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Term of the day - 1

Security Orchestration, Automation and Response

Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) is an IT stack helping companies and organizations to deal with security threats. In a collection of physical and digital security tools, SOAR provides an architecture for optimal security response. For example, a SOAR resource set could include new kinds of software packages that run on top of firewalls or perimeter security hardware, arranging new and more sophisticated processes beyond simple perimeter security.

Asynchronous Transfer Mode

Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) is a switching technique used by telecommunication networks that uses asynchronous time-division multiplexing to encode data into small, fixed-sized cells. This is different from Ethernet or internet, which use variable packet sizes for data or frames. ATM is the core protocol used over the synchronous optical network (SONET) backbone of the integrated digital services network (ISDN).

Cheezburger

The word "cheezburger," misspelled with a "z", is based on the idea that cats, if they could write to humans, would have a primitive control of the English language, and would misspell most words. This kind of language has been called "lolspeak" after the phenomenon of "lolcatz" hit the Internet in the mid-2000s.

Data Bleed

The term “data bleed” is now somewhat popular, but also a little hard to define, since the term itself is not well defined on the internet. In general, data bleed occurs when there is not transparency into data use, and users or other parties experience mysterious data quantification, or where data transfers happen without the express permission of the user.

Easter Egg

An Easter egg is a hidden video game feature or surprise. Easter eggs are usually unlocked by using certain techniques to complete in-game tasks, entering specific button combinations or acquiring access to secret game or game file areas.

Hackathon

A hackathon is a gathering where programmers collaboratively code in an extreme manner over a short period of time. Hackathons are at least a few days - or over a weekend - and generally no longer than a week. While working on a particular project, the idea is for each developer to have the ability and freedom to work on whatever he/she wants. A hackathon is also known as a hackfest or hack day.

Yoyo Mode

Yoyo mode refers to a situation wherein a computer or a similar device seems stuck in a loop -- turning on briefly, then turning off again. The idea is that the rapid restart and shut off patterns can be compared to the down and up cycles of a yoyo.

Lexeme

A lexeme is a sequence of alphanumeric characters in a token. The term is used in both the study of language and in the lexical analysis of computer program compilation. In the context of computer programming, lexemes are part of the input stream from which tokens are identified. An invalid or illegal token produces an error. A lexeme is one of the building blocks of language.

Cyber Kill Chain

A cyber kill chain is a collection of processes related to the use of cyberattacks on systems. Some experts describe the cyber kill chain as representing the "stages" of a cyberattack. In general, the cyber kill chain is a step-by-step description of what a complex attack does.

Mechatronics

Mechatronics is a broad engineering field that is based on evaluating mechanical and electrical engineering systems, and working with mechanical and electrical systems. Mechatronics blends mechanical skills and tasks with electronic design. It is sometimes seen as a field similar to robotics.

Evolutionary Algorithm

An evolutionary algorithm is considered a component of evolutionary computation in artificial intelligence. An evolutionary algorithm functions through the selection process in which the least fit members of the population set are eliminated, whereas the fit members are allowed to survive and continue until better solutions are determined. In other words, evolutionary algorithms are computer applications which mimic biological processes in order to solve complex problems. Over time, the successful members evolve to present the optimized solution to the problem.

OpenDNS

OpenDNS is the name of a Domain Name System (DNS) service as well as of the company that provides that service. The OpenDNS service extends the DNS by incorporating features such as content filtering and phishing protection. It is also touted as faster, more reliable and having zero downtime because of its global network of DNS servers that ensures that, if one or two servers are down, the others can still carry the slack.

Cloud Spanning

Cloud Spanning is a type of cloud delivery model in which an application is deployed and executed over multiple simultaneous cloud platforms and infrastructure. Cloud spanning enables a cloud application to distribute its computations and components across one or more cloud environments.

Always On

The tech term "always on"or "always-on" refers to systems that are continuously available, plugged in, or connected to power sources and networks. Always on may also refer to systems that are continually operational - that do not take breaks, but continue to hum along through all hours of the day.

Brute Force Attack

A brute force attack is a trial-and-error method used to obtain information such as a user password or personal identification number (PIN). In a brute force attack, automated software is used to generate a large number of consecutive guesses as to the value of the desired data. Brute force attacks may be used by criminals to crack encrypted data, or by security analysts to test an organization's network security. A brute force attack is also known as brute force cracking or simply brute force.

Hakspeak

Hakspeak is a type of alternative text representation for certain words or characters. It involves substituting numbers or symbols for letters of the English or western alphabet. Other hakspeak systems may also exist for other world languages and alphabets. Based on the term hacker, hakspeak has evolved into a kind of common code used to transmit messages in secret ways geared toward confusing those who are not knowledgeable about the hakspeak system. Hakspeak is also known as leetspeak, leet speak and leetspeek.

Runtime Error

Runtime error refers to an error that takes place while executing a program. As opposed to the compilation errors that occur during a program compilation, runtime errors occur only during the execution of the program. Runtime errors imply bugs in the program or issues that the developers had expected but were unable to correct. For example, insufficient memory can often trigger a runtime error. Runtime errors usually appear in a message box that includes a specific error code coupled with its corresponding description. It is quite common that the computer becomes noticeably slow prior to the appearance of a runtime error.

Bitmap

Bitmap (BMP) is an image file format that can be used to create and store computer graphics. A bitmap file displays a small dots in a pattern that, when viewed from afar, creates an overall image. A bitmap image is a grid made of rows and columns where a specific cell is given a value that fills it in or leaves it blank, thus creating an image out of the data.

Internet Protocol Security

Internet protocol security (IPsec) is a set of protocols that provides security for Internet Protocol. It can use cryptography to provide security. IPsec can be used for the setting up of virtual private networks (VPNs) in a secure manner. Also known as IP Security.

Internet of Things

The internet of things (IoT) is a computing concept that describes the idea of everyday physical objects being connected to the internet and being able to identify themselves to other devices. The term is closely identified with RFID as the method of communication, although it also may include other sensor technologies, wireless technologies or QR codes.

The IoT is significant because an object that can represent itself digitally becomes something greater than the object by itself. No longer does the object relate just to its user, but is now connected to surrounding objects and database data. When many objects act in unison, they are known as having "ambient intelligence."

Internet of Everything

The Internet of Everything (IoE) is a broad term that refers to devices and consumer products connected to the Internet and outfitted with expanded digital features. It is a philosophy in which technology's future is comprised of many different types of appliances, devices and items connected to the global Internet. The term is somewhat synonymous with the Internet of Things (IoT).

Outlier Detection

Outlier detection is the process of detecting and subsequently excluding outliers from a given set of data. An outlier may be defined as a piece of data or observation that deviates drastically from the given norm or average of the data set. An outlier may be caused simply by chance, but it may also indicate measurement error or that the given data set has a heavy-tailed distribution.

Here is a simple scenario in outlier detection, a measurement process consistently produces readouts between 1 and 10, but in some rare cases we get measurements of greater than 20. These rare measurements beyond the norm are called outliers since they "lie outside" the normal distribution curve.

Hyperconverged Infrastructure

A hyperconverged infrastructure is an infrastructure model that utilizes a software-centric architecture and has a tight integration with the storage, networking, computing and virtualization software and hardware resources. A hyper-converged infrastructure enables the management of all the integrated resources from a single common toolset. A hyper-converged infrastructure is an improvement over a converged infrastructure, where the vendor provides a preconfigured bundle of software and hardware as a single unit. This type of infrastructure reduces complexity and helps simplify management of resources. A hyper-converged infrastructure is also known as hyperconvergence.

3V's

3V's is a term used to define the different attributes of big data: volume, variety and velocity. In 2001, the 3V's term was coined to define the constructs or attributes that make up an organization's stored and owned data repositories. 3V's is now used to define the trends and dimensions of big data.

Bit Stuffing

Bit stuffing is the process of inserting noninformation bits into data to break up bit patterns to affect the synchronous transmission of information. It is widely used in network and communication protocols, in which bit stuffing is a required part of the transmission process. Bit stuffing is commonly used to bring bit streams up to a common transmission rate or to fill frames. Bit stuffing is also used for run-length limited coding.

Kali Linux

Kali Linux is a Linux distribution that is specialized for cybersecurity. It is an open-source product that involves a lot of customization for penetration testing, which helps companies to understand their vulnerabilities.

Informatics

Informatics is the study of the behavior and structure of any system that generates, stores, processes and then presents information; it is basically the science of information. The field takes into consideration the interaction between the information systems and the user, as well as the construction of the interfaces between the two, such as the user interface.

DNA Digital Data Storage

DNA digital data storage is the idea of encoding binary data in a DNA molecule and strand. It is a cutting-edge theory of data storage that represents the new frontier of where technology is going in the 21st century along with other major theoretical advances like quantum computing. DNA digital data storage is also known as DNA-based data storage, DNA data storage or DNA storage.

Cloud Sprawl

Cloud sprawl is the uncontrolled proliferation of an organization’s cloud instances or cloud presence. It happens when an organization inadequately controls, monitors and manages its different cloud instances, resulting in numerous individual cloud instances which may then be forgotten but continue to use up resources or incur costs since most organizations pay for public cloud services.

Business Continuity Management

Business continuity management (BCM) refers to the management of core conceptual resources that address future threats to a business and help business leaders handle the impacts of these threats. This term is in the same vein of others, like business continuity planning (BCP), where business leaders try to identify and address potential crises before they occur.

Asynchronous Method Call

An asynchronous method call is a method used in .NET programming that returns to the caller immediately before the completion of its processing and without blocking the calling thread. When an application calls an asynchronous method, it can simultaneously execute along with the execution of the asynchronous method that performs its task. An asynchronous method runs in a thread separate from the main application thread. The processing results are fetched through another call on another thread.

Asynchronous methods help optimize the execution of resources resulting in scalable application. These are used to execute time-consuming tasks such as opening large files, connecting to remote computers, querying a database, calling Web services and ASP.NET Web forms. Asynchronous method call may also be referred to as asynchronous method invocation (AMI).

Stack Environment Control Dump Machine

A Stack Environment Control Dump machine (SECD machine) is an abstract machine made for the implementation of functional programming. A SECD machine contains registers "stack control and dump" and what experts refer to as an associative array in terms of environment, to help with the compiling of functional programming languages.

P-Code Machine

A P-code machine is a type of computer that executes P-code or the assembly language of a CPU. IT professionals may refer to P-code as portable code or pseudocode. P-code machines have utility in various hardware setups.

Sociotechnical

The term "sociotechnical" is a broad way to combine people-oriented and technology-oriented practices and projects. The use of the word "technical," here, is also similarly broad, and does not refer just to material technologies, but to a technical tendency in general.

Superconverged Cloud Infrastructure

A superconverged cloud infrastructure, or superconvergence, is an approach to IT resources that integrates network, storage, compute, virtualization and management in a single platform. Driven by the need for increased operational efficiency, superconvergence reduces performance, resource and usage limitations identified in previous IT infrastructure management approaches. It represents a significant step in the evolution of data center technology.

Cryptographic Key

A cryptographic key is a string of bits used by a cryptographic algorithm to transform plain text into cipher text or vice versa. This key remains private and ensures secure communication. A cryptographic key is the core part of cryptographic operations. Many cryptographic systems include pairs of operations, such as encryption and decryption. A key is a part of the variable data that is provided as input to a cryptographic algorithm to execute this sort of operation. In a properly designed cryptographic scheme, the security of the scheme is dependent on the security of the keys used.

Web of Things (WoT)

The Web of Things (WoT) is a computing concept that describes a future where everyday objects are fully integrated with the Web. The prerequisite for WoT is for the "things" to have embedded computer systems that enable communication with the Web. Such smart devices would then be able to communicate with each other using existing Web standards.

Future Proof

Future proof is a buzzword that describes a product, service or technological system that will not need to be significantly updated as technology advances. In reality, very few things are truly future proof. In any field that depends heavily on technology, a regular cycle of replacing and updating appears to be the norm.

Cardinality

The term “cardinality” in database design has to do with counting tables and values. With that said, cardinality has three main definitions. It can relate to counting the number of elements in a set, identifying the relationships between tables, or describing how database tables contain a number of values, and what those tables look like in general. Cardinality between tables can be one-to-one, many-to-one or many-to-many.

Term of the day - 2

Biometric Engine

A biometric engine is the core program that controlls the different hardware and components of a biometric system. The biometric engine controls the enrollment, capture, extraction, comparison and matching of biometric data from a user. It is based on a set of algorithms that facilitate the steps in the recognition process, as well as the intermediary processes like image enhancement, determining quality and the extraction of distinguishing features.

Minification

Minification is a computer science term for changing code to remove unnecessary characters and elements. By taking out comments and extraneous characters, as well as phrases and elements of a codebase, minification makes files smaller. It is a general best practice in many kinds of coding and codebase handling. Minification is also known as minimization.

Database Column

In the context of relational databases, a column is a set of data values, all of a single type, in a table. Columns define the data in a table, while rows populate data into the table. Most databases also allow columns to contain complex data like images, whole documents, or even video clips. So, a column allowing data values of a single type does not necessarily mean it only has simple text values like. Some databases go even further and allow the data to be stored as a file on the Operating System, while the column data only contains a pointer or link to the actual file. This is done for the purposes of keeping the overall database size manageable -- a smaller database size means less time taken for backups and less time to search for data within the database

Zerg Rush

Zerg rush is a term used in several real-time strategy games (RTS) to describe an overpowering attack by a player against his opponent, usually early in the game. This term was popularized by "StarCraft". The Zerg, the most well-known playable race in the game, has the ability to rapidly produce small and cheap offensive units called zerglings in a short period of time, allowing the player to overwhelm his opponents forces very early in the game.

Ideavirus

An ideavirus is an idea that spreads through various networks like the Internet and grows rapidly within a target population. It usually comes from a single person. The term ideavirus was coined by marketer Seth Godin in his book, "Unleashing the Ideavirus." Like a virus, an ideavirus infects and changes every individual it touches, even in just a very small way. The outcome of this infection may not be noticeable, or it can lead to the creation of new products or companies. With each person influenced, the idea is interpreted, modified and often improved before it is passed on. Viral marketing is based on an ideavirus about a product or service. Technology has made spreading an ideavirus much faster and more powerful than in the past.

B3 Security

B3 security is a security rating used to evaluate the security of computer applications and products to be used within government and military organizations and institutes. It is among the classifications/ratings produced by the U.S. National Computer Security Center (NCSC) as part of the Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria (TESC), or the orange book.

Quux

Quux is a meta-syntactic variable name invented only as a kind of nickname or placeholder. Like other variable names such as foo, quux may be used in computer programming as a variable name.

Don't Be Evil

Don't be evil is an informal slogan for Google. This motto was conceived by two Google employees, Paul Buccheit and Amit Patel, in an attempt to promote a corporate culture that put long-term gains and user satisfaction above short-term profits. The company believes this philosophy benefits both users and shareholders and that Internet companies don't need to exploit users to make money. Don't be evil is also incorrectly referred to as do no evil.

Random Forest

A random forest is a data construct applied to machine learning that develops large numbers of random decision trees analyzing sets of variables. This type of algorithm helps to enhance the ways that technologies analyze complex data.

Binhex

BinHex is an encoding system used in converting binary data to text, used by the Macintosh OS to send binary files through email. Conversion of binary data into ASCII characters is done to easily transfer the files from one platform to another, as almost all the computers can handle ASCII text files. BinHex was originally the idea of Tim Mann. He wrote it for the TRS-80 as a stand-alone version of an encoding system. BinHex is similar to Uuencode (Unix to Unix encode) and is a common format for Macintosh files. BinHex files need more space than the original format files and are less likely to be corrupted while in transit between older protocols.A BinHex file generally has a .hqx extension at the end of its filename. Earlier versions had the extension .hex. This term is also known (referenced) as .hqx.

Vector Graphic

A vector graphic is a type of image. Vector images are graphical representations of mathematical objects such as lines, curves, polygons and its like. These graphics are generated by computer and they follow x and y axis as their reference definition.

Access Control List

Access control list (ACL) refers to the permissions attached to an object that specify which users are granted access to that object and the operations it is allowed to perform.Each entry in an access control list specifies the subject and an associated operation that is permitted.

WannaCry

WannaCry is a type of ransomware attack that developed in the spring of 2017 and brought the idea of ransomware threats further into the mainstream. This global attack disabled many systems, including public-service systems such as those supporting hospitals and law-enforcement offices. Experts classified WannaCry as a cryptoworm. The security community responded with a "kill switch" and patches that largely stopped the infection of computers with WannaCry.

Test Set

A test set in machine learning is a secondary (or tertiary) data set that is used to test a machine learning program after it has been trained on an initial training data set. The idea is that predictive models always have some sort of unknown capacity that needs to be tested out, as opposed to analyzed from a programming perspective. A test set is also known as a test data set or test data.

Data Boomerang

A data boomerang is when in-house IT staff are asked to manage a project that was previously deployed on the cloud. The term is used by analogy with the "boomerang generation" of young adults moving back in with their parents. IT administrators are tasked with maintaining data that they thought would be hosted in the cloud permanently.

Competitive Network

A competitive network is typically a type of unsupervised machine learning, using the principle of competitive learning to provide results. Through specific mathematical and network modeling, competitive networks achieve various goals in input recognition and processing.
Competitive networks are also known as competitive neural networks.

Candidate Key

A candidate key is a column, or set of columns, in a table that can uniquely identify any database record without referring to any other data. Each table may have one or more candidate keys, but one candidate key is unique, and it is called the primary key. This is usually the best among the candidate keys to use for identification. When a key is composed of more than one column, it is known as a composite key.

Bitcoin Lightning Network

The Bitcoin Lightning Network is a cryptocurrency protocol that works with blockchain ledger technology. It was created by Joseph Poon and Thaddeus Dryjain in 2017 and is now used to help manage cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.

Artificial Linguistic Computer Entity

Artificial Linguistic Computer Entity (ALICE) is a language processing chatterbot and robotic program that engages in electronic chat with humans. It operates in an exploratory fashion by applying its conversation based on human entry input. ALICE performs automated actions, such as immediate chat responses, when a user begins typing a conversation. ALICE is also known as Alicebot or Alice.

Big Data as a Service

Big data as a service (BDaaS) is a term typically used to refer to services that offer analysis of large or complex data sets, usually over the Internet, as cloud hosted services. Similar types of services include software as a service (SaaS) or infrastructure as a service (IaaS), where specific big data as a service options are used to help businesses handle what the IT world calls big data, or sophisticated aggregated data sets that provide a lot of value for today’s companies.

Automatic Memory Management

Automatic memory management (AMM) is a technique in which an operating system or application automatically manages the allocation and deallocation of memory. This means that a programmer does not have to write code to perform memory management tasks when developing an application. Automatic memory management can eliminate common problems such as forgetting to free memory allocated to an object and causing a memory leak, or attempting to access memory for an object that has already been freed. Garbage collection is a form of automatic memory management.

Big Data Mining

Big data mining is referred to the collective data mining or extraction techniques that are performed on large sets /volume of data or the big data. Big data mining is primarily done to extract and retrieve desired information or pattern from humongous quantity of data.

Real Reality

Real reality (RR) is a term used to refer to the real world, rather than the increasingly engaging and interactive one found online. Real reality is used to distinguish an experience or interaction from virtual reality or any other fictional, fantasy or lifelike experience. Philosophically speaking, what is is and isn't real is a matter of debate, especially when virtual reality and other digital experiences are becoming increasingly hard to distinguish from real-life experiences. The term real reality aims to preserve this distinction.

Hardware Engineer

A hardware engineer is a professional who works with hardware in various stages, from design to maintenance. The hardware engineer has to know how to work with things such as circuits, components and integrated circuits. His or her role is specific in today's highly virtualized computing world: The hardware engineer is responsible for the physical "guts" of an IT system, whatever that consists of: from servers to RAID or storage media, from PLCs to routing hardware - the hardware engineer worries about the physical electronics.

Ubiquitous Computing

Ubiquitous computing is a paradigm in which the processing of information is linked with each activity or object as encountered. It involves connecting electronic devices, including embedding microprocessors to communicate information. Devices that use ubiquitous computing have constant availability and are completely connected. Ubiquitous computing focuses on learning by removing the complexity of computing and increases efficiency while using computing for different daily activities. Ubiquitous computing is also known as pervasive computing, everyware and ambient intelligence.

Full Stack Developer

A full stack developer is a professional who can work with all of the components of a full stack, which is all of the technologies that are needed for full project life cycle work. The full stack developer is a big value to companies, because they can handle the entire pipeline and understands all of the technologies that make up the combined enterprise framework.

Server Virtualization

Server virtualization is a virtualization technique that involves partitioning a physical server into a number of small, virtual servers with the help of virtualization software. In server virtualization, each virtual server runs multiple operating system instances at the same time.

Black Box Attack

A black box attack is a specific type of criminal “hack” on ATMs that compels the ATM unit to disperse cash in an illegitimate way. Criminals use ATM black box attacks to drain cash out of ATM systems. A black box attack is also known as a black box ATM attack or an ATM black box attack.

Data Warehouse

Data aggregation is a type of data and information mining process where data is searched, gathered and presented in a report-based, summarized format to achieve specific business objectives or processes and/or conduct human analysis. Data aggregation may be performed manually or through specialized software.

Big Data Mining

Big data mining is referred to the collective data mining or extraction techniques that are performed on large sets /volume of data or the big data. It's primarily done to extract and retrieve desired information or pattern from humongous quantity of data.

