Information Technology Management C954

acceptable use policy (AUP)

A policy that a user must agree to follow in order to be provided access to a network or to the Internet.

access point (AP)

The computer or network device that serves as an interface between devices and the network.

accessibility

Refers to the varying levels that define what a user can access, view, or perform when operating a system.

accounting

Analyzes the transactional information of the business so the owners and investors can make sound economic decisions.

accounting and finance ERP component

Manages accounting data and financial processes within the enterprise with functions such as general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, budgeting, and asset management.

accounting department

Provides quantitative information about the finances of the business including recording, measuring, and describing financial information.

active RFID tags

Have their own transmitter and a power source (typically a battery).

adaptive computer device

Input devices designed for special applications for use by people with different types of special needs.

administrator access

Unrestricted access to the entire system.

advanced encryption standard (AES)

Introduced by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), AES is an encryption standard designed to keep government information secure.

adware

Software that, although purporting to serve some useful function and often fulfilling that function, also allows Internet advertisers to display advertisements without the consent of the computer user.

affinity grouping analysis

Reveals the relationship between variables along with the nature and frequency of the relationships.

Agile BI

An approach to business intelligence (BI) that incorporates Agile software development methodologies to accelerate and improve the outcomes of BI initiatives.

agile methodology

Aims for customer satisfaction through early and continuous delivery of useful software components developed by an iterative process with a design point that uses the bare minimum requirements.

agile MIS infrastructure

Includes the hardware, software, and telecommunications equipment that, when combined, provides the underlying foundation to support the organization's goals.

algorithm

A mathematical formula placed in software that performs an analysis on a data set.

ambient digital experience

A blend of the physical, virtual, and electronic environments creating a real-time ambient environment that changes as the user moves from one place to another.

analysis latency

The time from which data are made available to the time when analysis is complete.

analysis paralysis

Occurs when the user goes into an emotional state of over-analysis (or over-thinking) a situation so that a decision or action is never taken, in effect paralyzing the outcome.

analysis phase

Analyzing end-user business requirements and refining project goals into defined functions and operations of the intended system.

analytical information

Encompasses all organizational information, and its primary purpose is to support the performing of managerial analysis tasks.

analytics

The science of fact-based decision making.

anomoly detection

The process of identifying rare or unexpected items or events in a data set that do not conform to other items in the data set.

anti-spam policy

States that email users will not send unsolicited emails (or spam).

antivirus software

Scans and searches hard drives to prevent, detect, and remove known viruses, adware, and spyware.

appliance

A computer dedicated to a single function, such as a calculator or computer game.

application programming interface (API)

A set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications.

application service provider license

Specialty software paid for on a license basis or per-use basis or usage-based licensing.

application software

Used for specific information processing needs, including payroll, customer relationship management, project management, training, and many others.

arithmetic/logic unit (ALU)

Performs all arithmetic operations (for example, addition and subtraction) and all logic operations (such as sorting and comparing numbers).

artificial intelligence (AI)

Simulates human intelligence such as the ability to reason and learn.

As-Is process model

Represents the current state of the operation that has been mapped, without any specific improvements or changes to existing processes.

asset

Anything owned that has value or earning power.

asset tracking

Occurs when a company places active or semipassive RFID tags on expensive products or assets to gather data on the items' location with little or no manual intervention.

asynchronous communication

Communication such as email in which the message and the response do not occur at the same time.

attribute

The data elements associated with an entity.

augmented reality

The viewing of the physical world with computer-generated layers of information added to it.

authentication

A method for confirming users' identities.

authorization

The process of providing a user with permission including access levels and abilities such as file access, hours of access, and amount of allocated storage space.

automatic vehicle location (AVL)

Uses GPS tracking to track vehicles.

autonomic computing

A self-managing computing model named after, and patterned on, the human body's autonomic nervous system.

autonomous agent

Software that carries out some set of operations on behalf of a user or another program with some degree of independence or autonomy, and employ some knowledge or representation of the user's goals or desires.

availability

Refers to the time frames when the system is operational.

backup

An exact copy of a system's information.

backward integration

Takes information entered into a given system and sends it automatically to all upstream systems and processes.

balance sheet

Gives an accounting picture of property owned by a company and of claims against the property on a specific date.

balanced scorecard

A management system, in addition to a measurement system, that enables organizations to clarify their vision and strategy and translate them into action.

behavioral analytics

Uses data about people's behaviors to understand intent and predict future actions.

benchmark

Baseline values the system seeks to attain.

benchmarking

The process of continuously measuring system results, comparing those results to optimal system performance (benchmark values), and identifying steps and procedures to improve system performance.

best practices

The most successful solutions or problem-solving methods that have been developed by a specific organization or industry.

big data

A collection of large, complex data sets, including structured and unstructured data, which cannot be analyzed using traditional database methods and tools.

