) is a standard industry framework that manages and tracks components on one or more personal computers, usually from a centralized console.
  • desktop virtualization - Desktop virtualization is the concept of isolating a logical operating system (OS) instance from the client used to access it.
  • development environment - In software, web and mobile application development, the development environment is a workspace with a set of processes and programming tools used to develop the source code for an application or software product.
  • device-agnostic (device agnosticism) - Device agnosticism, or device-agnostic, is the capacity of a computing component to work with various systems without requiring any particular adaptations.
  • DevOps as a Service - DevOps as a Service is a delivery model for a set of tools that facilitates collaboration between an organization's software development team and the operations team.
  • DevOps engineer - A DevOps engineer is an IT professional who works with software developers, systems operators and other production IT staff to oversee code releases and deployments.
  • DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) - DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) is a standard protocol for the management and transmission of medical images and related data and is used in many healthcare facilities.
  • digital asset management (DAM) - Digital asset management (DAM) is a business process for organizing, storing and retrieving rich media and managing digital rights and permissions.
  • digital cash (e-cash) - Digital cash is a system of purchasing cash credits, storing the credits in your computer or digital wallet, and then spending them when making electronic purchases over the internet or in person on a mobile device at the point of sale.
  • digital enterprise - A digital enterprise is an organization that uses technology as a competitive advantage in its internal and external operations.
  • digital marketing - Digital marketing is the promotion and marketing of goods and services to consumers through digital channels and electronic technologies.
  • digital platform - A digital platform is a web-based structural software package that speeds and eases transactions among users.
  • discrete event simulation (DES) - Discrete event simulation (DES) is the process of codifying the behavior of a complex system as an ordered sequence of well-defined events.
  • disposable email - What is a disposable email?Disposable email is a service that allows a registered user to receive email at a temporary address that expires after a certain time period elapses.
  • distributed tracing - Distributed tracing, also called distributed request tracing, is a method for IT and DevOps teams to monitor applications, especially those composed of microservices.
  • distribution channel - A distribution channel is the network of individuals and organizations involved in getting a product or service from the producer to the customer.
  • Drupal - Drupal is a free, open source content management system (CMS) to build and maintain websites, online directories, e-commerce stores, intranets and other types of digital content.
  • DuckDuckGo - DuckDuckGo is an independent company that offers products geared toward internet privacy.
  • dynamic link library (DLL) - A dynamic link library (DLL) is a collection of small programs that larger programs can load when needed to complete specific tasks.
  • e-commerce - E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the buying and selling of goods and services, or the transmitting of funds or data, over an electronic network, primarily the internet.
  • e-recruitment (e-recruiting) - E-recruitment is an umbrella term for any electronic-based recruiting and recruitment management activity.
  • eClinicalWorks - eClinicalWorks is a Massachusetts-based company that sells electronic medical record (EMR), practice management (PM) and personal health record (PHR) software and services to reportedly more than 115,000 physicians and 70,000 facilities in the United States.
  • Eclipse (Eclipse Foundation) - Eclipse is a free, Java-based development platform known for its plugins that allow developers to develop and test code written in other programming languages.
  • Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) - Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the transfer of data from one computer system to another by standardized message formatting without the need for human intervention.
  • electronic intensive care unit (eICU) - An Electronic Intensive Care Unit (eICU) is a form or model of telemedicine where state-of-the-art technology is used to provide an additional layer of critical care service to patients.
  • electronic protected health information (ePHI) - Electronic protected health information (ePHI) is protected health information that is produced, saved, transferred or received in an electronic form.
  • Eloqua - Eloqua is a marketing automation platform that follows a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.
  • emergent medical data (EMD) - Emergent medical data (EMD) is health information gathered about an individual from seemingly unrelated user behavior data.
  • emulation - Emulation, in a software context, is the use of an application program or device to imitate the behavior of another program or device.
  • encryption key management - Encryption key management is the practice of generating, organizing, protecting, storing, backing up and distributing encryption keys.
  • enterprise content services - Enterprise content services are the evolution of enterprise content management (ECM); their goal is to adapt to the changing needs of enterprises and the emergence of new technologies, such as cloud computing.
  • enterprise document management (EDM) - Enterprise document management (EDM) is a strategy for overseeing an organization's paper and electronic documents so they can be easily retrieved in the event of a compliance audit or subpoena.
  • enterprise file sync and share (EFSS) - Enterprise file sync and share (EFSS) is a service that allows users to save files in cloud or on-premises storage and then access them on desktop and mobile devices.
  • enterprise information management (EIM) - Enterprise information management (EIM) is the set of business processes, disciplines and practices used to manage the information created from an organization's data as an enterprise asset.
  • enterprise license agreement (ELA) - An enterprise license agreement (ELA) is a contract between a customer and a vendor that allows purchase of a software product for a company at a discounted, fixed rate for a certain time period.
  • enterprise mashup (or data mashup) - An enterprise mashup is the integration of heterogeneous digital data and applications from multiple sources for business purposes.
  • enterprise master patient index (EMPI) - An enterprise master patient index (EMPI) is a database that is used to maintain consistent and accurate information about each patient registered by a healthcare organization.
  • EOM (end of message) - EOM means 'end of message,' a phrase used in written communications -- typically email messages, instant messages or text -- to indicate a complete message that doesn't require a response.
  • Epic Systems - Epic Systems, also known simply as Epic, is one of the largest providers of health information technology, used primarily by large U.