Digital Fingerprinting

Digital fingerprinting is the identification of large data files or structures using truncated information. A fingerprinting algorithm is one that reduces a larger data set to a very small data set, sometimes called a bit string, to promote efficient identification and search protocols.

Text Analytics

Text analytics is a general practice of applying algorithms or programs to text in order to analyze that text. Text analytics are also known as text mining.

Query Analysis

Query analysis is a process used in databases which make use of SQL in order to determine how to further optimize queries for performance. Query analysis is an important aspect of query processing as it helps improve overall performance of query processing, which will speed up many database functions and aspects. To do this, a query optimizer analyzes a specific query statement and generates both remote and local access plans to be used on the query fragment, based on the resource cost of each plan. The database will then choose whichever plan it believes will process the query with the least cost in resources.

Extract Transform Load

Extract transform load (ETL) is the process of extraction, transformation and loading during database use, but particularly during data storage use. It includes the following sub-processes:

Retrieving data from external data storage or transmission sources
Transforming data into an understandable format, where data is typically stored together with an error detection and correction code to meet operational needs
Transmitting and loading data to the receiving end

Computer System

A computer system is a basic, complete and functional hardware and software setup with everything needed to implement computing performance. That’s the basic working definition of the computer system as we know it, but it has gone through a lot of formal changes over the past few decades.

Sandbox

A sandbox is a style of game in which minimal character limitations are placed on the gamer, allowing the gamer to roam and change a virtual world at will. In contrast to a progression-style game, a sandbox game emphasizes roaming and allows a gamer to select tasks. Instead of featuring segmented areas or numbered levels, a sandbox game usually occurs in a "world" to which the gamer has full access from start to finish. A sandbox game is also known as an open-world or free-roaming game.

Decoupled

Decoupled, or decoupling, is a state of an IT environment in which two or more systems somehow work or are connected without being directly connected. In a decoupled microservices architecture, for example, software services have none or very little knowledge about the other services. In theory, this means that a change can be made to one service without the developer having to worry about how the change will impact other services -- as long as the service's application programming interface (API) remains the same.

A decoupled architecture allows software development teams to build, execute, test and debug application modules independently. This approach also allows each module to be developed and maintained by a different team of software developers.

Term of the day - 3

Hot Data

Hot data is data that is frequently accessed and transferred within a given system. Hot data is always in demand and in transit, not stored for long periods of time, and archive requirements for dealing with hot data may be more than those for cold data that is likely to be collected and then sit in a static archive.

Cloud Capitalist

A cloud capitalist is a company that has a business model delivering a product or service that is based entirely in a virtual environment accessed through the internet, or is moving toward that model with its existing business. The products and services offered by cloud capitalists are a break from traditional models in that they are not meant to be downloaded or installed to a computer or wireless device. Instead, the user pays for access to the virtual environment where the product or service can be used. Alternatively, access to the virtual environment may be free, but the product or service is pay per use.

Death by Tweakage

Death by tweakage (DBT) is a slang term that refers to last-minute changes to a product that result in its becoming less functional than it would have otherwise been. Death by tweakage is most often used to refer to software that undergoes major changes or has features added just before the release date. Late-stage changes are usually driven by a desire to match the features and capabilities of similar software that has recently been released.

Rathole

A "rathole," as the term is most commonly used in computer and Internet slang, means an ongoing or recursive conversation, function or process that does not lead to a conclusion or resolution. This can be used in programming, or it can be used in discussions about technology.

ELIZA Effect

The "ELIZA effect" is a term used to discuss progressive artificial intelligence. It is the idea that people may falsely attach meanings of symbols or words that they ascribe to artificial intelligence in technologies.

Spooling

Spooling is a process in which data is temporarily held to be used and executed by a device, program or the system. Data is sent to and stored in memory or other volatile storage until the program or computer requests it for execution. "Spool" is technically an acronym for simultaneous peripheral operations online.

Very Small Aperture Terminal

A very small aperture terminal (VSAT) is a small telecommunication earth station that receives and transmits real-time data via satellite. A VSAT transmits narrow and broadband signals to orbital satellites. The data from the satellites is then transmitted to different hubs in other locations around the globeT.

NsLookup

NsLookup is a tool included in many operating systems that can look up IP addresses and perform other searches on DNS domains and servers. This resource is housed in a utility called nslookup.exe. NsLookup is a basic way to get fundamental DNS information quickly and easily.

Data Encapsulation

Data encapsulation refers to sending data where the data is augmented with successive layers of control information before transmission across a network. The reverse of data encapsulation is decapsulation, which refers to the successive layers of data being removed (essentially unwrapped) at the receiving end of a network.

Swarm Intelligence

Swarm intelligence is the idea of coordinating massive numbers of individual technology entities to work together. It is a fundamental concept in IT that has been useful and interesting, as well as a bit threatening, throughout the development of modern technological progress.

JavaBeans

JavaBeans are reusable software components that can be manipulated visually. Practically, they are Java classes that follow certain conventions. Like Java, JavaBeans also follow the "write once run anywhere" paradigm. They are persistant, and have the ability to save, store and restore their state. They are also used to encapsulate many objects in a single bean. Thus, they can be passed around in a single bean object instead of multiple individual objects. JavaBean features such as properties, events and methods are managed by the builder tool. These properties can be customized at design time.

Apache Ant

Apache Ant is a Java-based, open-source software build tool developed by the Apache Software Foundation. It is similar to the "make" utility, but is mainly functional on the Java platform. Unlike make, Ant scripts are written in XML to describe the build process and its dependencies. Portability and simplicity of use are two of the main benefits of Ant.

Virtual Telecommunications Access Method

Virtual Telecommunications Access Method (VTAM) is an IBM application programming interface that allows application programs to communicate or exchange data with external devices such as mainframes, communications controllers, terminals, etc. VTAM helps to abstract these devices into logical units so that developers do not need to know the underlying details of the protocols used by these devices.

Artificial Intelligence Engineer

An artificial intelligence engineer is someone who works on artificial intelligence problems or technologies. These IT professionals are part of a group that is in high demand as artificial intelligence and machine learning take off in various parts of the IT industry.

Chrestomathy

Chrestomathy is a certain type of comparative resource for computer programming. It involves looking at different kinds of program syntax side by side, to understand the semantics and structure of each programming language.

Access Governance

Access governance is the idea of managing individual user access in ways that protect networks and systems. It's the application of specific policy to access paradigms, and a broad overarching framework for how access works in a given digital environment.

Humane Tech

Humane tech is a term that refers to the goal of achieving technologies that aid humans in key human goals instead of exploiting humans for profit. The struggle for humane tech can also be construed as a movement to ensure that technology is contributing to the common good instead of harming human citizens in various ways.

Baseband Unit

A baseband unit (BBU) is a device in telecom systems that transports a baseband frequency, usually from a remote radio unit, to which it may be tied through optical fiber. BBUs are useful in a wide range of telecom systems that route data to user endpoints, as well as for different types of enterprise architectures.

Quantum Advantage

The term "quantum advantage" is used to describe how a quantum computer may be able to outperform a classical computer. Quantum advantage serves as a kind of conceptual example of how much better quantum computers can be at various tasks and processes, and why quantum computing should be pursued as a frontier of IT.

Squeak

Squeak is a language that is part of the Smalltalk set of object-oriented tools. It's sometimes called a "dialect" of Smalltalk that helps with cross-platform implementations, such as in some forms of virtualization.

Synthetic Data

Synthetic data is a fundamental concept in new data technologies that makes use of non-authentic, invented or automatically generated data that are not event-generated in the real world. In contrasting real and synthetic data, it's possible to understand more about how machine learning and other new forms of artificial intelligence work.

Bitcoin Lightning Network

The Bitcoin Lightning Network is a cryptocurrency protocol that works with blockchain ledger technology. It was created by Joseph Poon and Thaddeus Dryjain in 2017 and is now used to help manage cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.

Dogecoin

Dogecoin is a dog-themed cryptocurrency pioneered in 2013, an alternative to more famous choices like bitcoin. Although the value of an individual Dogecoin is very small (often a portion of a cent) the massive number of Dogecoins in circulation correlates to a market capitalization of over $1 billion.

Self-Replicating Machine

Self-replicating machines are a category of autonomous robot that can make copies or reproduce themselves autonomously with the help of raw materials from the existing environment. The self-replicating machine is based on the concept of self-replication as found in the nature. Further development of the self-replicating machine concept is considered a critical part of many future plans, like the mining of asteroid belts and moons for minerals and ores.

Wearable Robot

A wearable robot is a specific type of wearable device that is used to enhance a person's motion and/or physical abilities. Wearable robots are also known as bionic robots or exoskeletons.

Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance plays an important role in industries that requires high availability (HA) for machine parts. PdM can be contrasted with reactive maintenance and preventive maintenance.

Reactive Maintenance – Run equipment until it breaks and then fix or replace it.

Preventive Maintenance – Replace parts and schedule equipment repairs on a time- or machine-run-based schedule.

Predictive Maintenance – Use intelligent sensors to monitor machine parts in operations and machine learning to determine when data has deviated from desired parameters.

Predictive maintenance software uses data produced by Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 edge nodes to monitor the condition of mechanical assets as they are operating. Consumer-grade predictive maintenance software apps will typically issue an alert when data suggests a replacement part or maintenance appointment is needed.

In contrast, some enterprise-level PdM software applications are able to connect to other business systems and actually order replacement parts and set up appointments so repairs can be made. Popular enterprise PdM vendors include Fxix, UpKeep and eMaint.

Term of the day - 4

Chinese Wall

Chinese wall is a reverse engineering and cloning technique that captures copyrighted and patented processes for reconstruction. Chinese wall implementation provides a buffer against intellectual property infringement allegations via the clean room environment model specification implies that developers do not have access to competing intellectual property. Chinese wall references the Great Wall of China, erected to protect against invasion. Many legal ethics experts condemn the Chinese wall term as linguistic discrimination. Chinese Wall is also known as clean room design.

Memex

Memex is a conceptual data storage and retrieval system outlined by Vannevar Bush. Memex was intended to help people enhance their lives by providing access to the massive amount of knowledge already recorded. Bush realized that there was no easy way to navigate through this information and find all the documents or passages specific to one's reasons for searching. Memex was his solution to this problem. Memex is an important stepping stone in the creation of the Internet because it served as an inspiration to Ted Nelson, Douglas Engelbart and many of the others who contributed to the hypertext used on the World Wide Web today.

Critical Security Parameter

A critical security parameter (CSP) is data using a cryptography module to process encryption functions. Data includes passwords, security codes, cryptographic keys, personal identification numbers (PIN) and any other unprotected security information. Established information security rules protect CSPs, which are only accessible from authorized computer systems. CSPs obtained by unauthorized users pose security threats.

Dotsam

Dotsam is a slang term that refers to all the neglected areas of the Web that are still live despite not being maintained. Dotsam includes abandoned email accounts, and forgotten blogs, websites and social media profiles. The term dotsam is a combination of "dotcom" and "flotsam."It is also referred to as netsam.

Dogfooding

The term "dogfooding" is an IT slang for the use of one's own products. In some uses, it implies that developers or companies are using their own products to work out bugs, as in beta testing. One benefit of dogfooding is that it shows that a company is confident about its products.

Internet Society

The Internet Society (ISOC) is an international nonprofit organization that handles Internet standards, education and policy development. Founded in 1992, ISOC's mission is to ensure open Internet development by enhancing and supporting Internet use for organizations and individuals worldwide.

Dual Inline Memory Module

A dual inline memory module (DIMM) is a small-scale circuit board that holds memory chips on the motherboard. DIMM incorporates a series of memory called dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which provides primary storage, the main memory that continually reads and executes stored instructions or data directly to the CPU. DIMM is an attempt to improve on the earlier single inline memory module (SIMM), which used matched pairs. DIMM uses only one circuit board, thus increasing memory speed and storage. DIMM also has a much smaller circuit board and easier insertion compared to SIMM.

Phubbing

Phubbing is a term created by the combination of the words phone and snubbing. It refers to a person interactiing with their phone (or other device) rather than interacting with a human being. The use of this, and other terms around mobile device use, showcases a growing issue with different kinds of technology, including the delicate balance of sharing time and attention when facing two very different interactions at the same time.

IP Datacasting

IP datacasting is a broadcast technology that helps in transmitting digital multimedia and services like games, files and computer applications to mass audiences. Considered a cost-effective and efficient technology for distribution, the technology takes full advantage of broadcast media's distribution capabilities with simultaneous receipt of content, which is made possible through a large coverage area.

Cloud Orchestration

Cloud orchestration describes the arrangement of cloud automation processes to serve particular goals. Where cloud automation typically handles a single task, cloud orchestration helps to automate collections of tasks and generally streamline business processes.

Backpropagation

Backpropagation is a technique used to train certain classes of neural networks – it is essentially a principal that allows the machine learning program to adjust itself according to looking at its past function. Backpropagation is sometimes called the “backpropagation of errors.”

Sparse Autoencoder

A sparse autoencoder is one of a range of types of autoencoder artificial neural networks that work on the principle of unsupervised machine learning. Autoencoders are a type of deep network that can be used for dimensionality reduction – and to reconstruct a model through backpropagation.

Java Swing

Java Swing is a lightweight Java graphical user interface (GUI) widget toolkit that includes a rich set of widgets. It is part of the Java Foundation Classes (JFC) and includes several packages for developing rich desktop applications in Java. Swing includes built-in controls such as trees, image buttons, tabbed panes, sliders, toolbars, color choosers, tables, and text areas to display HTTP or rich text format (RTF). Swing components are written entirely in Java and thus are platform-independent.

Denoising Autoencoder

A denoising autoencoder is a specific type of autoencoder, which is generally classed as a type of deep neural network. The denoising autoencoder gets trained to use a hidden layer to reconstruct a particular model based on its inputs.

Boosting

The process of boosting involves improving the power of a machine learning program by adding more complex or capable algorithms. This process can reduce both bias and variance in machine learning, which helps to create more effective results.

Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment

A modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment (Moodle) is an open-source software that provides the ability to create, deploy and manage e-learning websites and applications. Modular object-oriented dynamic learning environments are a type of learning management system (LMS) or online learning system (OLS). They were initially developed by an educator and are now maintained by Moodle Community and Moodle HQ.

Markov Decision Process

A Markov decision process (MDP) is something that professionals refer to as a "discrete time stochastic control process." It's based on mathematics pioneered by Russian academic Andrey Markov in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Business Intelligence Architecture

Business intelligence architecture can be defined as a framework that provides standards, best practices and policies that help in analyzing business data. Business intelligence architecture provides a set of computer-based techniques that can be used to create business intelligence systems for business intelligence data reporting and analysis.

Xavier Initialization

Xavier initialization is an attempt to improve the initialization of neural network weighted inputs, in order to avoid some traditional problems in machine learning. Here, the weights of the network are selected for certain intermediate values that have a benefit in machine learning application.

Columnar Database

A columnar database is a database management system (DBMS) that stores data in columns rather than in rows as relational DBMSs do. The main differences between a columnar database and a traditional row-oriented database are centered around performance, storage necessities and schema modifying techniques. The goal of this type of database is to effectively read and write data to and from the secondary storage in order to be able to speed up the processing time in returning a query. A columnar database may also be known as a column-oriented database.

The Singularity

The Singularity refers to the emergence of super-intelligent machines with capabilities that cannot be predicted by humans. This theoretical idea sounds like science fiction, but the increasing speed of computing power has led many experts to believe that it will eventually transform human life to something that would not be recognizable today. According to science fiction writer Vernor Vinge, who popularized the term, the Singularity could occur as a result of artificial intelligence (AI), human biological enhancement or brain-computer interfaces. The Singularity is also known as: "The Technological Singularity."

Software Engineering

Software engineering is the process of analyzing user needs and designing, constructing, and testing end-user applications that will satisfy these needs through the use of software programming languages. It is the application of engineering principles to software development. In contrast to simple programming, software engineering is used for larger and more complex software systems, which are used as critical systems for businesses and organizations.

Soft Robotics
Soft robotics is the subset of robotics that focuses on technologies that more closely resemble the physical characteristics of living organisms. Experts describe the soft robotics approach as a form of biomimicry in which the traditionally linear and somewhat stilted aspects of robotics are replaced by much more sophisticated models that imitate human, animal and plant life.

Term of the day - 5

vCloud Air

VCloud Air is a public cloud platform from the well-known VMware vendor that has become such a big name in network virtualization. VMware offers infrastructure as a service (IaaS) options through vCloud Air, along with various types of workload handling and significant security design.

Power Over Ethernet

Power over Ethernet (PoE) describes a design where electrical power is passed along twisted-pair Ethernet cables. This type of electrical engineering is great for convenience and practicality for a wide variety of small electrical appliances. Power over Ethernet can involve standardized or ad hoc systems.

Star Topology

Star topology is a network topology where each individual piece of a network is attached to a central node (often called a hub or switch). The attachment of these network pieces to the central component is visually represented in a form similar to a star. Star topology is also known as a star network.

Android Debug Bridge

The Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a client-server program used in Android application development. The Android Debug-Bridge is part of the Android SDK and is made up of three components: a client, a daemon, and a server. It is used to manage either an emulator instance or an actual Android device.

Spatial Data

Spatial data refers to all types of data objects or elements that are present in a geographical space or horizon. It enables the global finding and locating of individuals or devices anywhere in the world. Spatial data is also known as geospatial data, spatial information or geographic information.

Firesheep

Firesheep is a Mozilla Firefox extension that uses packet sniffing to hijack unsecured Wi-Fi network sessions and capture unencrypted website cookies during network data transmission. Firesheep was created by software developer Eric Butler and released in 2010 to prove the security risks associated with a number of popular websites, including Facebook and Twitter. The software served to highlight a major Web browsing security flaw that could expose users to malicious hackers. Of course, its capabilities were also useful to hackers, leading to some public concern about the software.

Supernet

A supernet is created by combining several Internet Protocol (IP) networks or subnets into one network with a single classless interdomain routing (CIDR) prefix. The new combined network has the same routing prefix as the collection of the prefixes of the subnets. The procedure used to create a supernet is commonly called supernetting, route aggregation or route summarization. Supernetting enables organizations to modify their network size and minimize the extensive requirement of network routing devices by combining several independent routes. It also helps to conserve address space and helps the router to effectively store routing information and minimize processing overheads while matching the routes. Supernetting supports the CIDR address coding scheme, allowing routing table entries to be reduced.

Concatenation

Concatenation, in the context of programming, is the operation of joining two strings together. The term"concatenation" literally means to merge two things together. Also known as string concatenation.

Random Walk

The random walk is a somewhat popular mathematical construct that is used in computer science, and now in machine learning. It is described as a "stochastic" process because it works through the application of random variables. The random walk essentially tracks incremental steps by a particular modeled intelligence or digital "rational actor."

Data Cholesterol

Data cholesterol is a slang term that refers to the slowing effect that huge amounts of improperly managed information can have on an organization's IT infrastructure. Large amounts of data can slow applications, make it difficult to find relevant information and generally impede an organization. Data cholesterol has many causes, including increased regulatory requirements that require more information to be stored for longer amounts of time, and a general increase in data gathering and analytical techniques.

Neuromorphic Computing

Neuromorphic computing utilizes an engineering approach or method based on the activity of the biological brain. This type of approach can make technologies more versatile and adaptable, and promote more vibrant results than other types of traditional architectures, for instance, the von Neumann architecture that is so useful in traditional hardware design. Neuromorphic computing is also known as neuromorphic engineering.

Deep Residual Network

A deep residual network (deep ResNet) is a type of specialized neural network that helps to handle more sophisticated deep learning tasks and models. It has received quite a bit of attention at recent IT conventions, and is being considered for helping with the training of deep networks.

Clickwrap Agreement

A clickwrap agreement is a type of contract that is widely used with software licenses and online transactions in which a user must agree to terms and conditions prior to using the product or service.

The format and content of clickwrap agreements vary by vendor. However, most of clickwrap agreements require the consent of end users by clicking an "OK," "I Accept" or "I Agree" button on a pop-up window or a dialog box. The user may reject the agreement by clicking the Cancel button or closing the window. Once rejected, the user us unable to use the service or product. A clickwrap agreement is also known as a clickwrap license or clickthrough agreement.

Input Layer

The input layer of a neural network is composed of artificial input neurons, and brings the initial data into the system for further processing by subsequent layers of artificial neurons. The input layer is the very beginning of the workflow for the artificial neural network.

Propeller Head

Propeller head is an urban slang term for someone who is exceptionally knowledgeable, especially in a technical field. This slang has become synonymous with computer geek or techno-geek. Propeller head was first used in 1982, and is still used in technology development companies and organizations. The term was taken from cartoon characters of techie fans who happen to wear a child's beanie cap with a propeller sticking out at the top of it. A propelller head may also be called a prophead.

X-Y-Z Matrix

An X-Y-Z matrix is a three-dimensional structure whereby the x-axis and y-axis denote the first two dimensions and the z-axis is the third dimension. In a graphic image, the x denotes width, y denotes height and the z represents depth. An X-Y-Z matrix is also known as a 3-D matrix.

Extreme Learning Machine

The extreme learning machine (ELM) is a particular kind of machine learning setup in which a single layer or multiple layers apply. The ELM includes numbers of hidden neurons where the input weights are assigned randomly. Extreme learning machines use the concept of random projection and early perceptron models to do specific kinds of problem-solving.

