Whether you already are a bit informed about our industry or do not have much knowledge at all; here is a list of some commonly used terms in our industry we’ve compiled to help you understand them better. This is not an exhaustive list and if you are keen to pursue acronyms that are not listed here (believe us, there are a lot more), we’d be glad to educate you or take a look at the IT terminology guide on the right.

 

 

• Cat-5 cabling: Wiring designed for high-speed data transmission, up to 100 MHz and speeds up to 1000 Mbps; used for networking.

 

• DoS Attack: An attack on a network designed to cripple it by inundating it with useless traffic.

 

• IP Address: The "address" of a computer or device (such as a network printer or server) that identifies its location on a TCP/IP network. Our support technicians use your IP address to locate your servers or PCs in providing remote support.

 

• ISP: Short for: Internet Service Provider. This is the company that provides your internet connection; in Canada, typically this is Telus, Shaw or Bell.

 

• Malware: The abbreviation for "Malicious Software". Refers to any software designed to disrupt or damage an IT system, such as a network or PC.

 

• Managed IT Services/Managed Services: The term used to identiify the industry we operate in. Managed (IT) Services could be a synonym for outsourcing of non-proprietary IT tasks to a company which, for the most part, manages them remotely from off-site.

 

• PCI Compliance: Supported by all major credit card issuers the PCI-Data Security Standard provides guidelines for safeguarding sensitive customer and transaction data. The PCI standard applies not only to store merchants, but to banks, service providers, and card processors, and includes 12 specific requirements for building secure networks and protecting credit card information. Any merchant or organization handling credit card numbers must comply with the detailed technical requirements outlined by the standard or face substantial fines.

 

• Phishing: E-mails sent to a user falsely claiming to be a bank or other established company with the intent of stealing confidential information to be used for identity theft.

 

• SSL-VPN: Also referred to as Remote Access. Short for: Secure Socket Layer - Virtual Private Network. An SSL-VPN device allows a user to securely log into a network, through a firewall, to access the data and applications contained on the network. Data being transferred is encrypted and cannot be intercepted.  

 

• Trojan Horse: A malicious program that pretends to be a benign application.

 

• Worm: A program that replicates itself over a computer network, using up resources until the system shuts down. Usually malicious, a worm is similar to a virus, however, it can spread without action by the user.