IT vocabulary, without the jargon.
Clear definitions of the cybersecurity, compliance and technology terms that come up most in our projects: NIS2, ENS, EDR, Zero Trust and more.
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NIS2
NIS2 is the EU cybersecurity directive that extends security and incident-reporting obligations to essential and important sectors (healthcare, energy, transport, manufacturing, etc.). It requires risk management, technical measures and management accountability.
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National Security Framework (ENS)
The ENS is Spain’s mandatory framework for public-sector information systems and their suppliers. It defines security categories (basic, medium, high) and a catalogue of controls that must be implemented and audited.
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DORA
DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) is the EU regulation requiring financial entities and their ICT providers to ensure digital operational resilience: ICT risk management, testing, incident handling and third-party oversight.
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GDPR
The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) governs the processing of personal data in the EU. It requires risk-proportionate security measures, breach notification and respect for data-subject rights.
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EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response)
EDR is technology that monitors endpoints in real time to detect malicious behaviour, investigate incidents and respond automatically, going beyond traditional antivirus.
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XDR (Extended Detection and Response)
XDR extends EDR’s detection and response by correlating signals across endpoints, network, email, identity and cloud in a single platform, improving visibility and reducing response time.
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MDR (Managed Detection and Response)
MDR is a managed service where an expert team runs detection and response around the clock on the client’s tools, providing continuous monitoring, threat hunting and incident containment.
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SOC (Security Operations Center)
A SOC is the team and infrastructure that monitor, detect and respond to security threats centrally and continuously, typically backed by a SIEM and incident-response processes.
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SIEM (Security Information and Event Management)
A SIEM centralises and correlates logs and events from across the infrastructure to detect attack patterns, raise alerts and support forensic investigation and compliance.
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Zero Trust
Zero Trust is a security model that trusts no user or device by default, inside or outside the network. Every access is explicitly verified and granted with least privilege.
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MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)
MFA requires two or more verification factors (something you know, have or are) to sign in, drastically reducing the risk of unauthorised access even if passwords are stolen.
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DLP (Data Loss Prevention)
DLP is the set of technologies and policies that prevent sensitive-data leakage by detecting and blocking its unauthorised sending or copying via email, web, devices or cloud.
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Ransomware
Ransomware is malware that encrypts the victim’s data and demands a ransom to restore it. Defence combines isolated backups, segmentation, early detection and a response plan.
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Phishing
Phishing is a scam that impersonates a trusted entity (via email, SMS or web) to steal credentials or data. Defence combines filtering, MFA and user awareness training.
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3-2-1 backup rule
The 3-2-1 rule recommends keeping 3 copies of data, on 2 different media types, with 1 copy off-site (ideally immutable or offline) to withstand failures and ransomware.
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RPO and RTO
RPO (Recovery Point Objective) defines how much data you can afford to lose (the maximum backup age), and RTO (Recovery Time Objective) how long recovery may take. Together they drive business-continuity design.
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vCISO (Virtual CISO)
A vCISO is an external, part-time security leader who provides cybersecurity strategy, governance and compliance to companies that don’t need (or can’t justify) a full-time in-house CISO.
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SD-WAN
SD-WAN is software-defined wide-area networking that intelligently routes traffic between sites and cloud to improve performance, resilience and cost compared with traditional WAN.
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Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is Microsoft’s cloud productivity and collaboration suite (Teams, Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Office) with built-in security and compliance layers for business.
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Penetration test (pentest)
A penetration test is an authorised, simulated attack against systems or applications to find exploitable vulnerabilities before a real attacker does, delivering a findings-and-remediation report.
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IT/OT segmentation
IT/OT segmentation separates the information-technology network (IT: management and office) from the operational-technology network (OT: machines and industrial processes). It reduces the attack surface and stops an incident in one from affecting the other, without slowing production.
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SCADA
SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is the system that monitors and controls industrial processes —energy, water or manufacturing plants— in real time. Because it is connected, it needs cybersecurity tailored to OT environments.
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OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)
OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) measures the real productivity of a machine or line by combining availability, performance and quality. It is a key indicator for spotting losses and guiding continuous improvement in industry.
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Industry 4.0
Industry 4.0 is the digitalisation of manufacturing by connecting machines, sensors and management systems for real-time data, traceability and predictive maintenance. It does not require replacing machinery, but connecting what already exists.
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WMS (Warehouse Management System)
A WMS (Warehouse Management System) coordinates goods receipt, putaway, picking and dispatch. Together with the network and RF handhelds, it is the operational core of a logistics warehouse.