Baud

Baud (Bd) is a data transmission unit that shows how many signaling elements or symbol changes (electronic state change) are sent per second in a line code or a digitally modulated signal. It is not the measure of data transfer speed, but the measure of modulation. This should not be confused with the actual gross data transfer rate, which is expressed in bits per second. Although the two are related, they are not equal.

Logistic Regression

Logistic regression is a kind of statistical analysis that is used to predict the outcome of a dependent variable based on prior observations. For example, an algorithm could determine the winner of a presidential election based on past election results and economic data. Logistic regression algorithms are popular in machine learning.

Quantum Volume

Quantum volume is a term coined by tech leader IBM in pursuing measurements for how powerful a quantum computer is. Quantum volume can help to determine the uses and applications of quantum computing systems in modern industries.

Data Protection Directive

The Data Protection Directive is a European law that regulates the use of personal data. As a legal standard and guideline, the Data Protection Directive sets various limits on the ways that personal data can be used by third parties.

Elliptic Curve Cryptography

Elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) is a modern type of public-key cryptography wherein the encryption key is made public, whereas the decryption key is kept private. This particular strategy uses the nature of elliptic curves to provide security for all manner of encrypted products.

Phlashing

Phlashing is a type of computer attack that affects the firmware of embedded system, computers and networking devices. It is designed to affect firmware and software of computing devices that have embedded firmware operating system and applications. The attack is deemed so severe that usually replacing system or hardware is the only option to recover from it.

Functor

A functor is a type of class in C++ that acts like a function. Experts point out that a functor is created by overloading the operator and passing one argument the way that one would to a conventional function, albeit with different results.

Fabless

The idea of "fabless" manufacturing in IT involves manufacturing hardware devices in locations without specific fabrication for core technologies like semiconductors. In these situations, manufacturers will outsource the design of these smaller pieces to other companies that may have a lower cost of labor or other accommodations.

Yak Shaving

Yak shaving is a programming term that refers to a series of tasks that need to be performed before a project can progress to its next milestone. This term is believed to have been coined by Carlin Vieri and was inspired by an episode of "The Ren & Stimpy Show." The term's name alludes to the seeming uselessness of the tasks being performed, even though they may be necessary to solve a larger problem. The process of complicating a simple activity also may be considered yak shaving.

Decentralized Autonomous Organization

A decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) is an entity in a digital system facilitated by smart contracts. Smart contracts involve digital tools and protocols that help support specific transactions or other contract elements. The decentralized autonomous organization works with popular cryptocurrency and digital ledger operations that many world governments and businesses are moving toward for more transparency and for evolving anti-corruption innovations.

Room-Scale VR

In virtual reality, room-scale VR is the idea of connecting a physical room or space to a virtual reality world. It is part of the emerging virtual reality industry, and it is a component of how VR is innovating to provide more compelling virtual reality experiences for users.

Quantifier

In logic, a quantifier is a language element that helps in generation of a quantification, which is a construct that mentions the number of specimens in the given domain of discourse satisfying a given open formula. Quantifiers are largely used in logic, natural languages and discrete mathematics.

Database Management System

A database management system (DBMS) is a software package designed to define, manipulate, retrieve and manage data in a database. A DBMS generally manipulates the data itself, the data format, field names, record structure and file structure. It also defines rules to validate and manipulate this data. Database management systems are set up on specific data handling concepts, as the practice of administrating a database evolves. The earliest databases only handled individual single pieces of specially formatted data. Today’s more evolved systems can handle different kinds of less formatted data and tie them together in more elaborate ways.

Cloud Backup

Cloud backup is a type of service through which cloud computing resources and infrastructure are used to create, edit, manage and restore data, services or application backup. This is done remotely over the internet. Cloud backup may also be called online backup or remote backup.

Data Preprocessing

Data preprocessing involves transforming raw data to well-formed data sets so that data mining analytics can be applied. Raw data is often incomplete and has inconsistent formatting. The adequacy or inadequacy of data preparation has a direct correlation with the success of any project that involve data analyics.

Preprocessing involves both data validation and data imputation. The goal of data validation is to assess whether the data in question is both complete and accurate. The goal of data imputation is to correct errors and input missing values -- either manually or automatically through business process automation (BPA) programming.

Data preprocessing is used in both database-driven and rules-based applications. In machine learning (ML) processes, data preprocessing is critical for ensuring large datasets are formatted in such a way that the data they contain can be interpreted and parsed by learning algorithms.

Term of the day - 6

Business Process Modeling

Business process modeling (BPM) refers to the creation of a model of a business process in order to better understand that process. Business process modeling relies on conventions like Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) or Unified Modeling Language (UML) to set up models or simulations of a business process for evaluation and possible alteration.

DLL Hell

DLL hell is a common term for various problems associated with the use of dynamic link libraries (DLLs) or DLL files. A DLL file is a resource within the Windows operating system that contains code and data related to the functionality of one or more applications. These files, which may have the file extension .dll or other file extensions, have been a major building block for the Windows operating system and Windows programs since the early MS-DOS versions of Microsoft's computer technology. Successive versions of Windows have illustrated certain problems with the use of DLL files for many different programs.

Thick App

A thick app is an application that receives most of its functionality from the client side, rather than relying to a large extent on an auxiliary server. This is in contrast to thin applications that rely heavily on external servers. The terminology "thick app" comes from the terms "thick client" and "thin client" which are used to describe different types of server/client setups.

Pretexting

Pretexting is a social engineering technique in which a fictional situation is created for the purpose of obtaining personal and sensitive information from an unsuspecting individual. It usually involves researching a target and making use of his/her data for impersonation or manipulation. Personal data may include Social Security numbers (SSN), usernames, passwords or other privileged information.

Kernel

A kernel is the core component of an operating system. Using interprocess communication and system calls, it acts as a bridge between applications and the data processing performed at the hardware level. When an operating system is loaded into memory, the kernel loads first and remains in memory until the operating system is shut down again. The kernel is responsible for low-level tasks such as disk management, task management and memory management.

Monolithic Kernel

A monolithic kernel is an operating system software framework that holds all privileges to access input/output (I/O) devices, memory, hardware interrupts and the CPU stack. Monolithic kernels tend to be larger than other kernels because they deal with so many aspects of computer processing at the lowest level, and therefore have to incorporate code that interfaces with many devices, I/O and interrupt channels, and other hardware operators. This form of kernel is the basis for Linux, Unix, MS-DOS and Mac OS. Newer operating systems typically use a hybrid kernel to allow for easier maintenance and operating system improvements.

Browser Modifier

A browser modifier is a type of malware created for the sole purpose of hijacking and modifying a Web browser's settings. Browser modifiers are installed when users inadvertently click pop-up messages without reading the content that explains how to cancel the pop-up. This term is also known as a browser hijacker, although the latter may refer to malware with more malicious, rather than mischievous, intentions.

Particle Swarm Optimization

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a population-based stochastic method that helps with optimization problems. It is modeled after natural processes, such as the flocking of birds or the movement of schools of fish.

Cryptography

Cryptography involves creating written or generated codes that allow information to be kept secret. Cryptography converts data into a format that is unreadable for an unauthorized user, allowing it to be transmitted without unauthorized entities decoding it back into a readable format, thus compromising the data.

Information security uses cryptography on several levels. The information cannot be read without a key to decrypt it. The information maintains its integrity during transit and while being stored. Cryptography also aids in nonrepudiation. This means that the sender and the delivery of a message can be verified. Cryptography is also known as cryptology.

Public Key Cryptography

Public key cryptography (PKC) is an encryption technique that uses a paired public and private key (or asymmetric key) algorithm for secure data communication. A message sender uses a recipient's public key to encrypt a message. To decrypt the sender's message, only the recipient's private key may be used. The two types of PKC algorithms are RSA, which is an acronym related to this algorithm's inventors: Rivest, Shamir and Adelman and Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA). PKC encryption evolved to meet the growing secure communication demands of multiple sectors and industries, such as the military. PKC is also known as public key encyrption, asymmetric encryption, asymmetric cryptography, asymmetric cipher and asymmetric key encryption.

Conficker

Conficker is a worm that infects computers running the Windows operating system by using known flaws in Windows. Conficker uses dictionary attacks on administrator passwords to hijack machines and link them to a virtual machine that is remotely controlled by its creator.

Delta Rule

The Delta rule in machine learning and neural network environments is a specific type of backpropagation that helps to refine connectionist ML/AI networks, making connections between inputs and outputs with layers of artificial neurons. The Delta rule is also known as the Delta learning rule.

Gated Recurrent Unit

A gated recurrent unit (GRU) is part of a specific model of recurrent neural network that intends to use connections through a sequence of nodes to perform machine learning tasks associated with memory and clustering, for instance, in speech recognition. Gated recurrent units help to adjust neural network input weights to solve the vanishing gradient problem that is a common issue with recurrent neural networks.

Browser Isolation

Browser isolation is a cutting-edge idea in cybersecurity that consists of maintaining browser operations away from a bare-metal environment or intermediate server hardware system, in order to provide barriers against malware, viruses and other threats. With browser isolation, the user's browser session is abstracted away from direct internet access – that allows all sorts of harmful activity to be trapped at an exterior level, and never penetrate the inside of a local area network or other network atmosphere.

Integrated Analytics Platform

An integrated analytics platform is an integrated solution that brings together performance management, analytics and business intelligence tools in a single package. It provides an end-to-end solution for delivering business intelligence from multiple fronts and gives the user a clear visual representation of data as well as providing services such as revenue calculation, forecasting and developing marketing strategy models and algorithms all on the same system, allowing for interoperability.

Backup Bit

A backup bit is a single unit of binary data that shows a value of either one or zero. Some processes use the backup bit to determine whether a file has been backed up or modified. A backup bit is also known as an archive bit.

Blind Drop

A blind drop is a hidden location where a malware program, Trojan or virus drops information gathered from a host. The automatically gathered data remains in that location until it is retrieved by the attacker. The data could be credit card or bank account details, usernames and passwords or any personal information the attacker may use to hack into the host's accounts. It is very hard to detect where data is coming from or where it is going, even if the location is discovered.

Extensible Markup Language

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a universal format, maintained by the W3C, used for representation and transfer of structured data on the web or between different applications. The language uses a structured representation by allowing users to create custom defined tags according to XML Document Type Definition (DTD) standards. The structure of an XML document can be represented in the form of a tree known as a Document Object Model (DOM).

Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA)

A vendor neutral archive (VNA) keeps medical images in a standardized format within an interface, for the purposes of interoperability and free transfer. Although the vendor neutral archive is generally used in the health care industry, the same concept could be extended to any type of industry or use case where multiple stakeholders need a consistent, standardized way to share images.

Hybrid Encryption

Hybrid encryption is a mode of encryption that merges two or more encryption systems. It incorporates a combination of asymmetric and symmetric encryption to benefit from the strengths of each form of encryption. These strengths are respectively defined as speed and security. Hybrid encryption is considered a highly secure type of encryption as long as the public and private keys are fully secure.

Elegant Solution

An elegant solution is used in mathematics, engineering and software development to refer to a solution that solves the problem in the simplest and most effective manner. In many cases, it is possible for developers to created code that is more complicated than it needs to be. In such cases, this less-than-elegant code is more likely to cause other issues. For most developers, finding an elegant solution is a greater challenge than simply solving a problem.

Big Data Management

Big data management refers to the efficient handling, organization or use of large volumes of structured and unstructured data belonging to an organization.

Dynamic Hashing

Dynamic hashing is a database process in which the contents of data "buckets" (or other container systems) can grow or shrink in order to accommodate a hashing technique.

Big Data Platform

Big data platform is a type of IT solution that combines the features and capabilities of several big data application and utilities within a single solution. It is an enterprise class IT platform that enables organization in developing, deploying, operating and managing a big data infrastructure/environment.

Machine Vision System

A machine vision system (MVS) is a type of technology that enables a computing device to inspect, evaluate and identify still or moving images. It is a field in computer vision and is quite similar to surveillance cameras, but provides automatic image capturing, evaluation and processing capabilities.

Blockchain

Blockchain is a critical part of the bitcoin peer-to-peer payment system. The bitcoin system works using a blockchain ledger to record transactions. Bitcoin is a global cryptocurrency that can be used as a medium of exchange. However, while many parties have started to accept bitcoin as a currency, it is still controversial and poses risks in terms of security and stability.

Bitcoin Mining

Bitcoin mining is the process of creating, or rather discovering, bitcoin currency. Unlike real-world money that is printed when more is needed, bitcoin cannot simply be willed into existence, but has to be mined through mathematical processes. Bitcoin maintains a public ledger that contains past transactions, and mining is the process of adding new transactions to this ledger.

Smart Television (Smart TV)

Smart television (smart TV) is TV that provides interactive features similar to those involved in Internet or Web services. This includes the ability to search for video or interact with the television in other ways. This can be done through a set-top box or through internal technology in the television, such as an operating system that commands and controls these interactive features. Smart TV is also called connected TV or hybrid TV.

Degenerate Strategy

A degenerate strategy is a way of playing a video game that exploits an oversight in gameplay mechanics or design. Degenerate strategies apply to player-versus-player (PvP) as well as player versus environment (PvE) games. Degenerate strategies do not break the rules of a game like a code or a cheat, but they do prevent the game from being experienced in the manner intended by the game designer.

Dogecoin

Private Cloud Storage
Private cloud storage is a type of storage mechanism that stores an organization's data at in-house storage servers by implementing cloud computing and storage technology. Private cloud storage is similar to public cloud storage in that it provides the usability, scalability and flexibility of the storage architecture. But unlike public cloud storage, it is not publicly accessible and is owned by a single organization and its authorized external partners. Private cloud storage is also known as internal cloud storage.

Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)

Integration platform as a service (iPaaS) is a cloud service that allows software developers to automate how on-premises and cloud-based applications share data by providing a selection of pre-built connectors and business rules that make it easier to standardize integration flows.

An increasing number of iPaaS vendors are offering low-code/no-code (LCNC) versions of their services that allow non-technical line of business (LOB) employees to connect applications, synchronize data and automate processes without requiring help from their IT department.

This type of service has become a value-added part of comprehensive enterprise packages from various cloud computing vendors, including Boomi, SAP and TIBCO.

Boomi - has a drag and drop user interface and includes data mapping tools and a library of connectors that are capable of supporting multiple integration patterns.

SAP Integration Suite - allows customers to integrate on-premise and cloud apps with pre-built content and tools managed by SAP.

TIBCO - facilitates the creation, testing and deployment of custom APIs that can integrate cloud services and on-premises applications.

Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance plays an important role in industries that requires high availability (HA) for machine parts. PdM can be contrasted with reactive maintenance and preventive maintenance.

Reactive Maintenance – Run equipment until it breaks and then fix or replace it.

Preventive Maintenance – Replace parts and schedule equipment repairs on a time- or machine-run-based schedule.

Predictive Maintenance – Use intelligent sensors to monitor machine parts in operations and machine learning to determine when data has deviated from desired parameters.

Term of the day - 7

Algorithm Economy

The “algorithm economy” is a term for the evolution of microservices and the functionality of algorithms to drive sophisticated application designs. The term is based on the utility of the algorithm in machine learning, artificial intelligence and other processes where software evolves beyond the limits of its original programming through the use of smart algorithm design.

Application Management Outsourcing

Application management outsourcing (AMO) is the general management and support of an application by a third-party stakeholder. It is a particular type of application outsourcing that helps maintain standards for the use of an application in a given system.

Data Democratization

Data democratization is a principle that suggests data should be available to everyone in a given organization or system, not just key specialists or leaders. The principle of data democratization has allowed for various changes in enterprise IT, among them, the idea of self-service and service architectures that allow larger numbers of users to access data sets.

Service Assurance Platform

A service assurance platform helps to deliver a better quality of service across a network. Service assurance platforms typically focus on particular software services such as a popular business package related to various enterprise utilities. The service assurance platform helps to remove barriers to access and other key problems.

Bimodal IT

Bimodal IT is a type of strategy or setup where a single IT department is split up into two parts - one part addresses maintenance and support issues, while another part pursues innovation and expansion. Bimodal IT helps companies to keep up with these two very different responsibilities in a more direct way than by trying to delegate both within one IT department.

State Machine

A state machine is a concept used in designing computer programs or digital logic. There are two types of state machines: finite and infinite state machines. The former is comprised of a finite number of states, transitions, and actions that can be modeled with flow graphs, where the path of logic can be detected when conditions are met. The latter is not practically used.

A state machine is any device storing the status of something at a given time. The status changes based on inputs, providing the resulting output for the implemented changes. A finite state machine has finite internal memory. Input symbols are read in a sequence producing an output feature in the form of a user interface.

State machines are represented using state diagrams. The output of a state machine is a function of the input and the current state. State machines play a significant role in areas such as electrical engineering, linguistics, computer science, philosophy, biology, mathematics, and logic. They are best used in the modeling of application behavior, software engineering, design of hardware digital systems, network protocols, compilers, and the study of computation and languages.

Dogecoin

Dogecoin is a dog-themed cryptocurrency pioneered in 2013, an alternative to more famous choices like bitcoin. Although the value of an individual Dogecoin is very small (often a portion of a cent) the massive number of Dogecoins in circulation correlates to a market capitalization of over $1 billion.

Unix File System

The UNIX file system is the file system used by UNIX operating systems. The UNIX operating system is useful as an alternative to end-user systems like Microsoft Windows. UNIX was originally developed at Bell Labs in the 1970s, and became popular as a modular OS for the savvy "power user. The UNIX file system is also known as the Berkeley Fast File System or BSD Fast File System.

Defacement

Defacement is a form of vandalism in which a website is marked by hackers or crackers who are trying to make their mark. Usually, website defacement is used to mask a bigger crime being committed behind the scenes.

Deep Convolutional Inverse Graphics Network

The deep convolutional inverse graphics network (DC-IGN) is a particular type of convolutional neural network that is aimed at relating graphics representations to images. Experts explain that a deep convolutional inverse graphics network uses a “vision as inverse graphics” paradigm that uses elements like lighting, object location, texture and other aspects of image design for very sophisticated image processing.

Hebbian Theory

Hebbian theory is a theoretical type of cell activation model in artificial neural networks that assesses the concept of “synaptic plasticity” or dynamic strengthening or weakening of synapses over time according to input factors. Hebbian theory is also known as Hebbian learning, Hebb's rule or Hebb's postulate.

Weight

The idea of weight is a foundational concept in artificial neural networks. A set of weighted inputs allows each artificial neuron or node in the system to produce related outputs. Professionals dealing with machine learning and artificial intelligence projects where artificial neural networks for similar systems are used often talk about weight as a function of both biological and technological systems. Weight is also known as synaptic weight.

Corridor Warrior

A corridor warrior is a slang term for a professional who spends more time between locations than at a single workspace. Corridor warriors are often walking through hallways from one meeting to the next or driving to different locations to meet with clients. Corridor warriors are considered a prime market for business-oriented mobile computing devices and applications.

Big Data Visualization

Big data visualization refers to the implementation of more contemporary visualization techniques to illustrate the relationships within data. Visualization tactics include applications that can display real-time changes and more illustrative graphics, thus going beyond pie, bar and other charts. These illustrations veer away from the use of hundreds of rows, columns and attributes toward a more artistic visual representation of the data.

Network Intelligence

Network intelligence (NI) is the ability of a given network to examine data packets continuously in real time and to analyze those packets to determine any data relationships and communication patterns. Network intelligence uses concepts and processes from packet capture, deep packet inspection (DPI) and business intelligence (BI) in order to realize its goals.

Fileless Malware

Fileless malware is a type of malware the operates without the use of a traditional executable file. Instead, fileless malware uses exploits, macros or other means to generate an attack vector without an actual executable file being downloaded and installed by a user.

Behavior Driven Development

Behavior driven development (BDD) is a software development approach that relies on interactions between different layers of stakeholders, the output of such interactions and how these interactions lead to software development. BDD focuses and associates behavioral specifications with each unit of software under development.

Derived Data Type

A derived data type is a complex classification that identifies one or various data types and is made up of simpler data types called primitive data types. Derived data types have advanced properties and uses far beyond those of the basic primitive data types that operate as their essential building blocks.

Synchronous Replication

Synchronous replication is a process for simultaneous updates of multiple repositories often used with a storage area network or wireless network or other segmented system. In synchronous replication, the technology is writing data to two systems at once, rather than one at a time. Synchronous replication is often used for disaster recovery, or for specific business goals and objectives dependent on the availability of data.

Atomic Operation

Atomic operations in concurrent programming are program operations that run completely independently of any other processes. Atomic operations are used in many modern operating systems and parallel processing systems.

Exit Code

An exit code or exit status is a number that is returned by an executable to show whether it was successful. This is also sometimes called a return code, or in some cases, an error code, although the terminology here may be slightly different.

C++ Software Engineer

A C++ software engineer is an IT professional who has expert knowledge in C++ language, which is often used in conjunction with UNIX, Linux, Java and Ruby, among others. C++ software engineers are adept at developing, designing and evaluating computer programs that are high level and very technical in their design. C++ software engineers may also use SQL, Apache and Windows. In a business setting, this type of engineer may hold a program management type of position and assist with business requirement identifications as they relate to C++ software as well as head up product design specifications using object-oriented specifications. C++ software engineer may also provide technical support to staff, test their developments and designs, or work on a consultant basis.