  • ERP (enterprise resource planning) - ERP, or enterprise resource planning, is software designed to manage and integrate the functions of core business processes like finance, HR, supply chain and inventory management in a single system.
  • event handler - In programming, an event handler is a callback routine that operates asynchronously once an event takes place.
  • event-driven architecture (EDA) - An event-driven architecture (EDA) is a framework that orchestrates behavior around the production, detection and consumption of events as well as the responses they evoke.
  • Excel - Excel is a spreadsheet program from Microsoft and a component of its Office product group for business applications.
  • expert system - An expert system is a computer program that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to simulate the judgment and behavior of a human or an organization that has expertise and experience in a particular field.
  • FaceTime - FaceTime is a proprietary video and audio calling service developed by Apple Inc.
  • failover - Failover is a backup operational mode in which the functions of a system component are assumed by a secondary component when the primary becomes unavailable.
  • falsifiability - Falsifiability is the capacity for some proposition, statement, theory or hypothesis to be proven wrong.
  • fault tolerance - Fault tolerance is the capability of a system to deliver uninterrupted service despite one or more of its components failing.
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) - The FDA (U.S.
  • Feature Manipulation Engine (FME) - The Feature Manipulation Engine (FME) is a platform that streamlines the translation of spatial data between geometric and digital formats.
  • fee-for-service (FFS) - Fee-for-service (FFS) is a payment model in which doctors, hospitals, and medical practices charge separately for each service they perform.
  • femtech - 'Femtech' is a term that refers to diagnostic tools, products, services, wearables and software that use technology to address women's health issues, including menstrual health, reproductive health, sexual health, maternal health and menopause.
  • FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) - Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) is an interoperability standard for electronic exchange of healthcare information.
  • file extension (file format) - In computing, a file extension is a suffix added to the name of a file to indicate the file's layout, in terms of how the data within the file is organized.
  • financial analytics - Financial analytics is the creation of ad hoc analysis to answer specific business questions and forecast possible future financial scenarios.
  • Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) - Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM), formerly called Google Cloud Messaging (GCM), is a free cloud service from Google that allows app developers to send notifications and messages to users across a variety of platforms, including Android, iOS and web applications.
  • font - The word 'font' refers to a set of printable or displayable typography or text characters in a specific style and size.
  • freeware - Freeware (not to be confused with free software) is a type of proprietary software that is released without charge to the public.
  • front end and back end - Front end and back end are terms used by programmers and computer professionals to describe the layers that make up hardware, a computer program or a website which are delineated based on how accessible they are to a user.
  • fuzz testing (fuzzing) - Fuzz testing (fuzzing) is a quality assurance technique used to discover coding errors or bugs and security loopholes in software, operating systems and networks.
  • fuzzy search - A fuzzy search is a technique that uses search algorithms to find strings that match patterns approximately.
  • garbage in, garbage out (GIGO) - Garbage in, garbage out, or GIGO, refers to the idea that in any system, the quality of output is determined by the quality of the input.
  • Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles (the Principles) - Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles is a framework for managing records in a way that supports an organization's immediate and future regulatory, legal, risk mitigation, environmental and operational requirements.
  • genomics - Genomics is the study of an organism's entire genome, including all its genes and how those genes interact with each other and their environment.
  • Gmail - Gmail (pronounced Gee-mail) is a free web-based email service that provides users with 15 GB of storage for messages and the ability to search for specific messages.
  • GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment) - GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment) is a graphical user interface (GUI) and set of computer desktop applications for Linux operating system (OS) users.
  • good automated manufacturing practice (GAMP) - Good automated manufacturing practice (GAMP) is a set of guidelines manufacturers and other automation users follow to maintain operational efficiency and reliability.
  • Google ChromeOS - Google ChromeOS, formerly Chrome OS, is a lightweight operating system (OS) built on ChromiumOS, an open source OS that shares the same code base as ChromeOS.
  • Google Docs - Google Docs, first released in 2006, is a free web-based word processor in which documents can be created, edited and stored as part of the Google Docs Editors suite of free web applications.
  • Google Hangouts - Google Hangouts is a unified communications service that allows members to initiate and participate in text, voice or video chats, either one-on-one or in a group.
  • Google Maps - Google Maps is a web-based service that provides detailed information about geographical regions and sites worldwide.
  • Google Play - Google Play, formerly known as Android Market, is the official online store for digital media distributed by Google.
  • Google Sheets - Google Sheets is a web-based application that enables users to create, update and modify spreadsheets and share the data live online.
  • Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) - The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB Act or GLBA), also known as the Financial Modernization Act of 1999, is a federal law enacted in the United States to control the ways financial institutions deal with the private information of individuals.
  • grid computing - Grid computing is a system for connecting a large number of computer nodes into a distributed architecture that delivers the compute resources necessary to solve complex problems.
  • guest operating system (guest OS) - A guest operating system is the operating system installed on either a virtual machine (VM) or partitioned disk.
  • gzip (GNU zip) - Gzip (GNU zip) is a free and open source algorithm for file compression.
  • hackathon - A hackathon, also known as a codefest, is a social coding event that brings computer programmers and other interested people together to improve upon or build a new software program.
  • Hadoop - Hadoop is an open source distributed processing framework that manages data processing and storage for big data applications in scalable clusters of computer servers.
  • hamburger icon (slide drawer navigation) - A hamburger icon is a navigational symbol in user interface (UI) design.
  • HashiCorp - HashiCorp is a software company that provides a suite of modular DevOps infrastructure provisioning and management products.