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POS (Point of Sale)
A POS (point-of-sale) terminal is the system that processes sales and payments in a store. Its availability is critical in retail —a POS outage halts sales— so it needs a segmented network and fast support.
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Omnichannel
Omnichannel integrates physical and online sales channels into a single experience, with unified stock, customer and data. It enables services such as buy online and collect or return in store.
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VLAN
A VLAN (Virtual LAN) logically divides a physical network into isolated segments. It is used to separate traffic —for example POS, management and guest WiFi— improving security and performance.
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Purdue model
The Purdue model is a reference architecture that organises industrial networks into levels, from the physical process to enterprise management. It guides IT/OT segmentation and the placement of firewalls and DMZ zones.
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SLA (Service Level Agreement)
An SLA (Service Level Agreement) defines the measurable commitments of an IT service: response and resolution times, availability and responsibilities. It is the foundation of a professional managed service.
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Managed IT services (MSP)
Managed IT services outsource the technology operation —support, monitoring, security and backups— to a provider (MSP) under an SLA and predictable fee. They replace the reactive break-fix model with proactive management.
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IT outsourcing
IT outsourcing fully or partly delegates the technology department to an external provider that takes on its leadership and operation. Unlike one-off services, it acts as the company IT with a technical account lead.
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Virtualisation
Virtualisation runs multiple logical servers or desktops on the same physical hardware through a hypervisor. It improves resource use, availability and data-centre flexibility.
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High availability (HA)
High availability (HA) is the design of systems to minimise downtime through redundancy and automatic failover. It is measured in availability levels, such as the well-known "five nines".
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Disaster recovery (DR)
Disaster recovery (DR) brings together the processes and technology to restore systems and data after a major incident (cyberattack, failure or disaster). It is sized with RPO and RTO objectives.
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Business continuity plan (BCP)
A business continuity plan (BCP) defines how to keep critical functions running during and after a disruption. It goes beyond technology to include people, processes and suppliers.
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Immutable backup
An immutable backup cannot be altered or deleted for a defined period, not even by an administrator or ransomware. It is the key defence for guaranteeing a clean recovery after a malicious encryption.
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Firewall
A firewall controls inbound and outbound network traffic according to security rules, separating different trust zones. Next-generation firewalls add application and threat inspection.
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VPN (Virtual Private Network)
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) encrypts the connection between a user or site and the corporate network over the Internet. It secures remote access, though modern models are evolving toward Zero Trust access.
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SAN (Storage Area Network)
A SAN (Storage Area Network) is a dedicated high-performance network connecting servers to shared block storage. It is common in virtualised and high-availability environments.
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Helpdesk
The helpdesk is the contact point that handles and resolves user incidents and requests. In a managed service it operates under an SLA, with ticket logging, prioritisation and escalation.
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Endpoint
An endpoint is any end device connected to the network —laptop, desktop, mobile or server— from which data and services are accessed. As a common entry point for attacks, it needs protection such as EDR/XDR.
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Hyperconvergence (HCI)
Hyperconvergence (HCI) integrates compute, storage and networking into a single software-defined platform managed in a unified way. It simplifies the data centre and enables scalable growth.
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VoIP (Voice over IP)
VoIP (Voice over IP) carries voice calls over the data network and Internet instead of traditional telephony. It cuts costs and adds mobility and integration with business applications.
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IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
A cloud model that rents compute, storage and networking on demand, with no hardware to buy. The customer manages the operating system and applications; the provider runs the physical infrastructure.
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PaaS (Platform as a Service)
A cloud layer that provides a ready environment to build and run applications (runtime, databases, tooling) without managing servers or operating systems.
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SaaS (Software as a Service)
Software delivered over the internet on a subscription basis, with no local install or maintenance for the customer. The provider handles updates, backups and availability.
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Hybrid cloud
An architecture that combines on-premise infrastructure with public cloud services, letting workloads move based on cost, performance or compliance.
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Microsoft Azure
Microsoft’s cloud platform for compute, storage, networking and identity. It integrates natively with Microsoft 365 and Active Directory for enterprise environments.
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Cloud migration
The process of moving applications, data and workloads from local servers to a cloud provider, planning dependencies, cutover windows and rollback.
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PoE (Power over Ethernet)
Technology that carries electrical power alongside data over the same network cable, powering devices such as IP cameras, access points or phones without extra outlets.
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Optical fibre
A transmission medium that sends data as light pulses through glass strands, offering high bandwidth and long distances with immunity to electromagnetic interference.
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Structured cabling
A standardised cabling system (categories, racks, patch panels) that organises a building’s network to carry voice, data and video reliably and at scale.
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Network switch
A device that connects equipment within a local network and forwards traffic to the right port. Managed switches enable VLANs, QoS and monitoring.