Programmatic Advertising

Programmatic advertising automates the process of targeting ad buys. Real-time auctions create algorithm-driven purchases for sets of ads in different channels and locations. Programmatic advertising dramatically changes the ways that marketers select venues for digital ad placement.

Evil Maid Attack

The evil maid attack is a specific type of physical security vulnerability that may be part of a cybersecurity professional’s lexicon. The evil maid attack represents an example of how hackers with physical access to systems can beat various cybersecurity standards, including full encryption of what's on a device.

Predictive Modeling

Predictive modeling is a process through which a future outcome or behavior is predicted based on the past and current data at hand. It is a statistical analysis technique that enables the evaluation and calculation of the probability of certain results related to software, systems or an entire IT environment.

Cloud Database

A cloud database is a type of database service that is built, deployed and delivered through a cloud platform. It is primarily a cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS) delivery model that allows organizations, end users and their applications to store, manage and retrieve data from the cloud.

Zeta Architecture

The Zeta architecture is an enterprise architecture that offers a scalable way to integrate data for a business. Various components of the architecture, when properly deployed, help to reduce the complexity of systems and distribute data more efficiently.

Data Repository

Data repository is a somewhat general term used to refer to a destination designated for data storage. However, many IT experts use the term more specifically to refer to a particular kind of setup within an overall IT structure, such as a group of databases, where an enterprise or organization has chosen to keep various kinds of data. Some experts refer to a data repository as a partitioning of data, where partitioned data types are stored together. It is also commonly called data warehousing.

Data Scraping

Data scraping is commonly defined as a system where a technology extracts data from a particular codebase or program. Data scraping provides results for a variety of uses and automates aspects of data aggregation.

Data Architect

A data architect is an individual who is responsible for designing, creating, deploying and managing an organization's data architecture. Data architects define how the data will be stored, consumed, integrated and managed by different data entities and IT systems, as well as any applications using or processing that data in some way.

Cryptographic Hash Function

A cryptographic hash function is a type of security mechanism that produces a hash value, message digest or checksum value for a specific data object.

Fauxtography

Fauxtography refers to fraudulent photography, where photographs are manipulated through photoshop or manipulated by other means to change the information they convey. Fauxtography is often used to manipulated the viewer and promote a particular agenda. Fauxtography is also occassionally used to refer to low-quality or humorous photographs taken by amateur photographers who have started photography businesses or blogs despite their limited experience and skill. In this sense, fauxtography is an Internet meme.

Internet of Things Gateway (IoT Gateway)

An internet of things gateway (IoT gateway) is a device that lets legacy industrial devices report data using the internet, participating in the internet of things concept, as well as enabling technologies or systems with disparate protocols interact with one another. An internet of things gateway allows a device to report data using its sensors to a remote location. A number of companies are marketing hardware gateways.

Error Detection

In networking, error detection refers to the techniques used to detect noise or other impairments introduced into data while it is transmitted from source to destination. Error detection ensures reliable delivery of data across vulnerable networks. Error detection minimizes the probability of passing incorrect frames to the destination, known as undetected error probability.

Read-Only Memory

Read-only memory (ROM) is a type of storage medium that permanently stores data on personal computers (PCs) and other electronic devices. It contains the programming needed to start a PC, which is essential for boot-up; it performs major input/output tasks and holds programs or software instructions. This type of memory is often referred to as “firmware”—how it is altered has been a source of design consideration throughout the evolution of the modern computer.

IT Infrastructure

IT infrastructure refers to the composite hardware, software, network resources and services required for the existence, operation and management of an enterprise IT environment. IT infrastructure allows an organization to deliver IT solutions and services to its employees, partners and/or customers and is usually internal to an organization and deployed within owned facilities.

Initial Coin Offering (ICO)

An initial coin offering (ICO) in the world of cryptocurrency defines an event by which a community raises funds for a new cryptocurrency project. It is like the cryptocurrency version of an IPO without much of the regulation and process that accompanies similar efforts within the regulated financial world.

Natural Language Processing

Natural language processing (NLP) is a method to translate between computer and human languages. It is a method of getting a computer to understandably read a line of text without the computer being fed some sort of clue or calculation. In other words, NLP automates the translation process between computers and humans.

Air Gap

An air gap is a security measure in which computers, computer systems or networks are not connected in any way to any other devices or networks. This is used in instances requiring airtight security without the risk of compromise or disaster. It ensures total isolation of a given system — electromagnetically, electronically and, most importantly, physically — from other networks, especially those that are not secure. In other words, data can only be transferred by connecting a physical device to it, such as a flash drive, external hard disk or DVD.

The term “air gap” is a merely metaphoric description of the conceptual gap required by the physical separation between the computers. Air-gapped networks and computers are used when maximum security of that system or the data stored in it must be ensured. Air gaps protect systems from malware, keyloggers, ransomware or other unwanted accesses. Typical examples include life-critical power plant controls, military and aviation computers, government networks, financial computer systems or computerized medical equipment, among others.

A lot of traditional electronic equipment like thermostats and home appliances have always been air-gapped due to their inherent limits rather than for security reasons. However, with the widespread diffusion of wireless components and “smart” devices, these products are no longer air-gapped, as they are connected to the internet.

Technically, even a simple desktop PC that is not connected to the internet could be considered an air-gapped system. An air gap is also known as an air wall.

Term of the day - 8

Ray Casting

Ray casting is a rendering technique used in computer graphics and computational geometry. It is capable of creating a three-dimensional perspective in a two-dimensional map. Developed by scientists at the Mathematical Applications Group in the 1960s, it is considered one of the most basic graphics-rendering algorithms. Ray casting makes use of the same geometric algorithm as ray tracing.

SegWit2x

SegWit2x is a new policy proposal for the cryptocurrency bitcoin that is now under consideration in the bitcoin community. It builds on a prior protocol called Segregated Witness or SegWit. SegWit and SegWit2x can have some long-term ramifications for the use of bitcoin and related technologies in a financial process, as cryptocurrencies rival traditional national currencies.

RedBrowser Trojan

A RedBrowser Trojan is a type of Trojan horse that infects cell phones and mobile devices running Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME). It is a real Java program known as RedBrowser, which claims that it is a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) browser that allows users to view WAP page contents via free SMS messages. A RedBrowser Trojan actually sends Short Message Service (SMS) messages to premium-rate Russian numbers, which can result in financial loss for the user. RedBrowser also may exploit a user's personal information and other financial details. A RedBrowser Trojan is also known as RedBrowser and RedBrowser.a.

Socialbot

A socialbot is a type of bot that controls a social media account. Like all bots, a socialbot is automated software. The exact way a socialbot replicates depends on the social network, but unlike a regular bot, a socialbot spreads by convincing other users that the socialbot is a real person. A socialbot is also known as social networking bot, or social bot.

Do What I Mean

The phrase "do what I mean" or DWIM in IT references systems in which a technology should do what user intends, rather than what the user says. One way to think about DWIM systems is that they are similar to a spell checker for a word processor. Complex commands allow that technology to go in and change likely errors by understanding the common syntax of a user error.

Iris Flower Data Set

The Iris flower data set is a specific set of information compiled by Ronald Fisher, a biologist, in the 1930s. It describes particular biological characteristics of various types of Iris flowers, specifically, the length and width of both pedals and the sepals, which are part of the flower's reproductive system. The Iris flower data set is now widely used as a data set for testing purposes in computer science.

Sensor Fusion

Sensor fusion is the use of sensory data from multiple sources, combined into one comprehensive result. Using multiple sensors, planners can generate more robust data models or obtain greater numbers of data points for the purposes of a given system.

Microkernel

A microkernel is a piece of software or even code that contains the near-minimum amount of functions and features required to implement an operating system. It provides the minimal number of mechanisms, just enough to run the most basic functions of a system, in order to maximize the implementation flexibility so it allows for other parts of the OS to be implemented efficiently since it does not impose a lot of policies.

Cryptanalysis

Cryptanalysis is the decryption and analysis of codes, ciphers or encrypted text. Cryptanalysis uses mathematical formulas to search for algorithm vulnerabilities and break into cryptography or information security systems.

Gray Code

Gray code evaluates the nature of binary code or data that is composed of on and off indicators, commonly represented by ones and zeros. Developed by Bell Labs scientists, gray code has been used to look at clarity and error correction in binary communications. Gray code is also known as reflected binary code.

AIOps

AIOps is a methodology that is on the frontier of enterprise IT operations. AIOps automates various aspects of IT and utilizes the power of artificial intelligence to create self-learning programs that help revolutionize IT services.

Social Media Hermit

A social media hermit is an individual who avoids any form of online sharing. With the increasing societal pressures to be searchable on social media platforms, the number of social media hermits is constantly declining. One of the headwinds facing social media hermits is the trend for recruiters and human resource professionals to rely on online networks such as LinkedIn to send out new postings, as well as the new emphasis on social media experience in many professional jobs.

Business Intelligence 2.0

Business intelligence 2.0 (BI 2.0) refers to business tools and technologies that provide new and unique features and capabilities. BI 2.0 differs from traditional data querying methods of business intelligence in that it incorporates service-oriented architecture and Web 2.0, thus bringing a more Web- and browser-based approach to information gathering. Business intelligence focuses more on the context of data streams and on the insight rather than just information.

ABAP Objects

ABAP Objects are the object-oriented extension introduced in 1999 to the original ABAP (Advanced Business Application programming) language and ABAP Workbench from R/3 release 4.6 and on. This fully integrated extension endows ABAP with object-oriented features for the design and implementation of object-oriented programs. Programs in ABAP may or may not contain ABAP Objects, at the programmer’s discretion.

IT Risk Management

IT risk management is a component of a larger enterprise risk management system. This encompasses not only the risks and negative effects of service and operations that can degrade organizational value, but it also takes the potential benefits of risky ventures into account.

Dark Web

The dark Web is comprised of websites that are visible to the public, but their IP address details are intentionally hidden. These websites can be visited by anyone on Internet, but it is not easy to find the server details on which the corresponding site is running, and it is difficult to track the one hosting the site. The dark Web concept is achievable with the help of anonymity tools. Some popular tools are Tor and I2P. The dark Web is popular for both black market and user protection, so it has both positive and negative aspects.

Self-Supervised Learning (SSL)

Self-supervised learning (SSL) is an approach to machine learning allows machine learning algorithms to use observed inputs to predict unknown inputs. An important goal for self-supervised learning is to programmatically change unsupervised learning models into supervised learning models by developing pre-training deep learning systems that can learn to fill in missing information.

BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) and Q Learning are perhaps two of the most well-known applications of self-supervised learning in AI. During the pre-training phase, each system is shown a short example of text in which some of the words are missing. The systems are then trained how to extract supervisory signals from the input data in order to predict the missing words accurately. SSL and has played an important role in the development of natural language processing (NLP). It is one of several approaches being studied to reduce the need for massive amounts of data to train AI learning algorithms.

Term of the day-9

Recurrent Neural Network

A recurrent neural network (RNN) is a type of advanced artificial neural network (ANN) that involves directed cycles in memory. One aspect of recurrent neural networks is the ability to build on earlier types of networks with fixed-size input vectors and output vectors.

Fauxtography

Fauxtography refers to fraudulent photography, where photographs are manipulated through photoshop or manipulated by other means to change the information they convey. Fauxtography is often used to manipulated the viewer and promote a particular agenda.

Fauxtography is also occassionally used to refer to low-quality or humorous photographs taken by amateur photographers who have started photography businesses or blogs despite their limited experience and skill. In this sense, fauxtography is an Internet meme. "Faux" is the French word for "fake."

Superintelligence

A superintelligence is an intelligence system that rapidly increases its intelligence in a short time, specifically, to surpass the cognitive capability of the average human being. Superintelligence has been used in science fiction, and in discussions around artificial intelligence, to understand some of the ramifications of a quickly evolving intelligence model in IT.

NetWeaver

NetWeaver is an application builder designed to integrate multiple business processes and databases. NetWeaver was created by SAP AG and it enables the integration of information and processes from many geographical locations.

Cognitive Architecture

Cognitive architecture is a hypothesis inspired by the human mind in which systems work together along with the necessary resources to attain intelligent behavior in any complex environment. Cognitive architecture's aim is the development of artificial agents that support the same capabilities as that of the human mind. In other words, it focuses on the tight integration between cognitive science and artificial intelligence.

Memory Overcommit

Memory overcommit is a process in which a virtual machine (VM) is assigned more memory than a host machine's available and committed physical memory. It is used in virtualization environments to allocate memory capacity to VMs with higher requirements.

Theoretical Computer Science

Theoretical computer science is a term generally used to refer to parts of the computer science world that are less "hands-on" or demonstrable and more theoretical in nature. IT professionals who discuss theoretical computer science are often talking about some of the more mathematical and esoteric ideas about computing, and some of the more theoretical applications of technologies like algorithms, data structures and cryptography.

Zope

Z Object Publishing Environment (Zope) is an open source Web Server built using Python. It encompasses a transactional database that stores content, HTML templates, scripts and features a search engine along with a RDBMS. Zope simplifies the creation of dynamic Web apps and offers application-based support such as membership, news and search. Zope is built completely using open standards such as XML-RPC, DOM and WebDAV.

Session Initiation Protocol Trunking

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking is a specific method involved in Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) or similar systems. VoIP is a method associated with the Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems used in modern businesses to provide unified communications to enterprise and drive Internet telephony solutions.

Hard Fork

A hard fork in the world of bitcoin and cryptocurrency is a phenomenon in which a change forces certain divergences in the blockchain, as a result of miner or user activity or a change in rules. In the world of cryptocurrency, there are hard forks and soft forks; unlike a soft fork, a hard fork does not resolve automatically according to user trends.

Groovy
Groovy is a programming language with more compact syntax than Java and designed for dynamically compiled runtime data execution on Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Groovy uses all Java classes and libraries and builds nicely on Java’s strengths, which allows for more efficient coding. Groovy's features are similar to Python, Ruby and Smalltalk and include support for static and dynamic typing, closures, operator.

Cloud Security Control

Cloud security control is a set of controls that enables cloud architecture to provide protection against any vulnerability and mitigate or reduce the effect of a malicious attack. It is a broad term that consists of the all measures, practices and guidelines that must be implemented to protect a cloud computing environment.

Db2 (DB/2)

Db2 is a line of data management products from IBM. It includes a well-known relational database management system (RDMS) that IBM introduced in 1983 to run on its MVS (Multiple Virtual Storage) mainframe platform. The name DB/2 originally referred to IBM's shift from a hierarchical database model to the relational database model. IBM rebranded the line of database products Db2 in 2017.

Although DB2 was initially designed to work exclusively on IBM mainframe platforms, it was later ported to other widely used operating systems, including UNIX, Windows and Linux and now supports non-relational structures such as JSON and XML. Today, Db2 plays an integral part of IBM’s information management portfolio both locally and in the cloud, making it possible for organizations of varying sizes to handle large quantities of data and serve large number of users concurrently.

Term of the day - 10

Artificial Intelligence Robot

Artificial Intelligence Robot or AIBO is a name for a Sony product developed as a robotic pet. Multiple instances of this product line are available in the United States, although they come with price tags of up to several thousand dollars. The AIBO uses an Open-R modular platform to create a life-like interface including voice recognition, machine learning and the ability to respond to stimulus.

Martech

The term "martech"is a portmanteau combining the terms "marketing" and "technology." As such, martech represents the intersection of marketing and technology in today's highly digital business world. Any type of technology that has a bearing on marketing operations can be called "martech" whether it is a part of an analysis platform, a device-facing benchmark tool, or any other type of digital or high-tech resource.

iJack

iJack refers to personal electronic information or identity theft. Victims who have been iJacked can experience many devastating effects, but iJacking has become increasingly difficult to prosecute due to lack of electronic trail evidence when pursing cyber criminals.

Blob Storage

Blob storage is a feature in Microsoft Azure that lets developers store unstructured data in Microsoft's cloud platform. This data can be accessed from anywhere in the world and can include audio, video and text. Blobs are grouped into "containers" that are tied to user accounts. Blobs can be manipulated with .NET code.

Computational Neuroscience

Computational neuroscience is the science of studying brain function with computer science modeling, and looking at all of the activity of the human brain through the lens of computer science. Scientists engaged in computational neuroscience might build models to understand how neurons, axons and dendrites work. The field of computational neuroscience blends aspects of computer science and electrical engineering with traditional studies of biology.Computational neuroscience is also known as theoretical neuroscience.

Node

A node is a point of intersection/connection within a network. In an environment where all devices are accessible through the network, these devices are all considered nodes. The concept of nodes works on several levels, but the big-picture view defines nodes as the major centers through which Internet traffic is typically routed. This usage is somewhat confusing, as these same Internet nodes are also referred to as Internet hubs.

Nearable

A nearable is a device belonging to an emerging class of technology: small pieces of hardware that can track nearby smartphone device behavior or other similar types of user events, or the proximity of devices. A nearable is also known as a nearable device.

Voodoo Programming

Voodoo programming refers to the practice of coding according to superstition, guesses, or anything other than logic. Voodoo programming is a rather broad term for situations where a programmer uses a piece of code without truly understanding how it works. This programming technique may also be called wizardry, sorcery or black magic, and its practitioners may be referred to as witch doctors.

Physical Neural Network

A physical neural network is a type of neural network in which the activity of individual artificial neurons is modeled, not by a software program, but by actual physical materials. These systems are based much more concretely on the biophysical processes of the human brain, and are a very specific and sophisticated type of neural network that is not extremely common in the tech world.

Deep Q-Networks

Deep Q Networks (DQN) are neural networks (and/or related tools) that utilize deep Q learning in order to provide models such as the simulation of intelligent video game play. Rather than being a specific name for a specific neural network build, Deep Q Networks may be composed of convolutional neural networks and other structures that use specific methods to learn about various processes.

Q-learning

Q-learning is a term for an algorithm structure representing model-free reinforcement learning. By evaluating policy and using stochastic modeling, Q-learning finds the best path forward in a Markov decision process.

Neuroimaging

Neuroimaging is defined as the use of "techniques to either directly or indirectly image the structure, function or pharmacology of the nervous system." It’s a general way to advance neuroscience through principles of observation and direct application. It comes in many forms, from digital neural networks to direct mechanical interactive technologies.

Onboard Intelligence

Onboard intelligence is a term used to refer to artificial intelligence that's built into a device design, rather than outsourced to remote technology.

Loop Variable

In computer programming, a loop variable is a variable that is set in order to execute some iterations of a "for" loop or other live structure. A loop variable is a classical fixture in programming that helps computers to handle repeated instructions.

Change Management

Change management is an IT services management (ITSM) strategy in which a systematic approach ensures the efficient and seamless flow of change in an organization's IT infrastructure. Change management helps all involved parties, including both individuals and teams, to move from a current state to the next desired state. Change management also helps to minimize the impact of related incidents on service. Change is prevalent in any IT organization and it may arise reactively in response to problems or be externally imposed. Change management is also a project management process where change requires formal adherence to established policies.

Password Sniffer

A password sniffer is a software application that scans and records passwords that are used or broadcasted on a computer or network interface. It listens to all incoming and outgoing network traffic and records any instance of a data packet that contains a password.

Aspect-Oriented Programming

Aspect-oriented programming (AOP) is a programming paradigm that isolates the supporting functions from the main program’s business logic. AOP includes programming methods and tools supporting modularization of concerns at the source code level, but it may also refer to the entire software engineering discipline.

Proximity Sensor

A proximity sensor is an intelligent sensor that can detect the presence of objects within its vicinity without any actual physical contact. Proximity sensors, which are often used in collision warning and collision avoidance systems, have the ability to detect the presence of a target within a defined range. A proximity sensor might use, sound, light, infrared radiation (IR) or electromagnetic fields to detect a target.

Proximity sensors are commonly used in industrial applications and consumer robotics. They are also used in vehicles for detecting the physical closeness of other vehicles, as well as for parking-assist functions.

Term of the day - 11

AI-Complete

AI-complete in IT is used to describe problems or outcomes that would rely on having a strong AI system in place – in other words, being able to put together a computer system that functions at as high a level as a human being. IT pros describe problems as “AI-complete” if they are too difficult to be achieved by the use of conventional algorithms.

Critical Path Method

The critical path method (CPM) is a step-by-step methodology, technique or algorithm for planning projects with numerous activities that involve complex, interdependent interactions. CPM is an important tool for project management because it identifies critical and non-critical tasks to prevent conflicts and bottlenecks. CPM is often applied to the analysis of a project network logic diagram to produce maximum practical efficiency.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is the language a computer uses to access the Internet. It consists of a suite of protocols designed to establish a network of networks to provide a host with access to the Internet. TCP/IP is responsible for full-fledged data connectivity and transmitting the data end-to-end by providing other functions, including addressing, mapping and acknowledgment. TCP/IP contains four layers, which differ slightly from the OSI model. The technology is so common that you would rarely refer to somebody use the full name. In other words, in common usage the acronym is now the term itself.

RSA Encryption

RSA encryption is a public-key encryption technology developed by RSA Data Security. The RSA algorithm is based on the difficulty in factoring very large numbers. Based on this principle, the RSA encryption algorithm uses prime factorization as the trap door for encryption. Deducing an RSA key, therefore, takes a huge amount of time and processing power. RSA is the standard encryption method for important data, especially data that's transmitted over the Internet. RSA stands for the creators of the technique, Rivest, Shamir and Adelman.

Green Computing

Green computing is the environmentally responsible and eco-friendly use of computers and their resources. In broader terms, it is also defined as the study of designing, engineering, manufacturing, using and disposing of computing devices in a way that reduces their environmental impact.