Big Data as a Service (BDaaS)

Offers a cloud-based Big Data service to help organizations analyze massive amounts of data to solve business dilemmas.

biological 3D printing

Includes the printing of skin and organs and is progressing from theory to reality, however, politicians and the public do not have a full understanding of the implications.

biometrics

The identification of a user based on a physical characteristic, such as a fingerprint, iris, face, voice, or handwriting.

blog

An online journal that allows users to post their own comments, graphics, and video.

Bluetooth

A wireless PAN technology that transmits signals over short distances among cell phones, computers, and other devices.

bookkeeping

The actual recording of the business's transactions, without any analysis of the information.

brainstorming

A technique for generating ideas by encouraging participants to offer as many ideas as possible in a short period of time without any analysis until all the ideas have been exhausted.

break-even point

The point at which revenues equal costs.

bug

Defects in the code of an information system.

bullwhip effect

Occurs when distorted product-demand information passes from one entity to the next throughout the supply chain.

business continuity planning (BCP)

Details how a company recovers and restores critical business operations and systems after a disaster or extended disruption.

business impact analysis

A process that identifies all critical business functions and the effect that a specific disaster may have upon them.

business intelligence (BI)

Information collected from multiple sources such as suppliers, customers, competitors, partners, and industries that analyzes patterns, trends, and relationships for strategic decision making.

business intelligence dashboard

Tracks corporate metrics such as critical success factors and key performance indicators and includes advanced capabilities such as interactive controls, allowing users to manipulate data for analysis.

business model

A plan that details how a company creates, delivers, and generates revenues.

business process

A standardized set of activities that accomplish a specific task, such as processing a customer's order.

business process management (BPM)

Integrates all of an organization's business processes to make individual processes more efficient.

business process management tool

Used to create an application that is helpful in designing business process models and also helpful in simulating, optimizing, monitoring, and maintaining various processes that occur within an organization.

business process model

A graphic description of a process, showing the sequence of process tasks, which is developed for a specific purpose and from a selected viewpoint.

Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)

A graphical notation that depicts the steps in a business process.

business process modeling (or mapping)

The activity of creating a detailed flowchart or process map of a work process, showing its inputs, tasks, and activities in a structured sequence.

business process patent

A patent that protects a specific set of procedures for conducting a particular business activity.

business process reengineering (BPR)

The analysis and redesign of workflow within and between enterprises.

business requirement

The specific business requests the system must meet to be successful, so the analysis phase is critical because business requirements drive the entire systems development effort.

business rule

Defines how a company performs a certain aspect of its business and typically results in either a yes/no or true/false answer.

business strategy

A leadership plan that achieves a specific set of goals or objectives such as increasing sales, decreasing costs, entering new markets, or developing new products or services.

business unit

A segment of a company (such as accounting, production, marketing) representing a specific business function.

business-critical integrity constraint

Enforces business rules vital to an organization's success and often requires more insight and knowledge than relational integrity constraints.

business-facing process

Invisible to the external customer but essential to the effective management of the business; they include goal setting, day-to-day planning, giving performance feedback and rewards, and resource allocation.

business-to-business (B2B)

Applies to businesses buying from and selling to each other over the Internet.

business-to-consumer (B2C)

Applies to any business that sells its products or services to consumers over the Internet.

buyer power

The ability of buyers to affect the price they must pay for an item.

cache memory

A small unit of ultra-fast memory that is used to store recently accessed or frequently accessed data so that the CPU does not have to retrieve this data from slower memory circuits such as RAM.

Call scripting system

Gathers product details and issue resolution information that can be automatically generated into a script for the representative to read to the customer.

campaign management system

Guides users through marketing campaigns by performing such tasks as campaign definition, planning, scheduling, segmentation, and success analysis.

Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) method

A process improvement approach that contains 22 process areas.

capacity

Represents the maximum throughput a system can deliver; for example, the capacity of a hard drive represents the size or volume.

capacity planning

Determines future environmental infrastructure requirements to ensure high-quality system performance.

capital

Represents money whose purpose is to make more money, for example, the money used to buy a rental property or a business.

carbon emission

Includes the carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in the atmosphere, produced by business processes and systems.

cartography

The science and art of making an illustrated map or chart.

central processing unit (CPU) (or microprocessor)

The actual hardware that interprets and executes the program (software) instructions and coordinates how all the other hardware devices work together.

certificate authority

A trusted third party, such as VeriSign, that validates user identities by means of digital certificates.

change agent

A person or event that is the catalyst for implementing major changes for a system to meet business changes.

chief automation officer

Determines if a person or business process can be replaced by a robot or software.

chief data officer

Responsible for determining the types of information the enterprise will capture, retain, analyze, and share.

chief information officer (CIO)

Responsible for (1) overseeing all uses of information technology and (2) ensuring the strategic alignment of MIS with business goals and objectives.

chief intellectual property officer

Manage and defend intellectual property, copyrights, and patents.