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Bandwidth
The maximum amount of data a connection can carry in a given time, usually measured in Mbps or Gbps. It determines how many services the network supports without congestion.
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QoS (Quality of Service)
A set of techniques that prioritise certain network traffic (such as voice or video) to guarantee low latency and avoid drops when bandwidth is limited.
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DNS (Domain Name System)
The service that translates human-readable domain names (such as impulsotecnologico.com) into IP addresses. Correct configuration and protection are key to availability and security.
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Wi-Fi 6
A wireless standard (802.11ax) that improves speed, capacity in device-dense environments and power efficiency over previous generations.
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NAC (Network Access Control)
Technology that verifies the identity and security posture of each device before allowing it onto the network, blocking or isolating those that fail policy.
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IDS / IPS (Intrusion Detection/Prevention)
Systems that inspect network traffic for malicious patterns: an IDS alerts, while an IPS additionally blocks the threat in real time.
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WAF (Web Application Firewall)
A specialised firewall that filters HTTP traffic to a web application, protecting it from attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting or form abuse.
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DDoS attack
A distributed denial-of-service attack that floods a server or network with massive traffic from many sources to make it unavailable. It is mitigated with traffic filtering and scrubbing.
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Hosted PBX
A cloud-hosted business phone system that manages calls, extensions and routing without on-site hardware, scaling on a subscription basis.
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SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)
The standard protocol that sets up, manages and ends voice and video calls over IP. It is the foundation of modern VoIP telephony.
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SIP trunk
A virtual link that connects a phone system to the public telephone network over the internet, replacing traditional physical lines and cutting call costs.
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IVR (Interactive Voice Response)
An automated phone system that answers calls with voice and keypad menus, routing the caller to the right department or information without human intervention.
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CCTV (Closed-Circuit Television)
A video surveillance system whose cameras transmit to a closed set of monitors or recorders, used for physical security and site monitoring.
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NVR (Network Video Recorder)
A device that receives, stores and manages video from IP cameras over the network, enabling continuous recording, search and remote access.
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IP camera
A digital video camera that connects to the network and streams footage over the internet, often PoE-powered and with built-in analytics.
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ONVIF
An open standard that lets cameras, recorders and surveillance software from different manufacturers work together, avoiding single-vendor lock-in.
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Video analytics
Technology that processes camera footage to detect events automatically (intrusion, occupancy, abandoned objects), reducing manual monitoring.
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LPR (Licence Plate Recognition)
Video analytics that identifies vehicle licence plates in real time, used for car-park access control, allow-lists and entry logging.
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Access control
A system that governs who enters a physical space using credentials, managing permissions by person, zone and schedule, with a log of every entry.
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Biometrics
Identification based on unique physical traits (fingerprint, face, iris) to authenticate access more securely than a card or PIN.
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RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification)
Technology that identifies cards or tags contactlessly via radio waves, used in access-control credentials and warehouse logistics.
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Indoor air quality (IAQ)
A measure of the air condition inside a building (CO₂, particulates, humidity, VOCs) that affects health, focus and regulatory compliance.
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HVAC
Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems that regulate temperature and air renewal; integrated with sensors, they optimise comfort and energy use.
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CO₂ sensor
A device that measures carbon-dioxide concentration in a room as a ventilation indicator, triggering air renewal when it exceeds healthy thresholds.
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Generative AI
Artificial intelligence that creates new content (text, images, code) from learned patterns, applied to customer service, marketing and productivity.
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LLM (Large Language Model)
An AI model trained on huge volumes of text to understand and generate natural language; it powers conversational assistants and chatbots.
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RPA (Robotic Process Automation)
Software that automates repetitive, rule-based tasks (copying data, filling forms) by mimicking how a person interacts with applications.
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Machine learning
A branch of AI in which systems learn patterns from data and improve with experience, without each rule being explicitly programmed.
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RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management)
A platform that lets an IT provider monitor, maintain and fix issues on a customer’s devices remotely, proactively and from one console.
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Active Directory
Microsoft’s directory service that centralises management of users, computers and permissions in a Windows network, underpinning corporate identity and security policy.
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ITIL
A best-practice framework for IT service management (incidents, changes, problems) aimed at aligning technology with business needs.
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Patch management
The process of applying security and bug-fix updates to systems and applications in a controlled way to close vulnerabilities without disrupting service.
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ISO 27001
The international standard that defines the requirements of an Information Security Management System (ISMS), certifying that an organisation manages its risks systematically.
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PCI DSS
A mandatory security standard for organisations that process, store or transmit payment-card data, with controls to protect cardholder information.
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