Many IT manufacturers and vendors are continuously investing in designing energy-efficient computing devices, reducing the use of dangerous materials and encouraging the recyclability of digital devices. Green computing practices came into prominence in 1992, when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the Energy Star program. Green computing is also known as green information technology (green IT).

Backscatter

Backscatter is a type of unsolicited spam/email message that is mistakenly directed to an email inbox. They are disguised as bounce messages, so that they are not filtered as spam by the email server. Backscatter is also known as outscatter, misdirected bounces, blowback and collateral spam.

Cache Cramming

Cache cramming is the process of making a computer execute a malicious file that would otherwise be restricted. It executes a small program in the browser cache that enables hackers/crackers to locally sniff open ports and/or access target computers.

Cable Jetting

Cable jetting involves putting a cable into a duct or conduit through the process of using compressed air to blow or push that cable into place.

Hash Chain

A hash chain is commonly defined as the repeated application of a cryptographic hash function to a given data asset. This type of hash cryptography can be extremely useful in some specific security setups. By providing a successive chain, hash chains make it harder for a snooping hacker to hijack a data asset through applying a single input.

Stream Cipher

A stream cipher is a method of encryption where a pseudorandom cipher digit stream is combined with plain text digits. This pseudorandom cipher digit stream is applied to each binary digit, one bit at a time. This method of encryption uses an infinite number of pseudorandom cipher digits per key. Stream cipher is also known as state cipher.

Egress Traffic

Egress traffic is any data or traffic bound for an external entity and passing through the edge router of the host network to reach its destination node. Egress filtering is a popular network management technique. It scans all egress traffic for any sign of abnormality or malicious activity and then discards any infected data packets.

Bitcoin Core

Bitcoin Core is a digital successor or "reference client" of the bitcoin cryptocurrency that is now traded all over the world, though its legality varies based on jurisdiction. Bitcoin Core represents the succession from Bitcoin to Bitcoin QT and then on to Bitcoin Core. Alternately, Bitcoin Core is a separate project from various other divergent bitcoin projects developed through hard and soft forks, including Bitcoin Classic, Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin XT, Bitcoin Unlimited and LiteCoin.

Host-Based Intrusion Detection System

A host-based intrusion detection system (HIDS) is a system that monitors a computer system on which it is installed to detect an intrusion and/or misuse, and responds by logging the activity and notifying the designated authority. A HIDS can be thought of as an agent that monitors and analyzes whether anything or anyone, whether internal or external, has circumvented the system's security policy.

Co-location

Co-location refers to the way IT equipment and resources are located or installed. This usually refers to the networking hardware resources owned by an organization, such as Web or database servers, which are located outside the vicinity of the organization's premises and "co-located" with another organization's hardware, usually an ISP or a service provider. This is usually done because the ISP might be the best candidate for maintaining the Web server hardware for the organization and it would be better to keep the hardware in a more suitable place since ISPs have specially built places for networking hardware.

Computed Axial Lithography

Computed axial lithography (CAL) is a process whereby scientists cast various projections onto a type of resin to create a three-dimensional object that is fully formed. It is inspired by the process of computed axial tomography (CAT) that uses multi-angle radiology to provide a three-dimensional model of anatomy for diagnosis.

Planned Obsolescence

Planned obsolescence is a process of expiring, depleting or withdrawing a product at a specified date or time interval. This technique is used in different organizational domains to set the decommissioning time of a hardware, software, network or Internet product or service. Planned obsolescence is also known as built-in obsolescence or predefined obsolescence.

SegWit2x

SegWit2x is a new policy proposal for the cryptocurrency bitcoin that is now under consideration in the bitcoin community. It builds on a prior protocol called Segregated Witness or SegWit. SegWit and SegWit2x can have some long-term ramifications for the use of bitcoin and related technologies in a financial process, as cryptocurrencies rival traditional national currencies.

Pixel

A pixel is the smallest unit of a digital image or graphic that can be displayed and represented on a digital display device. A pixel is the basic logical unit in digital graphics. Pixels are combined to form a complete image, video, text, or any visible thing on a computer display. A pixel is also known as a picture element (pix = picture, el = element).

Internet Privacy

Internet privacy refers to the vast range of technologies, protocols and concepts related to giving individual users or other parties more privacy protections in their use of the global Internet. Internet privacy takes many forms, including mandatory privacy statements on websites, data sharing controls, data transparency initiatives and more. Internet privacy and anonymity are paramount to users, especially as e-commerce continues to gain traction. Privacy violations and threat risks are standard considerations for any website under development. Internet privacy is also known as online privacy.

Camper

A camper is a video gamer who finds a strategic spot within a level and waits there for players, game-controlled enemies or choice items to appear. This strategy is known as camping. Camping is most popular in first-person shooter (FPS) games, but depending on the game being played, it is usually considered a form of cheating, or at least a degenerative strategy. This is because if every single player follows a camping strategy, then there won't be any possibilities for players to confront each other, leaving no game to play. Some FPS games can be customized to employ a camping strategy where entire groups are dedicated to sniper-only challenges.

Lean Production

Lean production is a systematic manufacturing method used for eliminating waste within the manufacturing system. It takes into account the waste generated from uneven workloads and overburden and then reduces them in order to increase value and reduce costs. The word "lean" in the term simply means no excess, so lean production can be translated simply into minimal waste manufacturing.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP) is a vendor-neutral, independent certification offered by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, otherwise known as (ISC)².

This globally recognized certification is designed to show an employer that a job candidate has the knowledge and experience necessary to effectively design, implement and manage an organization's cybersecurity.

Individuals seeking CISSP certification must pass a comprehensive 3-hour exam that consists of 100 to 150 questions and covers 8 broad information security domains. The eight testing domains for CISSP certification are:

Security and Risk Management
Asset Security
Security Architecture and Engineering
Communication and Network Security
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Security Assessment and Testing
Security Operations
Software Development Security
To qualify for the CISSP exam, candidates must either have five years of security experience or four years of experience in addition to a security-related university or college degree.

If a candidate doesn’t yet have the required work experience, they have the option of taking and passing the exam to become an Associate of (ISC)². Associates are allowed six years to earn the work experience needed for full CISSP certification.

Term of the day - 12

Abstraction

Abstraction is the act of representing essential features without including the background details or explanations. In the computer science and software engineering domain, the abstraction principle is used to reduce complexity and allow efficient design and implementation of complex software systems. Some areas of software design and implementation where the abstraction principle is applied include programming languages (mainly in object-oriented programming languages), specification languages, control abstraction, data abstraction and the architecture of software systems.

Unary Operator

A unary operator, in C#, is an operator that takes a single operand in an expression or a statement. The unary operators in C# are +, -,!, ~, ++, -- and the cast operator. The signature of the declaration of a unary operator includes the operator token and the type of parameter; it does not require the return type and the name of the parameter. All the C# unary operators have predefined implementation that will be used by default in an expression. These unary operators can be overloaded in user-defined types with custom implementation by defining static member functions using the "operator" keyword.

Hashing

Hashing is generating a value or values from a string of text using a mathematical function. Hashing is one way to enable security during the process of message transmission when the message is intended for a particular recipient only. A formula generates the hash, which helps to protect the security of the transmission from unauthorized users. Hashing is also a method of sorting key values in a database table in an efficient manner.

Deep Neural Network

A deep neural network is a neural network with a certain level of complexity, a neural network with more than two layers. Deep neural networks use sophisticated mathematical modeling to process data in complex ways.

Deep Learning

Deep learning is a collection of algorithms used in machine learning, used to model high-level abstractions in data through the use of model architectures, which are composed of multiple nonlinear transformations. It is part of a broad family of methods used for machine learning that are based on learning representations of data.

DeepMind

DeepMind Technologies Ltd. is a firm based in the United Kingdom that works on artificial intelligence problems. DeepMind has been acquired by Google, and is now part of the Google Alphabet group.

Fast Flux DNS

A fast flux DNS strategy is where a hacker or other party registers on a domain name system in deceptive ways that prevents host server IP addresses from being identified. It is a concern for security professionals because abuse of this system can help hackers to hide from law enforcement and attack systems through a network of addresses and hosts.

Skunkworks

Skunkworks refers to advanced development projects that are sometimes top-secret (such as black projects) in technology, business and aerospace engineering. Skunkworks teams develop tasks efficiently with nominal management limitations. With direct focus on revolutionized business and technology changes, skunkworks is independent, highly secretive, innovative and well-funded.

Trunking

Trunking is a technique used in data communications transmission systems to provide many users with access to a network by sharing multiple lines or frequencies. As the name implies, the system is like a tree with one trunk and many branches. Trunking is commonly used in very-high-frequency (VHF) radio and telecommunication systems. Trunking can also be defined as a network that handles multiple signals simultaneously. The data transmitted through trunking can be audio, video, controlling signals or images. Telecommunication networks all across the globe are based on trunking. Trunking reduces the size of a telecom network and increases bandwidth. VHF radio used by police and control centers is also based on trunking.

Data-ism

Data-ism is a recently coined term for a kind of data philosophy or ideology. Various sources attribute this particular term to David Brooks, a prominent political commentator and writer at The New York Times. In comments about an overriding data philosophy, Brooks mentions data-ism as an obsession with data that assumes a number of things about data, including that it is the best overall measure of any given scenario, and that it always produces valuable results.

Parser

A parser is a compiler or interpreter component that breaks data into smaller elements for easy translation into another language. A parser takes input in the form of a sequence of tokens or program instructions and usually builds a data structure in the form of a parse tree or an abstract syntax tree.

Slimeware

Slimeware is slang term used to describe harmful adware that threatens computer security under the guise of software updates. Slimeware often automatically downloads more adware without user intervention or knowledge. This slows down the PC as resources are used by the slimeware and also exposes the user to security threats.

Network Interface Card

A Network Interface Card (NIC) is a computer hardware component that allows a computer to connect to a network. NICs may be used for both wired and wireless connections. A NIC is also known as a network interface controller (NIC), network interface controller card, expansion card, computer circuit board, network card, LAN card, network adapter or network adapter card (NAC).

Integrated Development Environment

An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is an application that facilitates application development. In general, an IDE is a graphical user interface (GUI)-based workbench designed to aid a developer in building software applications with an integrated environment combined with all the required tools at hand.

Most common features, such as debugging, version control and data structure browsing, help a developer quickly execute actions without switching to other applications. Thus, it helps maximize productivity by providing similar user interfaces (UI) for related components and reduces the time taken to learn the language. An IDE supports single or multiple languages.

Internet2

Internet2 is a U.S.-based and international nonprofit networking consortium led by researchers, academia and industry/government leaders. Launched in 1996, Internet2 works to advance the development of networking education and global partnering to facilitate innovative Internet technologies.

Internet2 manages the Internet2 Network, a next-generation optical and Internet Protocol network. Internet2 Network is responsible for delivering production network services to fulfill the high-performance requirements of education and research services. It also provides its users with a protected research and network testing environment.

Object-Oriented Analysis and Design

Object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD) is a technical approach used in the analysis and design of an application or system through the application of the object-oriented paradigm and concepts including visual modeling. This is applied throughout the development life cycle of the application or system, fostering better product quality and even encouraging stakeholder participation and communication.

Snippet

Code "snippets" are small, reusable pieces of code that can be integrated into a larger codebase. Developers often talk about snippets having certain functions and discuss how to implement snippets in constructing larger and more complicated programs.

Echo State Network

An echo state network (ESN) is a particular sort of recurrent neural network that is designed to help engineers get the benefits of this network type, without some of the challenges in training other traditional types of recurrent neural networks. It is connected to the idea of reservoir computing, and the general philosophy of developing learning results from fixed random neurons.

Hidden Layer

A hidden layer in an artificial neural network is a layer in between input layers and output layers, where artificial neurons take in a set of weighted inputs and produce an output through an activation function. It is a typical part of nearly any neural network in which engineers simulate the types of activity that go on in the human brain.

Knowledge Discovery in Databases

Knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) is the process of discovering useful knowledge from a collection of data. This widely used data mining technique is a process that includes data preparation and selection, data cleansing, incorporating prior knowledge on data sets and interpreting accurate solutions from the observed results. Major KDD application areas include marketing, fraud detection, telecommunication and manufacturing.

Heuristic

In computing, heuristic refers to a problem-solving method executed through learning-based techniques and experience. When exhaustive search methods are impractical, heuristic methods are used to find efficient solutions. Heuristic methods are designed for conceptual simplicity and enhanced computational performance - often at the cost of accuracy.

Warchalking

Warchalking refers to drawing symbols in public spaces to denote an open Wi-Fi wireless network in a public space. Warchalking provides information about the type of wireless connection being used, which may be open node, closed node or wired equivalent privacy (WEP) node. This may attract hackers and make them aware of the Wi-Fi hot spot and its security. Hackers may use this information to attack the Wi-Fi network.

Password Salting

Password salting is a form of password encryption that involves appending a password to a given username and then hashing the new string of characters. This is usually done via an MD5 hashing algorithm. Password-salting is most commonly found within Linux operating systems, and it is generally considered a more secure password encryption model than any of the models used within the various Microsoft distributions.

Random Forest

A random forest is a data construct applied to machine learning that develops large numbers of random decision trees analyzing sets of variables. This type of algorithm helps to enhance the ways that technologies analyze complex data.

Digital Wallet

BIP 148 is a user-activated soft fork (UASF) in bitcoin that enforces the use of the Segregated Witness or SegWit protocol, which is a change that deals with a bitcoin block size problem by separating the digital signature from the original section of the block. As a soft fork, BIP 148 does not inherently split the network. BIP 148 requires bitcoin miners to signal for SegWit, which means they show that they are ready to use blocks with the SegWit protocol.

Remote Attack

A remote attack is a malicious action that targets one or a network of computers. The remote attack does not affect the computer the attacker is using. Instead, the attacker will find vulnerable points in a computer or network's security software to access the machine or system. The main reasons for remote attacks are to view or steal data illegally, introduce viruses or other malicious software to another computer or network or system, and cause damage to the targeted computer or network. A remote attack is also known as a remote exploit.

Digital Wallet

A digital wallet is a software-based system for making e-commerce transactions. By using a digital wallet, online purchases can be done easily through computers, tablets or smartphones. In general, bank accounts of individual users are linked with their digital wallet. In a digital wallet system, user credentials are securely stored and verified during transactions. Digital wallets are not only used for online purchases but also for authentication of the user. A digital wallet can store complete user information including credentials, transaction history and personal details. Digital wallets can also be used in combination with other mobile payment systems.

Broadband Global Area Network

Broadband global area network (BGAN) is a global satellite Internet network by satellite communication company Inmarsat. It is designed for low-cost connectivity enabled with voice and data communications. It can be accessed anywhere on the earth’s surface, excluding the poles. It uses a constellation of three geostationary satellites at a time (of the 14 in the system), called I-4, designed to communicate with lightweight, surface-based, portable terminals about the size of a laptop computer.

Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security mechanism in which individuals are authenticated through more than one required security and validation procedure. MFA is built from a combination of physical, logical and biometric validation techniques used to secure a facility, product or service.

Cloud Operations Management

Cloud operations management is the oversight of cloud services that an organization's employees use. Cloud Operations Engineers work with staff to plan and implement cloud-based services that support business initiatives in a secure, cost-effective manner.

To manage cloud operations, the ideal job candidate should have working knowledge of Alibaba, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Daily management tasks include the oversight of virtual machines (VMs) and containers as well as the use of virtual private networks, cloud-based databases and identity and access management (IAM) technology.

Term of the day - 13

Slacktivism

Slacktivism is a term that combines the words "slacker" and "activism" to refer to simple measures used to support an issue or social cause involving virtually no effort on the part of participants. Slacktivism is most commonly associated with actions like signing online petitions, copying social network statuses or joining cause-related social networking groups. Slacktivism critics contend these actions are merely for participant gratification because they lack engagement and commitment and fail to produce any tangible effect, in terms of promoting a cause.

.INI File

An .INI file is a type of file that contains configuration information in a simple, predefined format. It is used by Windows OSs and Windows-based applications to store information about the user's preferences and operating environment. These files are plain text files with a basic structure comprised of properties and sections. It is pronounced as “dot in-ee" or simply "in-ee” file, where .ini signifies “initialization."

Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer

A digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) is a networking device that connects multiple DSL subscribers to one Internet backbone. DSLAM is used by Internet service providers (ISP) or telecommunication providers to share high-caliber Internet bandwidth between DSL subscribers through multiplexing techniques.

Alpha Test

An alpha test is a preliminary software field test carried out by a team of users in order to find bugs that were not found previously through other tests. The main purpose of alpha testing is to refine the software product by finding (and fixing) the bugs that were not discovered through previous tests. Also known as alpha testing.

Chipset

A chipset is a group of interdependent motherboard chips or integrated circuits that control the flow of data and instructions between the central processing unit (CPU) or microprocessor and external devices. A chipset controls external buses, memory cache and some peripherals. A CPU is unable to function without impeccable chipset timing. A chipset includes the circuit board layout/functionality and circuit mechanisms. Varieties include microprocessors and modem card chipsets. In addition, a CPU has several different chipsets that vary according to architecture.

Video Random Access Memory

Video random access memory (VRAM or video RAM) is a high-speed array of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) used to store the image and video data that a computer displays. VRAM is an integrated circuit that serves as a buffer between the CPU and video card. VRAM was originally designed as a high-resolution graphics adapter. The higher the video memory, the higher the capability of the system to handle more complex graphics at a faster pace. VRAM is also known as a frame buffer or simply video memory.

Half Adder

A half adder is a type of adder, an electronic circuit that performs the addition of numbers. The half adder is able to add two single binary digits and provide the output plus a carry value. It has two inputs, called A and B, and two outputs S (sum) and C (carry). The common representation uses a XOR logic gate and an AND logic gate.

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is the standard protocol for email services on a TCP/IP network. SMTP provides the ability to send and receive email messages. SMTP is an application-layer protocol that enables the transmission and delivery of email over the Internet. SMTP is created and maintained by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is also known as RFC 821 and RFC 2821.

Desktop as a Service

Desktop as a service (DaaS) is a cloud computing solution in which virtual desktop infrastructure is outsourced to a third-party provider. DaaS functionality relies on the virtual desktop, which is a user-controlled session or dedicated machine that transforms on-demand cloud services for users and organizations around the world. This is an efficient model in which the service provider manages all the back-end responsibilities that would normally be provided by application software.Desktop as a service is also known as a virtual desktop or hosted desktop services.

Wetware

Wetware refers to any hardware or software systems with a biological component, or biological systems that function like software and hardware. Different types of wetware are important in STEM disciplines like bioengineering, artificial intelligence and genetic research.

Telephony Application Programming Interface

Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) is a set of standard application programming interfaces developed by Microsoft and Intel and implemented in Microsoft Windows for connecting a computer to telephone services. TAPI allows Microsoft Windows to auto detect and set up communication hardware installed on a personal computer.

Anchor Text

The anchor text on a webpage is the highlighted text that is clickable for a hyperlink. Many people refer to that text as a hyperlink, but technically, anchor text is a proper term to describe the text. The anchor text is the full set of characters that comprises the link itself.

Gradient Descent Algorithm

The gradient descent algorithm is a strategy that helps to refine machine learning operations. The gradient descent algorithm works toward adjusting the input weights of neurons in artificial neural networks and finding local minima or global minima in order to optimize a problem. The gradient descent algorithm is also known simply as gradient descent.

Feedforward Neural Network

The feedforward neural network is a specific type of early artificial neural network known for its simplicity of design. The feedforward neural network has an input layer, hidden layers and an output layer. Information always travels in one direction – from the input layer to the output layer – and never goes backward.

Parallel Functional Programming

Parallel functional programming refers to a specific philosophy of computer science that uses functional programming in conjunction with parallelism to work with declarative programming in specific ways. By utilizing functional programming this way, developer teams are able to introduce specific operations on interdependent tasks and transformational systems based on parallel algorithms.

Deterministic Automaton

A deterministic automaton is a computer science concept where transition results are determined by the input, and no random arbitration occurs. In a deterministic automaton, there are a set of states, a set of inputs, and a function that brings the result to the next state.

Greedy Algorithm

A greedy algorithm is an algorithmic strategy that makes the best optimal choice at each small stage with the goal of this eventually leading to a globally optimum solution. This means that the algorithm picks the best solution at the moment without regard for consequences. It picks the best immediate output, but does not consider the big picture, hence it is considered greedy.

Insertion Point

In a digital interface, the insertion point is the point at which typed letters, numbers or other inputs are going to be inserted and displayed on the screen. Some of the most common examples of insertion points involve programs like word processors, spreadsheets and text boxes in web forms, where the insertion point is often called the "cursor" and most often appears as a vertical blinking line.

Release Engineer

A release engineer is an individual who is concerned with the mechanics of the development and processing of software products. Release engineering, a sub-spec in software engineering, deals with the accumulation and delivery of source codes into software or programs. These engineers oversee and control the proper placement and deployment of the source code; they ensure that each code is entered in the software code repository and is ready for media duplication and distribution.

Impala

Impala is a type of software tool that is known as a query engine. It is licensed by Apache and runs on the open-source Apache Hadoop big data analytics platform.

Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance is a maintenance strategy driven by predictive analytics. The solutions are used for detecting failure patterns or anomalies, but are only deployed when there is high probability of imminent failure. This helps in deploying limited resources, maximizing device or equipment uptime, enhancing quality and supply chain processes, and thus improving the overall satisfaction for all the stakeholders involved.

