Glossary

Glossary – some jargon explained…

Word or Term

Definition

ADSL

asymmetric digital subscriber line

AS

anti spam

AV

anti-virus

CCTV

close circuit television

Content filtering

filter service which allows blocking of particular web sites which may be deemed unproductive or offensive.

Firewall

prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network

Fixed IP

an identifier for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network which is static and does not change

IP address

an identifier for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network

IPS

intrusion prevention service

IP SEC

internet protocol security

ISDN

integrated services digital network, an international communications standard for sending voice, video, and data over digital telephone lines or normal telephone wires

ISO 17799 security accreditation

is a standard code of practice and can be regarded as a comprehensive catalogue of good security things to do

ISP

internet service provider

Kbps

kilobits per second, a measure of data transfer speed

LAN

local area network

Mbps

mega bits per second, a measure of data transfer speed

PCX

Private computer exchange (derived from the term ‘public branch exchange' to incorporate new technology)

Phishing The fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers, online.

POTS

plain old telephone service, which refers to the standard telephone service that most homes use

PPP

point to point protocol

ProTel

Keyfort’s home connection service solution for home or mobile teleworkers

PSTN

public switched telephone network, which refers to the international telephone system

Re-grade

changing speed of internet connection line

Router

a device that forwards data packets along networks

SDSL

symmetric digital subscriber line

Server

a computer or device on a network that manages network resources

Spam

electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings

SSL VPN

secure socket layer virtual private network

SQL

structured query language

Teleworker

a member of staff who works from home or on the road from hotels etc.

url

uniform resource locator, the global address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web

VoIP

voice over internet protocol

WAN

wide area network

Wireless

telecommunications in which electromagnetic waves, rather than wires, carry the signal over part or all of the communication path

Virus

a program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes.

VPN

virtual private network, a network that is constructed by using public wires to connect nodes

VPN Tunnel

the encrypted data path between the two end-points of the VPN