Data Sandbox

A data sandbox, in the context of big data, is a scalable and developmental platform used to explore an organization's rich information sets through interaction and collaboration. It allows a company to realize its actual investment value in big data. A data sandbox is primarily explored by data science teams that obtain sandbox platforms from stand-alone, analytic datamarts or logical partitions in enterprise data warehouses. Data sandbox platforms provide the computing required for data scientists to tackle typically complex analytical workloads.

Rich Internet Application (RIA)

A Rich Internet Application (RIA) is a Web application with many of the same features and appearances as a desktop application. A RIA requires a browser, browser plug-in or virtual machine to deliver a user application. Data manipulation is handled by the server, and user interface and related object manipulation are handled by the client machine.

Term of the day - 14

Interrupt Request

An interrupt request (IRQ) is an asynchronous signal sent from a device to a processor indicating that in order to process a request, attention is required. A hardware IRQ is induced by a hardware peripheral or device request, whereas a software IRQ is induced by a software instruction. Both result in processor status savings, and revert to serving the IRQ using an interrupt handler routine.

Integrated Services Digital Network

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a set of communication standards for digital telephone connection and the transmission of voice and data over a digital line. These digital lines are commonly telephone lines and exchanges established by the government. Before ISDN, it was not possible for ordinary telephone lines to provide fast transportation over a single line.

Graphics Processing Unit

A Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is a single-chip processor primarily used to manage and boost the performance of video and graphics. GPU features include:

    2-D or 3-D graphics
    Digital output to flat panel display monitors
    Texture mapping
    Application support for high-intensity graphics software such as AutoCAD
    Rendering polygons
    Support for YUV color space
    Hardware overlays
    MPEG decoding

These features are designed to lessen the work of the CPU and produce faster video and graphics. A GPU is not only used in a PC on a video card or motherboard; it is also used in mobile phones, display adapters, workstations and game consoles. This term is also known as a visual processing unit (VPU).

Internet Service Provider

An Internet service provider (ISP) is a company that provides customers with Internet access. Data may be transmitted using several technologies, including dial-up, DSL, cable modem, wireless or dedicated high-speed interconnects. Typically, ISPs also provide their customers with the ability to communicate with one another by providing Internet email accounts, usually with numerous email addresses at the customer's discretion. Other services, such as telephone and television services, may be provided as well. The services and service combinations may be unique to each ISP. An Internet service provider is also known as an Internet access provider (IAP).

Network Latency

Network latency is the term used to indicate any kind of delay that happens in data communication over a network. Network connections in which small delays occur are called low-latency networks whereas network connections which suffers from long delays are called high-latency networks. High latency creates bottlenecks in any network communication. It prevents the data from taking full advantage of the network pipe and effectively decreases the communication bandwidth. The impact of latency on network bandwidth can be temporary or persistent based on the source of the delays.

HomePNA

HomePNA (HPNA) is a network technology that uses coax wiring and cabling to operate home telephones and jacks. The HPNA Alliance is an open industry alliance of leading technology companies, service providers and original equipment manufacturers (OEM). HPNA is formerly known as the Home Phoneline Networking Alliance.

Load Balancing

Load balancing is an even division of processing work between two or more computers and/or CPUs, network links, storage devices or other devices, ultimately delivering faster service with higher efficiency. Load balancing is accomplished through software, hardware or both, and it often uses multiple servers that appear to be a single computer system (also known as computer clustering).

Data Lineage

Data lineage is generally defined as a kind of data life cycle that includes the data's origins and where it moves over time. This term can also describe what happens to data as it goes through diverse processes. Data lineage can help with efforts to analyze how information is used and to track key bits of information that serve a particular purpose.

Bayesian Filter

A Bayesian filter is a computer program using Bayesian logic or Bayesian analysis, which are synonymous terms. It is used to evaluate the header and content of email messages and determine whether or not it constitutes spam - unsolicited email or the electronic equivalent of hard copy bulk mail or junk mail). A Bayesian filter is best used along with anti-virus programs.

Non-Uniform Memory Access

Non-uniform memory access (NUMA) is a specific build philosophy that helps configure multiple processing units in a given computing system. In non-uniform memory access, individual processors work together, sharing local memory, in order to improve results.

Booter

In the world of IT security, a booter is a type of service that delivers distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks for customers. It is a frightening part of the black hat world of cyber warfare that security professionals are concerned about. Booting can be used against nearly any website to deliver pressure that can have many adverse results. Booters are also known as booter services.

Artificial Immune System

An artificial immune system is a system that utilizes some of the engineering of biological immune systems to put together algorithms or technologies that address systemic goals. This may involve mathematical and computer modeling of immune systems, or the abstraction of some immunology-related principles into algorithms.

AWS DeepRacer

AWS DeepRacer is a machine learning project from Amazon that focuses on the development of autonomous racing vehicles on a small scale. Described as a global racing league, AWS DeepRacer allows users to get hands-on experience with machine learning through building cars and working on simulators as well as participating in the world's first autonomous racing league.

ChatOps

The phrase chatOps is used to talk about new platforms and technologies that connect work and the people that work on projects through chat interactivity. It's a somewhat unique and new take on the idea of digital chat technology where messaging apps have allowed us to bridge various communication barriers in unprecedented ways.

Reverse Brute-Force Attack

A reverse brute force attack happens when a hacker or black hat party tries to reverse engineer some security or protection process through utilizing a secondary key or piece of data. It’s the reverse of a conventional brute force attack, which generally seeks to “crack” an account through brute force work on a password or similar key.

Virtual Reality Locomotion

Virtual reality locomotion, or VR locomotion, refers to techniques and technologies that allow users to move within a virtual reality environment. A wide spectrum of VR locomotion methods and processes enables better user experience and more capable interaction with VR systems.

Load Balancing

Load balancing is an even division of processing work between two or more computers and/or CPUs, network links, storage devices or other devices, ultimately delivering faster service with higher efficiency. Load balancing is accomplished through software, hardware or both, and it often uses multiple servers that appear to be a single computer system (also known as computer clustering).

Proof of Stake

Proof of stake (PoS) is a method for cryptocurrency verification through distributed consensus. In a proof of stake system, stakeholders are chosen as creators of a block through analyzing criteria combined with randomization.

Data Communications

Data communications (DC) is the process of using computing and communication technologies to transfer data from one place to another, or between participating parties. DC enables the movement of electronic or digital data between two or more network nodes, regardless of geographical location, technological medium or data contents.

Term of the day - 15

Network on a Chip

Network on a chip is a concept in which a single silicon chip is used to implement the communication features of large-scale to very large-scale integration systems. In the case of large-scale designs, network on a chip is preferred as it reduces the complexity involved in designing the wires and also provides a well-controlled structure capable of better power, speed and reliability. For high-end system-on-chip designs, network on a chip is considered the best integrated solution.

Server Consolidation

Server consolidation refers to the use of a physical server to accommodate one or more server applications or user instances. Server consolidation makes it possible to share a server's compute resources among multiple applications and services simultaneously. It is mainly used to reduce the number of servers required in an organization.

Adiabatic Cooling

Adiabatic cooling is a cooling process that provides air cooling by expanding or compressing the pressure of air or a substance. This cooling process changes air pressure without losing or gaining heat.

Activex Control

An ActiveX control is a small program that is used to share information between applications. An ActiveX control can enhance Internet browsing experience by allowing animation and is often compared to Java applets. Microsoft developed the concept in the mid 1990s.
While technically still around technology is no longer commonly used in modern web development.

Teleworking

Teleworking involves the substitution of telecommunications for any kind of work-related travel, that is, without necessarily involving distance restrictions; however, the two terms are often used interchangeably. Teleworking, a broader term for "telecommuting," is more often used in Europe and other countries, whereas "telecommuting" is more often used in the United States and Canada. Both terms often refer to working from home using telecommunications equipment or to the use of mobile telecommunications technology to be able to work from restaurants, coffee shops or other public locations. When distributed work from an employer uses information and communication technologies to replace commuting, it is referred to as telecommuting; when it does not, it is referred to as teleworking. Jack Nilles concocted both terms back in 1973.

Evolutionary Computation

Evolutionary computation is an artificial intelligence subfield and closely linked to computational intelligence, involving lots of combinatorial optimization problems and continuous optimization. It is employed in problem-solving systems that use computational models with evolutionary processes as the key design elements. It is an abstraction from the evolutionary concept in biology since it deals with methods and concepts that are continually and selectively evolving and optimizing.

Tokenization

Tokenization is the act of breaking up a sequence of strings into pieces such as words, keywords, phrases, symbols and other elements called tokens. Tokens can be individual words, phrases or even whole sentences. In the process of tokenization, some characters like punctuation marks are discarded. The tokens become the input for another process like parsing and text mining. Tokenization is used in computer science, where it plays a large part in the process of lexical analysis.

Denormalization

Denormalization is a strategy that database managers use to increase the performance of a database infrastructure. It involves adding redundant data to a normalized database to reduce certain types of problems with database queries that combine data from various tables into a single table. The definition of denormalization is dependent on the definition of normalization, which is defined as the process of organizing a database into tables correctly to promote a given use.

Routing Information Protocol

Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is a dynamic protocol used to find the best route or path from end-to-end (source to destination) over a network by using a routing metric/hop count algorithm. This algorithm is used to determine the shortest path from the source to destination, which allows the data to be delivered at high speed in the shortest time.

Intrusion Prevention System

An intrusion prevention system (IPS) is a system that monitors a network for malicious activities such as security threats or policy violations. The main function of an IPS is to identify suspicious activity, and then log information, attempt to block the activity, and then finally to report it. Intrusion prevention systems are also known as intrusion detection prevention systems (IDPS).

Message Passing Interface

Message Passing Interface (MPI) is a system that aims to provide a portable and efficient standard for message passing. It is widely used for message passing programs, as it defines useful syntax for routines and libraries in different computer programming languages such as Fortran, C, C++ and Java.

B1FF

B1FF is a fictional profile of a USENET poster character that represents a typical "n00b." This fictional teenage character uses his brother's VIC-20 computer to log on and post items that illustrate naïveté and inappropriate use of the forum.

Distro

Distro is IT vernacular for a Linux operating system (OS). It is a shortened version of the term distribution. The singular and the plural (distro vs distros) are often used synonymously.

Blind Drop

A blind drop is a hidden location where a malware program, Trojan or virus drops information gathered from a host. The automatically gathered data remains in that location until it is retrieved by the attacker. The data could be credit card or bank account details, usernames and passwords or any personal information the attacker may use to hack into the host's accounts. It is very hard to detect where data is coming from or where it is going, even if the location is discovered.

Fog Computing

Fog computing is a term for an alternative to cloud computing that puts some kinds of transactions and resources at the edge of a network, rather than establishing channels for cloud storage and utilization. Proponents of fog computing argue that it can reduce the need for bandwidth by not sending every bit of information over cloud channels, and instead aggregating it at certain access points, such as routers. This allows for a more strategic compilation of data that may not be needed in cloud storage right away, if at all. By using this kind of distributed strategy, project managers can lower costs and improve efficiencies.

Radial Basis Function Network

A radial basis function network is a type of supervised artificial neural network that uses supervised machine learning (ML) to function as a nonlinear classifier. Nonlinear classifiers use sophisticated functions to go further in analysis than simple linear classifiers that work on lower-dimensional vectors. A radial basis function network is also known as a radial basis network.

Splay Tree

A splay tree is a self-adjusting tree algorithm that can be used in machine learning and other types of projects. As a binary search tree, the splay tree is a tool for building analytics and big data processes.

Data Transmission

Data transmission is the process of sending digital or analog data over a communication medium to one or more computing, network, communication or electronic devices. It enables the transfer and communication of devices in a point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and multipoint-to-multipoint environment. Data transmission is also known as digital transmission or digital communications.

MongoDB

MongoDB is a cross-platform and open-source document-oriented database, a kind of NoSQL database. As a NoSQL database, MongoDB shuns the relational database’s table-based structure to adapt JSON-like documents that have dynamic schemas which it calls BSON. This makes data integration for certain types of applications faster and easier. MongoDB is built for scalability, high availability and performance from a single server deployment to large and complex multi-site infrastructures.

Machine-Generated Data

Machine-generated data is information that is the explicit result of a computer process or application process, created without human intervention. This means that data manually entered by an end user are definitely not considered to be machine generated. These data cross all sectors which make use of computers in any of their daily operations, and humans increasingly generate this data unknowingly, or at least cause it to be generated by the machine.

Quantile Normalization

Quantile normalization is a data handling technique that works on microarrays or small data sets. This statistical process can be used as the basis for some types of machine learning projects.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Interactive voice response (IVR) is a technology that allows humans to interact with computers using voice or a dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) signaling keypad. IVR allows customers to find answers to their own inquiries by speaking (using the company’s speech recognition software) or giving inputs via a telephone keypad. IVR uses prerecorded and dynamically generated audio to interact with customers. The key benefit to IVR systems is that they can handle large volumes of calls, where only simple interactions are required. IVR is also known as a telephone menu or voice response unit.

C Drive (C:)

The C drive (C:) is the main hard disk partition which contains the operating system and the related system files. In Windows operating systems, the C drive as represented as “C:\”, the backlash representing the root directory of the drive. The C drive is considered as the primary hard drive of the system and is used for storing the operating system, system files and other applications and their related files. In later Windows version, the C: drive is labeled as Primary Drive or Local Disk, and can be accessed by default by opening the “My Computer” folder.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage is a cloud computing model in which data is stored on remote servers accessed from the internet, or "cloud." It is maintained, operated and managed by a cloud storage service provider on a storage servers that are built on virtualization techniques. Cloud storage is also known as utility storage – a term subject to differentiation based on actual implementation and service delivery.

Digital Divide

The digital divide refers to the difference between people who have easy access to the Internet and those who do not. A lack of access is believed to be a disadvantage to those on the disadvantaged side of the digital divide because of the huge knowledge base that can only be found online.

Symmetric Encryption

Symmetric encryption is a form of computerized cryptography using a singular encryption key to guise an electronic message. Its data conversion uses a mathematical algorithm along with a secret key, which results in the inability to make sense out of a message. Symmetric encrpytion is a two-way algorithm because the mathematical algorithm is reversed when decrypting the message along with using the same secret key. Symmetric encryption is also known as private-key encryption and secure-key encryption.

One-Time Password

A one-time password (OTP) is type of password that is valid for only one use. It is a secure way to provide access to an application or perform a transaction only one time. The password becomes invalid after it has been used and cannot be used again.

Multithreading

Multithreading is a CPU (central processing unit) feature that allows two or more instruction threads to execute independently while sharing the same process resources. A thread is a self-contained sequence of instructions that can execute in parallel with other threads that are part of the same root process. Multithreading allows multiple concurrent tasks can be performed within a single process. When data scientists are training machine learning algorithms, a multithreaded approach to programming can improve speed when compared to traditional parallel multiprocessing programs.

Even though it’s faster for an operating system (OS) to switch between threads for an active CPU task than it is to switch between different processes, multithreading requires careful programming in order to avoid conflicts caused by race conditions and deadlocks. To prevent race conditions and deadlocks, programmers use locks that prevent multiple threads from modifying the value of the same variable at the same time.

Flash Storage

Flash storage describes any type of long-term storage repository supported by flash memory. Flash storage may also be referred to as solid state storage. Unlike traditional hard disk drive storage, flash storage has no mechanical parts which makes it a good choice for storage in mobile technology. Flash storage comes in a variety of formats and prices, ranging from inexpensive consumer-grade USB drives to enterprise-level all flash arrays.

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)

Fixed wireless access (FWA) is an alternative way for an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to provide small businesses and homes with last mile connectivity. Fixed Wireless Access uses radio waves to create a connection between a Point-of-Presence cell tower and an external antenna located on the customer's home or business. When the antenna picks up a radio signal, it forwards the signal wirelessly to a special type of modem that converts the radio waves into WiFi signals.

As 5G coverage expands, FWA is expected to provide ISPs with a cost-effective alternative to DSL, fiber optics and cable, especially in geographical locations where it has been cost-prohibitive for ISPs to lay cable or fiber. Because FWA can provide high speeds with low latency, it's expected to compete with satellite connections in many parts of the world and help reduce the digital divide now that 97% of the world's population lives within reach of a mobile cellular signal.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Software as a service (SaaS) is a software distribution model that delivers application programs over the Internet. End users can access SaaS cloud apps with a web browser. The SaaS provider is responsible for hosting and maintaining the application throughout its lifecycle.

Advantages to using the SaaS delivery model include:

Clients can easily access the software from multiple computing devices.
Updates and patches can be applied automatically without client assistance.
Application access, as well as storage to support application use, can be sold on a subscription basis.
SaaS is also known as hosted software or on-demand software.

Term of the day - 16

Zero-Day Exploit

A zero-day exploit involves targeting specific computer vulnerabilities in tandem with a general announcement that identifies the explicit security vulnerability within a software program. When software vulnerability is identified, information about its nature is relayed to a specific person or software company and a secure remedy is urgently implemented. It is during this precious time period that an attack may occur should the vulnerability be announced to the entire public. The time involved it takes to combat the problem may be longer than it takes to spread the word about it, providing a tip to hackers who may be on the lookout for this type of opportunity.

Cryptojacking

Cryptojacking is the unauthorized use of computing resources to mine cryptocurrencies. The idea is that a smart system can utilize the resources of visiting devices or end users to contribute to bitcoin mining or other similar mining efforts. The use of cryptojacking is spurring enormous controversy over the appropriate use of shared resources and interactions between digital parties. Cryptojacking is also known as cryptomining malware.

Initial Coin Offering

An initial coin offering (ICO) in the world of cryptocurrency defines an event by which a community raises funds for a new cryptocurrency project. It is like the cryptocurrency version of an IPO without much of the regulation and process that accompanies similar efforts within the regulated financial world.

AdaBoost

AdaBoost is a type of algorithm that uses an ensemble learning approach to weight various inputs. It was designed by Yoav Freund and Robert Schapire in the early 21st century. It has now become somewhat of a go-to method for different kinds of boosting in machine learning paradigms.

InfiniBand

InfiniBand is an input/output (I/O) architecture and high-performance specification for data transmission between high-speed, low latency and highly-scalable CPUs, processors and storage. InfiniBand uses a switched fabric network topology implementation, where devices are interconnected using one or more network switches. The overall throughput of this typology exceeds that of popular broadcast mediums, such as Ethernet. The maximum speed is currently around 40 Gbits/s, but the system is layerable to provide higher speeds for supercomputer interconnectivity.

Machine Vision System

A machine vision system (MVS) is a type of technology that enables a computing device to inspect, evaluate and identify still or moving images. It is a field in computer vision and is quite similar to surveillance cameras, but provides automatic image capturing, evaluation and processing capabilities.

Hadoop Cluster

A Hadoop cluster is a hardware cluster used to facilitate utilization of open-source Hadoop technology for data handling. The cluster consists of a group of nodes, which are processes running on either a physical or virtual machine. The Hadoop cluster works in coordination to deal with unstructured data and produce data results.

Data Protection Officer

A data protection officer (DPO) is a position within a company that is responsible for certain data compliance standards. In many ways, the position of data protection officer was created by a European Union regulation called the General Data Protection Regulation – however, data protection officers may have other responsibilities in addition to enforcing compliance with GDPR.

Piggybacking

In the context of computer science and digital communications, "piggybacking" refers to a situation where an unauthorized party gains access to some system in connection with an authorized party. This can happen in several ways, including piggybacking on public wireless networks, and piggybacking into a password-protected system.

Expert Automation and Augmentation Software

Expert Automation and Augmentation Software (EAAS) is a type of software resource that works on the process of automating highly cognitive behaviors or tasks. These types of software programs and systems are said to be taking over the work of semi-skilled white-collar workers in the knowledge economy.

Insuretech

The word "insuretech" is a portmanteau of the words "insurance" and "technology". It represents the intersection of insurance and technology in nearly any form. Insuretech is a useful word in the insurance industry as, like other industries, insurance becomes more reliant on digital platforms and tools.

Wasserstein GAN

The Wasserstein GAN (WGAN) is an algorithm introduced in a paper written by Martin Arjovsky, Soumith Chintala and Léon Bottou at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. The paper examines methods for unsupervised learning, and provides part of the roadmap for dealing with the pursuit of certain outcomes in machine learning projects.

Machine Authentication

Machine authentication is the process of general authentication of a machine over wired or wireless networks when the machine is a “supplicant” seeking to access or share information or accomplish some other type of digital interaction. Machine authentication happens in different ways in various IT setups, but generally involves a “digital certificate” such as in the SSL protocol used on the internet. Machine authentication is also known simply as machine auth.

Hold Down Timer

A hold down timer is a technique used by routers. When a router receives a notification about an offline route or node, the router will initiate a hold down timer allowing the offline router to recover and not update its routing table until the time expires. The router starts a hold down timer as soon as it receives an update that a specific network, node, path or router is unreachable. During this time it will not accept any update from the neighbors falling on that route.

Neural Turing Machine

A neural Turing machine (NTM) is a technology that uses neural network methodologies to achieve the capability to verify algorithms and do other computational work. It is based on the mid-20th century work of renowned data scientist Alan Turing.

Artificial Neuron

An artificial neuron is a digital construct that seeks to simulate the behavior of a biological neuron in the brain. Artificial neurons are typically used to make up an artificial neural network – these technologies are modeled after human brain activity.

Deconvolutional Neural Network

A deconvolutional neural network is a neural network that performs an inverse convolution model. Some experts refer to the work of a deconvolutional neural network as constructing layers from an image in an upward direction, while others describe deconvolutional models as “reverse engineering” the input parameters of a convolutional neural network model. Deconvolutional neural networks are also known as deconvolutional networks, deconvs or transposed convolutional neural networks.

Validation Set

In machine learning, a validation set is used to “tune the parameters” of a classifier. The validation test evaluates the program’s capability according to the variation of parameters to see how it might function in successive testing. The validation set is also known as a validation data set, development set or dev set.

ALOHA

ALOHA was a pioneering networking system developed at the University of Hawaii in 1971 as a first demonstration of wireless networks. It used a medium access method along with experimental UHF frequencies. ALOHA served as the basis for the development of Ethernet and Wi-Fi networking. This term is also known as ALOHAnet.

Abstract Syntax Notation One

Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) is a standard or language defined in 1984 for data structures representing, encoding, decoding and transmitting data. They encapsulate a set of formal rules describing the structure of objects independent of a machine specific encoding mechanism. It also removes ambiguities.

Defect Analysis

Defect analysis is part of the continuous quality improvement planing in which defects are classified into different categories and are also used to identify the possible causes in order to prevent the problems from occurring. It helps projects to identify how issues can be prevented and in reducing or eliminating significant numbers of defects from being injected into the system.

Encryption Key

An encryption key is a random string of bits created explicitly for scrambling and unscrambling data. Encryption keys are designed with algorithms intended to ensure that every key is unpredictable and unique. The longer the key built in this manner, the harder it is to crack the encryption code. An encryption key is used to encrypt, decrypt, or carry out both functions, based on the sort of encryption software used.

Virtual Disaster Recovery

Virtual disaster recovery is a combination of storage and server virtualization that helps to create more effective means of disaster recovery and backup. It is now popular in many enterprise systems because of the many ways that it helps to mitigate risk.

Bitcoin Mining

Smart Grid

A smart grid is an electricity network based on digital technology that is used to supply electricity to consumers via two-way digital communication. This system allows for monitoring, analysis, control and communication within the supply chain to help improve efficiency, reduce energy consumption and cost, and maximize the transparency and reliability of the energy supply chain. The smart grid was introduced with the aim of overcoming the weaknesses of conventional electrical grids by using smart net meters. Many government institutions around the world have been encouraging the use of smart grids for their potential to control and deal with global warming, emergency resilience and energy independence scenarios.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is a designation for certain kinds of hardware and other electrical appliances covered by a European Community law called the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive. This legislation helps to maintain better control systems for the disposal and reuse of electrical/electronic appliances, parts or systems, which can have a drastic effect on the environment if they are disposed of improperly.

White Hat Hacker

A white hat hacker is a computer security specialist who breaks into protected systems and networks to test and asses their security. White hat hackers use their skills to improve security by exposing vulnerabilities before malicious hackers (known as black hat hackers) can detect and exploit them. Although the methods used are similar, if not identical, to those employed by malicious hackers, white hat hackers have permission to employ them against the organization that has hired them.

Extreme Programming

Extreme Programming (XP) is an intense, disciplined and agile software development methodology focusing on coding within each software development life cycle (SDLC) stage. These stages are: Continuous integration to discover and repair problems early in the development process Customer involvement and rapid feedback These XP methodology disciplines are derived from the following four key values of Kent Beck, XP’s originator.

Self-Supervised Learning (SSL)

Term of the day - 17

Liquid State Machine

A liquid state machine (LSM) is a machine learning model or system that is part of a series of particular neural network models. These models build on traditional designs to introduce new and innovative ways of processing information. Like other kinds of neural networks, liquid state machines and similar builds are based around the neurobiology of the human brain.

Output Layer

The output layer in an artificial neural network is the last layer of neurons that produces given outputs for the program. Though they are made much like other artificial neurons in the neural network, output layer neurons may be built or observed in a different way, given that they are the last “actor” nodes on the network.

Derivative Work Right

A derivative work right is the legal permission to develop a new work derived from an original work protected under copyright law. Derivative work rights are only granted for derivative works with original content, versus duplicated copyrighted material. The original author's permission to transform or adapt an original work by the original owner is the essence of a derivative work right.

Hot Add

Hot add refers to the ability to dynamically add hardware, virtual or physical, to a running system without downtime.

Merkle Tree

A Merkle tree is a specific type of data construct in which each non-leaf node of the tree contains hash values of its own child nodes. Because a Merkle tree demonstrates effective hashing techniques, it is popular in many industries and is being used to help innovate in finance.

Deep Belief Network

A deep belief network (DBN) is a sophisticated type of generative neural network that uses an unsupervised machine learning model to produce results. This type of network illustrates some of the work that has been done recently in using relatively unlabeled data to build unsupervised models.

Activation Function

An activation function is the function in an artificial neuron that delivers an output based on inputs. Activation functions in artificial neurons are an important part of the role that the artificial neurons play in modern artificial neural networks.

Do It With Others

Do It With Others (DIWO) is a joint project development model that enables like-minded people to collaboratively work on a task, project or any other service. Do It With Others aims to provide a collaboration platform for individuals and businesses seeking help or participation from a generic audience and specialists to achieve a specific goal or objective. Do It With Others may also be known as Do It Together (DIT).

Restricted Boltzmann Machine

A restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM) is a type of artificial neural network invented by Geoff Hinton, a pioneer in machine learning and neural network design. This type of generative network is useful for filtering, feature learning and classification, and it employs some types of dimensionality reduction to help tackle complicated inputs.

Black Box Testing

Black box testing is a software testing technique that focuses on the analysis of software functionality, versus internal system mechanisms. Black box testing was developed as a method of analyzing client requirements, specifications and high-level design strategies. A black box software tester selects a set of valid and invalid input and code execution conditions and checks for valid output responses. Black box testing is also known as functional testing.

Modular Neural Network

A modular neural network is one that is composed of more than one neural network model connected by some intermediary. Modular neural networks can allow for sophisticated use of more basic neural network systems managed and handled in conjunction.

CPU Ready Queue

A CPU ready queue is a queue that handles jobs or tasks for eventual scheduling with a processor. The term is often used in virtualization setups, where IT professionals try to determine whether resources have been allocated well and whether different components of the system can work efficiently.

Offline

"Offline" refers to a device not connected to a network. It may also be used for a device that is not working properly, such as an "offline printer." Offline can additionally refer to the "real world" outside of the internet. This is normally used to distinguish between online and offline communications, such as email vs. "snail mail.

Overfitting

In statistics and machine learning, overfitting occurs when a model tries to predict a trend in data that is too noisy. Overfitting is the result of an overly complex model with too many parameters. A model that is overfitted is inaccurate because the trend does not reflect the reality of the data.

Data Center Container

A data center container is a self-contained module produced inside a custom-built shipping container that includes a series of rack-mounted servers, along with its own lighting, air conditioning, dehumidification and uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Designed to save deployment resources, data center containers can be easily relocated and installed in parallel with others to build large modular data centers. Another advantage is that they can be up and running, replaced or upgraded in equally short order. A data center container is also known as a data center-in-a-box or modular data center.

Peterson's Algorithm

Peterson's algorithm is a concurrent programming algorithm developed by Gary L. Peterson in a 1981 paper. It is known as a simple algorithm when compared to others. Peterson proved the algorithm using both the 2-process case and the N-process case. Peterson's algorithm is used for mutual exclusion and allows two processes to share a single-use resource without conflict. It uses only shared memory for communication. Peterson's formula originally worked only with two processes, but has since been generalized for more than two.

Secure Hash Algorithm

A secure hash algorithm is actually a set of algorithms developed by the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) and other government and private parties. These secure encryption or "file check" functions have arisen to meet some of the top cybersecurity challenges of the 21st century, as a number of public service groups work with federal government agencies to provide better online security standards for organizations and the public.

Password Protection

Password protection is a security process that protects information accessible via computers that needs to be protected from certain users. Password protection allows only those with an authorized password to gain access to certain information.

Form Factor

A form factor is the overall design and functionality of a computer or piece of electronic hardware. It is usually highlighted by a prominent feature, such as a QWERTY keyboard, a touch screen or the way the device opens and closes. In essence, it is the schematic template that defines the specifications about the layout of a certain device, such as its size, number of ports, power supply type and position of components. A form factor can also serve as a standard or category that can be used to ensure that there is a level of hardware compatibility between devices of similar types, even though they may come from different manufacturers. In this regard, form factor is important, as it affects both the aesthetics and recognizability of a given device as well as its performance and usability. The term sometimes refers to programming or software as well. In this case, it describes the size of the program, such as the amount of memory needed to run it.

Term of the day - 18

Batting

Batting is an Internet meme in which participants hang upside down to resemble a bat with a photographer nearby to capture the unusual pose. The photograph is then downloaded to a favorite website or social networking site.
This is one of several popular Internet gags, which include coning, planking and owling.

Finger

Finger is a networking tool and one of the earliest computer networking programs that enabled a user to view another user’s basic information when using the same computer system or logged on in the same network. The program can determine user identity though an email address and determine whether that user is currently logged in, as well as the status of their log sessions. It was originally created by Les Earnest in 1971 and later became a standard part of BSD UNIX, and was commonly used by Windows users. This was later interfaced by David Zimmerman with the Name program to become the Name/Finger Protocol in 1977.

Nanobot

Nanobots are robots that are microscopic in nature, measured largely on the scale of nanometers. They are currently in the research and development phase, but on realization they are expected to do specific tasks at the atomic, molecular and cellular level and help in bringing about many breakthroughs, especially in medical science. Nanobots are also known as nanomachines, nanorobots, nanomites, nanites or nanoids.

Finger

Finger is a networking tool and one of the earliest computer networking programs that enabled a user to view another user's basic information when that user used that same computer system or was logged on in the same network. The program can determine user identity though an email address and determine whether that user is currently logged in, as well as the status of their log sessions. It was originally created by Les Earnest in 1971 and later became a standard part of BSD UNIX, and was commonly used by Windows users. This was later interfaced by David Zimmerman with the Name program to become the Name/Finger Protocol in 1977.

Alureon

Alureon is a Trojan, rootkit and botnet that is designed specifically to intercept network traffic and extract sensitive and confidential information from it, enabling the attacker to steal information transmitted over a network connection. Alureon is also known as TDSS and TDL-4.

Kyoto Cooling

Kyoto cooling is a cooling alternative for data centers and other infrastructure. Kyoto cooling can help decrease carbon dioxide emissions and otherwise preserve resources.

Hopfield Network

A Hopfield network is a specific type of recurrent artificial neural network based on the research of John Hopfield in the 1980s on associative neural network models. Hopfield networks are associated with the concept of simulating human memory through pattern recognition and storage.

Learning Algorithm

A learning algorithm is an algorithm used in machine learning to help the technology to imitate the human learning process. Combined with technologies like neural networks, learning algorithms create involved, sophisticated learning programs.

Unified Endpoint Management

Unified endpoint management (UEM) refers to an architecture and approach that controls different types of devices such as computers, smartphones and IoT devices from a centralized command point. These types of systems help to make diverse networks safer and more efficient.

Adaptive Resonance Theory

Adaptive resonance theory (ART) is a particular philosophy driving unsupervised artificial neural network models. It uses a specific architecture, often useful in some types of neural networks, to try to build the capacity for new learning while keeping in place fundamental existing models.

Explainable Artificial Intelligence

Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) is a key term in AI design and in the tech community as a whole. It refers to efforts to make sure that artificial intelligence programs are transparent in their purposes and how they work. Explainable AI is a common goal and objective for engineers and others trying to move forward with artificial intelligence progress.

Boot Sector

Boot sector is a reserved sector of a disk or storage device that contains the necessary data or code used to complete the boot process of a disk or a computer. Boot sector is also known as boot block.

Mean Swaps Between Failures

Mean Swaps Between Failures (MSBF) is a specific term used by automated equipment manufacturers that refers to the durability of manufactured systems or products. It is similar to other metrics, including Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) and Mean Time Between Breakdowns (MTBB). All refer to the projected length of time of a tested product before failure or breakdown.

Ferrule

A ferrule is a component in fiber optics used for protecting and aligning the stripped fiber end. The fiber is inserted into the thin structure of the ferrule and provided with an adhesive to prevent contamination as well as to give it long-term mechanical strength. It is a major and costly component in a fiber connector, other ones being coupling mechanisms and the connector bodies. A poor connection can be the result of errors in length, hole centering or inside and outside diameter matching.

Exokernel

Exokernel is an operating system developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that seeks to provide application-level management of hardware resources. The exokernel architecture is designed to separate resource protection from management to facilitate application-specific customization. Exokernels are typically small in size because of their limited operability.

Catch Block

A catch block, in C#, is an optional block of code that is executed when an exception is raised. Catch block is a specific part of the exceptional handling construct, and is implemented using the "catch" keyword in combination with keywords "try" and "finally" and forms the means to implement structured exception handling. A try block includes the guarded code that can cause the exception. It encloses statements that deal with exceptional circumstances and works to recover from such unexpected conditions. Catch block forms the means for handling exceptions. If these are not handled, this can lead to termination of the entire program by the .NET run time. A catch block can be used for handling any or specific exceptions.

Hardcode

A hardcode is a part of a computer program which cannot be altered in any way except by changing the source code of the program itself. This means that if the software has already been compiled and made into an executable, the hardcoded portion of the program stays constant no matter what is done to the software. This is usually done for certain fixed parameters and values that should always be constant, like Pi or the speed of light. The process of creating a hardcode is known as hardcoding.

Wireless Network Engineer

A wireless network engineer is an individual proficient in handling all tasks related to the setup, maintenance and troubleshooting of a
wireless network. This applies to small residential wireless networks or larger and more complex commercial networks.

Dynamic Smart Cooling

Dynamic Smart Cooling is a technology used to monitor power and cooling in data centers. Dynamic Smart Cooling uses a feedback-based control system to provide hot spot control to facility managers. Dynamic Smart Cooling uses sensors that are placed throughout a facility, such as in computer racks, to provide feedback to a central server. System software indicates hot spot locations and increases/decreases cooling as needed.

Parallel Processing

Parallel processing is a method of simultaneously breaking up and running program tasks on multiple microprocessors, thereby reducing processing time. Parallel processing may be accomplished via a computer with two or more processors or via a computer network. Parallel processing is also called parallel computing.

Phishing

Phishing is the fraudulent act of acquiring private and sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, personal identification and account usernames and passwords. Using a complex set of social engineering techniques and computer programming expertise, phishing websites lure email recipients and Web users into believing that a spoofed website is legitimate and genuine. In actuality, the phishing victim later discovers his personal identity and other vital information have been stolen and exposed.

Graph Database

A graph database is a type of NoSQL database that stores data in collections of nodes and edges instead of a series of columns and rows. Each node represents a data point and each edge defines a relationship between two nodes. Graph databases use graph theory models to illustrate how data points are related. This type of database is useful for storing data that has complex, indirect relationships and querying the shortest path between two data points. A graph database may also be referred to as a knowledge graph or graph-oriented database. Popular graph database platforms include Neo4j, Tigergraph and Amazon Neptune.

Session Cookie

A session cookie is a file containing an identifier (a string of letters and numbers) that a website server sends to a browser for temporary use during a limited timeframe. Session cookies are enabled by default. Their purpose is help individual web pages load faster and improve navigation through a website. Each time the browser requests a web page from the server, it includes the session cookie file with its request. The cookie lets the server know which page components the browser has already been sent, so the server doesn't waste time re-sending them. When the browser closes at the end of a session, the file is deleted.

A session cookie is also known as transient cookie. This type of cookie is stored in temporary memory and is only available during an active browser session. End users can adjust browser settings to decline session cookies, however this often results in a poor user experience.

Term of the day - 19

Inference

Inference is a database system technique used to attack databases where malicious users infer sensitive information from complex databases at a high level. In basic terms, inference is a data mining technique used to find information hidden from normal users.

An inference attack may endanger the integrity of an entire database. The more complex the database is, the greater the security implemented in association with it should be. If inference problems are not solved efficiently, sensitive information may be leaked to outsiders.

Peppermint

Peppermint is an open-source, light-weight, fully-featured operating system based on Ubuntu Linux that is geared towards for cloud computing. It is fast in loading and in shutting down, includes an intuitive interface, and is optimized for Web-based applications. Peppermint is named after the OS Linux Mint.

Block Bit Transfer

A bit block transfer is a procedure to transfer blocks of memory, often in the form of visual pixels, between destinations. The term goes back to the 1970s and the use of this sort of routine for sending bitmap graphics in blocks. For example, A bit block transfer process may be used to render sprites onto a visual background. A bit block transfer is also known as bit blit, BLT or BITBLT.

Finally Block

A finally block, in the context of C#, refers to a block of statements that are always executed, regardless of unexpected events or exceptions that may occur during an application's execution. It is used optionally with the "try/catch" block and guarantees the execution of any code that must be executed before exiting the "try" block, regardless of the success or failure of the application's execution. The execution of a finally block is intended to release resources, such as database connections, which are usually available in limited quantities. By this mechanism, the disposal of resources occurs earlier than the garbage collector's finalization operation, thereby optimizing memory.

Capsule Network

A capsule network is a kind of shorthand term for a specific kind of neural network pioneered by Stanford scientist Geoffrey Hinton. In the capsule network, specific methodology is applied to image processing to try to affect an understanding of objects from a three-dimensional spectrum.

Network as a Service

Network as a service (NaaS) is a term that has arisen in the pantheon of software as a service (SaaS) options that are now popular in today's enterprise IT world. Network as a service consists of offering network functionality on a subscription basis, often through the cloud. Network as a service providers virtualize the network setup and give customers the ability to utilize a network that is not really set up in on-premises hardware.

Blockchain Economy

Blockchain economy is a term for a move toward cryptocurrencies and digital ledger systems, and away from traditional national hard currencies and legacy ledger systems. In the blockchain economy, technologies like bitcoin and blockchain are the typical tools for financial management, rather than traditional software programs managing national currencies.

Omnidirectional Treadmill

An omnidirectional treadmill is a mechanical construction that allows for multidirectional movement in a three-dimensional space. Unlike a traditional treadmill that only works in one direction, the omnidirectional treadmill registers movement in all directions and responds to it
with the equivalent treadmill motion.

Progressive Web App

A progressive web app (PWA) is a browser-based application that has become an alternative to a native mobile app. Experts describe PWAs as web apps that “look and feel” similar to a native mobile app.

Autoencoder

An autoencoder (AE) is a specific kind of unsupervised artificial neural network that provides compression and other functionality in the field of machine learning. The specific use of the autoencoder is to use a feedforward approach to reconstitute an output from an input. The input is compressed and then sent to be decompressed as output, which is often similar to the original input. That is the nature of an autoencoder – that the similar inputs and outputs get measured and compared for execution results. An autoencoder is also known as an autoassociator or diabolo network.

Cryptocurrency Exchange

A cryptocurrency exchange is any system that operates on the basis of trading cryptocurrencies with other assets. Like a traditional financial exchange, the cryptocurrency exchange's core operation is to allow for the buying and selling of these digital assets, as well as others. A cryptocurrency exchange is also known as a digital currency exchange (DCE).

Business Continuity Plan

A business continuity plan (BCP) is a plan to help ensure that business processes can continue during a time of emergency or disaster. Such emergencies or disasters might include a fire or any other case where business is not able to occur under normal conditions. Businesses need to look at all such potential threats and devise BCPs to ensure continued operations should the threat become a reality.

A business continuity plan involves the following:

    Analysis of organizational threats
    A list of the primary tasks required to keep the organization operations flowing
    Easily located management contact information
    Explanation of where personnel should go if there is a disastrous event
    Information on data backups and organization site backup
    Collaboration among all facets of the organization
    Buy-in from everyone in the organization

Access Modifiers

Access modifiers are keywords used to specify the accessibility of a class (or type) and its members. These modifiers can be used from code inside or outside the current application. Access modifiers in .NET are used to control the accessibility of each of the members of a type from different possible areas of code. This can be handled from within the current assembly or outside it. An assembly represents a logical unit of functionality and consists of types and resources located in one or more files.

The purpose of using access modifiers is to implement encapsulation, which separates the interface of a type from its implementation. With this, the following benefits can be derived:

Prevention of access to the internal data set by users to invalid state.
Provision for changes to internal implementation of the types without affecting the components using it.
Reduction in complexity of the system by reducing the interdependencies between software components

Non-Deterministic Turing Machine

A non-deterministic Turing machine is a theoretical type of computer in which specific commands may allow for a range of actions, rather than a specific command leading to only one allowable action in the deterministic model of computing. Where deterministic programming is a simple condition of "input X leads to action Y", a non-deterministic Turing machine setup would theoretically allow for input X to lead to a variety of actions Y(array).

Real-Time Strategy

Real-time strategy (RTS) refers to a time-based video game that centers around using resources to build units and defeat an opponent. Real-time strategy games are often compared to turn-based strategy games, where each player has time to carefully consider the next move without having to worry about the actions of his opponent. In real-time strategy games, players must attempt to build their resources, defend their bases and launch attacks while knowing that the opponent is scrambling to do the same things. A real-time strategy game may also be referred to as a real-time simulation or a real-time war game.

Cloud Services

Cloud services refer to any IT services that are provisioned and accessed from a cloud computing provider. This is a broad term that incorporates all delivery and service models of cloud computing and related solutions. Cloud services are delivered over the internet and accessible globally from the internet.

Business Intelligence Architect

A business intelligence architect (BI architect) is a top-level sort of business intelligence analyst who deals with specific aspects of business intelligence, a discipline that uses data in certain ways and builds specific architectures to benefit a business or organization. The business intelligence architect will generally be responsible for creating or working with these architectures, which serve the specific purpose of maximizing the potential of data assets.

Narrow Artificial Intelligence (Narrow AI)

Unlike general artificial intelligence, which seeks to mimic complex thought processes, narrow AI is designed to successfully complete a single task without human assistance. Popular applications for narrow AI include language translation and image recognition.

Most AI applications in use today can be categorized as being narrow AI. Narrow AI may also be referred to as weak AI.

Narrow Continuous Integration Learning

In software development, continuous integration (CI) is the practice of regularly committing code changes to a version control system that can test and deploy code automatically. The term is often mentioned in tandem with continuous delivery, an approach in which code is tested automatically, but is released into production manually. CI/CD uses an iterative approach to releasing code and can be contrasted with the traditional waterfall method of software development.

Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)

Integration platform as a service (iPaaS) is a cloud service that allows software developers to automate how on-premises and cloud-based applications securely share data. An important goal of iPaaS is to simplify management of complex hybrid cloud and multi-cloud architectures. The challenge is that even when simplified, real-time data flows in hybrid and multi-cloud environments can still be very complex.

iPaaS cloud services provide customers with access to an executive dashboard that can easily be customized with pre-built connectors and business rules. The service provider is responsible for handling the back-end services that support hardware management and data governance, including encryption. To accommodate small and mid-size businesses, an increasing number of iPaaS vendors are offering low-code/no-code (LCNC) versions of their iPaaS services. LCNC dashboards allow non-technical line of business (LOB) employees to connect on-premises and cloud applications and synchronize data flows without help from their IT department.

Term of the day - 20

Appending Virus

An appending virus is a type of virus that adds its code to the end of the file of a host program. Its goal is not to destroy the host program, but to slightly modify it so that it will hold the virus code while continuing to operate.

The appending virus copies the first bytes of its code to a safe location and then adds a jump to its code at the beginning of the program that is to run just before the host takes control. Contrary to an overwriting virus, this virus does not permanently destroy any part of the host program, which makes it more difficult to detect the infection.

ACCDB File Format

The .accdb file format is the default file-saving format for the Microsoft Access 2007 and 2010 database applications. Previous versions of Microsoft Access, like 2000 and 2003, use the .mdb file format by default.

Candidate Key

A candidate key is a column, or set of columns, in a table that can uniquely identify any database record without referring to any other data. Each table may have one or more candidate keys, but one candidate key is unique, and it is called the primary key. This is usually the best among the candidate keys to use for identification. When a key is composed of more than one column, it is known as a composite key.

Banker Trojan

A banker Trojan is a piece of malware intended to get financial information or hack users through a banking or financial system, commonly through an online banking or brokerage interface.

Run of Channel

In the marketing world, “run of channel” (ROC) refers to an ad component that gets displayed on multiple digital channels. Some of the most prominent definitions of run of channel talk about various channels of a company's website – and others talk about external channels, including social media and others. Run of channel simply means that there is a strategic effort to display the same ad component in multiple places.

Long Short-Term Memory

Long short-term memory (LSTM) units or blocks are part of a recurrent neural network structure. Recurrent neural networks are made to utilize certain types of artificial memory processes that can help these artificial intelligence programs to more effectively imitate human thought.

Rotoscoping

Rotoscoping is a technique used in physical animation. This technique allows human users to trace drawings frame by frame. It can also bring a sense of realism to projects and was heavily used in developing the kinds of modern physical animation used today.

Operating System Virtualization

Operating system virtualization (OS virtualization) is a server virtualization technology that involves tailoring a standard operating system so that it can run different applications handled by multiple users on a single computer at a time. The operating systems do not interfere with each other even though they are on the same computer. In OS virtualization, the operating system is altered so that it operates like several different, individual systems. The virtualized environment accepts commands from different users running different applications on the same machine. The users and their requests are handled separately by the virtualized operating system. Also known as operating system-level virtualization.

Self-Replicating Machine

Self-replicating machines are a category of autonomous robot that can make copies or reproduce themselves autonomously with help of raw materials from the existing environment. The self-replicating machine is based on the concept of self-replication as found in the nature. Further development of the self-replicating machine concept is considered a critical part of many future plans, like the mining of asteroid belts and moons for minerals and ores.

Workspace as a Service (WaaS)

The term "workspace as a service" (WaaS) in IT refers to services that provide end users with a virtual workspace, which is a model of the kinds of resources end users would have at their desk within a physical office environment.

Non-Deterministic Polynomial Time

Non-deterministic polynomial time (NP) is actually a marker used to point to a set of problems and bounds of the capability of certain types of computing. NP refers to the set of problems that can be solved in polynomial time by a non-deterministic Turing machine.

Erlang Programming Language

The Erlang programming language is a general-purpose, simultaneous and garbage-collected programming language, which also serves as a runtime system. The sequential derivative of Erlang is a functional language with firm calculation, single assignment and dynamic data entry, which concurrently follows the Actor model. Developed by Joe Armstrong in 1986, Erlang was first released by Ericsson as a proprietary language, then released in 1998 as an open source language. Ericsson engineered Erlang to support distributed, fault-tolerant, soft-real-time and non-stop applications. Erlang supports hot swapping; thus code can be replaced without restarting the system.

Capsule Network

A capsule network is a kind of shorthand term for a specific kind of neural network pioneered by Stanford scientist Geoffrey Hinton. In the capsule network, specific methodology is applied to image processing to try to affect an understanding of objects from a three-dimensional spectrum.

Mobile Augmented Reality Application (MARA)

A mobile augmented reality application (MARA) is a type of mobile application that incorporates and complements built-in components in a mobile phone and provides a specialized application to deliver reality-based services and functions. A MARA uses the architectural composition of a mobile phone to deliver applications that add value to the physical world through virtual data and services.

Internet of Overwhelming Things (IoOT)

The Internet of Overwhelming Things (IoOT) refers to the effects of the Internet of Things (IoT) on the IT world. The Internet of Things refers to the concept of a network of physical objects, including traditional home appliances or everyday gadgets/devices, that can connect to the global Internet.

Web Mining

Web mining is the process of using data mining techniques and algorithms to extract information directly from the Web by extracting it from Web documents and services, Web content, hyperlinks and server logs. The goal of Web mining is to look for patterns in Web data by collecting and analyzing information in order to gain insight into trends, the industry and users in general.

Bitcoin (BTC)

Bitcoin is a digital cryptocurrency made up of processed data blocks used for online and brick-and-mortar purchases. Because bitcoins are limited and their value is determined by market forces, bitcoins are also traded like stocks on various exchanges. Relatively new and experimental, bitcoin is described as “the first decentralized digital currency.”

Whaling

Whaling is a specific kind of malicious hacking within the more general category of phishing, which involves hunting for data that can be used by the hacker. In general, phishing efforts are focused on collecting personal data about users. In whaling, the targets are high-ranking bankers, executives or others in powerful positions or job titles.

Artificial Intelligence Robot

Artificial Intelligence Robot or AIBO is a name for a Sony product developed as a robotic pet. Multiple instances of this product line are available in the United States, although they come with price tags of up to several thousand dollars. The AIBO uses an Open-R modular platform to create a life-like interface including voice recognition, machine learning and the ability to respond to stimulus.

Heuristic Programming

Heuristic programming approaches the idea of artificial intelligence by solving problems using experience-based rules or protocols.

Programming Logic

Programming logic is a fundamental construct that's applied to computer science in a variety of comprehensive ways. Programming logic involves logical operations on hard data that works according to logical principles and quantifiable results.

Hand Coding

Hand coding involves writing functional code or layout directions in the basic languages in which they are compiled. The alternative is to use various kinds of tools to implement coding conventions without having to hand code them in the original languages.

Node

A node is a point of intersection/connection within a data communication network. In an environment where all devices are accessible through the network, these devices are all considered nodes. The individual definition of each node depends on the type of network it refers to. For example, within the physical network of a smart home domotics system, each home appliance capable of transmitting or receiving information over the network constitutes a node. However, a passive distribution point such as a patch panel would not be considered a node.

Nodes create, receive and communicate information and store it or relay it to other nodes. For example, a scanner in a computer network creates images and sends them to a computer, while a router organizes data received from the internet and distributes it to the individual devices within the network. The concept of nodes works on several levels, but the big-picture view defines nodes as the major centers through which internet traffic is typically routed. This usage is somewhat confusing, as these same internet nodes are also referred to as internet hubs.

Term of the day - 21

Cloud-in-a-Can

A cloud-in-a-can is a single product that allows a company to deploy a private virtual environment protected by a firewall. Cloud-in-a-can products are intended to reduce the costs of setting up cloud infrastructure. Cloud-in-a-can solutions are usually a combination of software and the hardware needed to run it properly. Cloud-in-a-can solutions are also referred to as cloud-in-a-box.

Virtual Internet Service Provider

A virtual Internet service provider (VISP) is an Internet service provider company that offers Internet services under another brand name, allowing customers to access the Internet through multiple points of presence (POPs). Virtual ISP is also known as wholesale ISP or affinity ISP because the POPs used by the VISPs are controlled and managed by the wholesale ISP.

Cognitive Security

Cognitive security is the idea of utilizing artificial intelligence to improve digital security systems. Bringing AI to the security world is expected to improve comprehensive security a great deal in systems that are otherwise vulnerable to a wide range of threats from hackers and other malicious actors.

Internet of Everything

The Internet of Everything (IoE) is a broad term that refers to devices and consumer products connected to the Internet and outfitted with expanded digital features. It is a philosophy in which technology's future is comprised of many different types of appliances, devices and items connected to the global Internet. The term is somewhat synonymous with the Internet of Things (IoT).

Cloud-Based Point of Sale

Cloud-based point of sale (cloud-based POS) is a type of point-of-sale system where information for transaction processing comes from a remote cloud service. In general, POS refers to the place where purchases happen, for instance, at a cashier�s kiosk or at a hostess desk (or side table) at a restaurant.

Data Exhaust

Data exhaust refers to the data generated as trails or information byproducts resulting from all digital or online activities. These consist of storable choices, actions and preferences such as log files, cookies, temporary files and even information that is generated for every process or transaction done digitally. This data can be very revealing about an individual, so it is very valuable to researchers and especially to marketers and business entities.

Hidden Markov Model

A hidden Markov model (HMM) is a kind of statistical model that is a variation on the Markov chain. In a hidden Markov model, there are "hidden" states, or unobserved, in contrast to a standard Markov chain where all states are visible to the observer. Hidden Markov models are used for machine learning and data mining tasks including speech, handwriting and gesture recognition.

Zombie VM

A zombie VM is a virtual machine that is not functioning properly in a software environment, but continues to operate, sucking up resources and providing no value.

Van Eck Phreaking

Van Eck phreaking is a form of digital espionage whereby an eavesdropper detects and analyzes digital signals using equipment that can pick up the electromagnetic emissions put out by a cathode ray tube (CRT) or LCD display. This makes it possible for someone to read the images on another person's display from a distance. There are ways to obscure or reduce display emission in order to thwart Van Eck phreaking, but they are not commercially viable because the security risk that Van Eck phreaking poses to the general public is considered to be very small. This is because Van Eck phreaking requires specialized knowledge and decoding equipment that is not widely available. Highly sensitive computer networks do, however, use Faraday cages to prevent any possibility of a breach via Van Eck phreaking.

Virtual To Physical

Virtual to physical (V2P) is the process of converting or porting a virtual machine (VM) onto and/or as a standard physical machine. V2P allows a VM to transform into a physical machine without losing its state, data and overall operations. Virtual to physical is also known as virtual to physical migration (V2P migration).

Synchronous Learning

Synchronous learning refers to a form of education, learning or instruction in which the student learns from the instructor in real time but not necessarily in person or in the same place. The most basic example of synchronous learning is the classroom environment, but now e-learning alternatives have become available. E-learning is often done via a teleconference or video conference over a network such as the Internet, and it can take the form of one-on-one tutorials and even online seminars, often called webinars.

Nanofabrication

Nanofabrication refers to the design process of nanomaterial and devices that are measured in nanometers. One nanometer is one millionth (10-9) of a meter. Nanofabrication helps in parallel processing of material over a large scale. It is a cost-effective method whereby large-scale economy is manufactured using the same machinery and design and small amount of material.

Brain-Computer Interface

A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a technology that allows communication between a human or animal brain and an external technology. This term can refer to an interface that takes signals from the brain to an external piece of hardware, or a technology that sends signals to the brain. Various different brain-computer interface technologies have been developed at different times, through different methods and for diverse purposes, including in virtual reality technology. A brain-computer interface may also be known as a brain-machine interface, a direct neural interface, or a mind-machine interface.

Machine-Oriented High-Level Language

Machine-oriented high-level language (MOHLL) refers to any machine language that has the capabilities of a high-level programming language. Machine-oriented high-level language provides the typical features of a low-level language along with the advanced statement and program control features found in high level languages. Machine-oriented high-level language is related to advanced versions of assembly language. Machine-oriented high-level language primarily enables building programs in assembly language or machine language to gain more control over the underlying hardware architecture.

Collaboration Data Objects

Collaboration Data Objects (CDO) is an application programming interface (API) built into Microsoft Server products. CDO provides access to the global address list, mailbox content, public folders and other server objects related to messaging and Microsoft Outlook. CDO cannot be used to directly program added functionality to MS Outlook. The function library of CDO gives developers a convenient way to create, manipulate and send Internet messages, which is not possible with applications such as Microsoft Outlook. Collaboration Data Objects was previously known as OLE Messaging or Active Messaging.

Machine-Generated Data

Machine-generated data are information that is the explicit result of a computer process or application process, created without human intervention. This means that data manually entered by an end-user are definitely not considered as machine-generated. These data cross all sectors, which make use of computers in any of their daily operations and humans increasingly generate this data unknowingly, or at least cause it to be generated by the machine.

Edge Computing

Edge computing in IT is defined as the deployment of data-handling activities or other network operations away from centralized and always-connected network segments, and toward individual sources of data capture, such as endpoints like laptops, tablets or smartphones. Through this type of network engineering, IT professionals hope to improve network security and enhance other network outcomes.

Containerization

Containerization is a type of virtualization strategy that emerged as an alternative to traditional hypervisor-based virtualization. As with the latter, container-based virtualization involves creating specific virtual pieces of a hardware infrastructure, but unlike the traditional approach, which fully splits these virtual machines from the rest of the architecture, containerization just creates separate containers at the operating system level.

Digital Forensics

Digital forensics is the process of uncovering and interpreting electronic data. The goal of the process is to preserve any evidence in its most original form while performing a structured investigation by collecting, identifying and validating the digital information for the purpose of reconstructing past events. The context is most often for usage of data in a court of law, though digital forensics can be used in other instances.

Virtual Infrastructure

A virtual infrastructure is a software-based IT infrastructure being hosted on another physical infrastructure and meant to be distributed as a service as in cloud computing's Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) delivery model. It provides organizations, particularly smaller ones, that cannot afford to build their own physical infrastructure, access to enterprise-grade technology such as servers and applications. The distribution is often done via the cloud, meaning over large networks such as the Internet.

Robotic Process Automation

Robotic process automation (RPA) is the practice of automating routine business practices with "software robots" that perform tasks automatically. These tasks include transaction processing, IT management and automated online assistants. These software robots could replace human beings for common tasks. Robotic process automation makes heavy use of artificial intelligence to train these robots.

Virtual Machine Escape

Virtual machine escape is a security exploit that enables a hacker/cracker to gain access to the primary hypervisor and its created virtual machines. Virtual machine escape enables a user to escape from the guest OS boundary created and managed by the hypervisor and gain access to the top tier virtualization layer.

Decision Theory

Decision theory is a study of an agent's rational choices that supports all kinds of new progress in technology such as work on machine learning and artificial intelligence. Decision theory looks at how decisions are made, how multiple decisions influence one another, and how decision-making parties deal with uncertainty. Decision theory is also known as theory of choice.

Lemmatization

The process of lemmatization in natural language processing involves working with words according to their root lexical components. It is used in natural language processing and natural language understanding in computer programming and artificial intelligence.

Automatic Machine Learning

Automatic machine learning (AutoML) is a general discipline that involves automating any part of the entire process of machine learning application. By working with various stages of the machine learning process, engineers develop solutions to expedite, enhance and automate parts of the machine learning pipeline. Automatic machine learning is also known as automated machine learning.

Deep Reinforcement Learning

Deep reinforcement learning is reinforcement learning that is applied using deep neural networks. This type of learning involves computers on acting on sophisticated models and looking at large amounts of input in order to determine an optimized path or action.

Snowshoe Spamming

Snowshoe spamming is a strategy in which spam is propagated over several domains and IP addresses to weaken reputation metrics and avoid filters. The increasing number of IP addresses makes recognizing and capturing spam difficult, which means that a certain amount of spam reaches their destination email inboxes. Specialized spam trapping organizations are often hard pressed to identify and trap snowshoe spamming via conventional spam filters. The strategy of snowshoe spamming is similar to actual snowshoes that distribute the weight of an individual over a wide area to avoid sinking into the snow. Likewise, snowshoe spamming delivers its weight over a wide area to remain clear of filters.

Metadata

Metadata is data about data. In other words, it is data that is used to describe another item's content. The term metadata is often used in the context of Web pages, where it describes page content for a search engine.

Cryptocurrency Exchange

A cryptocurrency exchange is any system that operates on the basis of trading cryptocurrencies with other assets. Like a traditional financial exchange, the cryptocurrency exchange's core operation is to allow for the buying and selling of these digital assets, as well as others. A cryptocurrency exchange is also known as a digital currency exchange (DCE).

FTP Server

The primary purpose of an FTP server is to allow users to upload and download files. An FTP server is a computer that has a file transfer protocol (FTP) address and is dedicated to receiving an FTP connection. FTP is a protocol used to transfer files via the internet between a server (sender) and a client (receiver). An FTP server is a computer that offers files available for download via an FTP protocol, and it is a common solution used to facilitate remote data sharing between computers.

An FTP server is an important component in FTP architecture and helps in exchanging files over the internet. The files are generally uploaded to the server from a personal computer or other removable hard drives (such as a USB flash drive) and then sent from the server to a remote client via the FTP protocol.

An FTP server needs a TCP/IP network to function and is dependent on the use of dedicated servers with one or more FTP clients. In order to ensure that connections can be established at all times from the clients, an FTP server is usually switched on; up and running 24/7.

An FTP server is also known as an FTP site or FTP host.

Term of the day - 22

Kubernetes

The Kubernetes container system is an open-source system for container virtualization. It is a popular part of new enterprise plans to streamline IT services and architectures, for example, the creation of microservices or new application containment systems that help companies to enhance their processes and build a “DevOps” or agile development model.

Rapid Mobile Application Development

Rapid mobile application development (RMAD) is a specific type of rapid application development (RAD) that affects mobile designs. It is based on the idea that application development can be expedited with various streamlining approaches.

Secure Real-Time Protocol

Secure Real-Time Protocol (Secure RTP or SRTP) is an extension of the RTP protocol with an enhanced security mechanism. It provides encryption, authentication and integrity verification of data and messages passed through the RTP-based communication protocol. Released in 2004, SRTP was developed by Cisco and Ericsson security experts.

Dark Data

Dark data is a type of unstructured, untagged and untapped data that is found in data repositories and has not been analyzed or processed. It is similar to big data but differs in how it is mostly neglected by business and IT administrators in terms of its value. Dark data is also known as dusty data.

Multi-Cloud Strategy

A multi-cloud strategy, often spoken of in the context of enterprise, is when a client or stakeholder uses more than one cloud computing service. It has been a time-tested method of optimizing business operations for companies of significant sizes that have different needs for different data sets or services.

Quantum Computer

A quantum computer is a computer that operates on and/or incorporates aspects of quantum theory. Quantum computers are largely theoretical because of the massive amount of data needed to make them perform significantly, although some practical models have been developed, and current research is attempting to realize some of the theory of quantum computing. Quantum computers may also be called probabilistic or nondeterministic computers.

Big Data Streaming

Big data streaming is a process in which big data is quickly processed in order to extract real-time insights from it. The data on which processing is done is the data in motion. Big data streaming is ideally a speed-focused approach wherein a continuous stream of data is processed.

IoT Solutions Architect

An IoT solutions architect is a professional role involved in developing practical uses and applications of internet of things technology. The IoT solutions architect typically works with engineers and salespeople to facilitate process development.

Delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance (dBFT)

Delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance (dBFT) is a sophisticated algorithm meant to facilitate consensus on a blockchain. Although it is not in common use as of yet, it represents an alternative to simpler proof of stake, proof of importance and proof of work methods.

Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS)

Delegated proof of stake (DPoS) is a verification and consensus mechanism in the blockchain. It competes with other proof of work and proof of stake models as a way to verify transactions and promote blockchain organization.

Clustering

Clustering, in the context of databases, refers to the ability of several servers or instances to connect to a single database. An instance is the collection of memory and processes that interacts with a database, which is the set of physical files that actually store data. Clustering offers two major advantages, especially in high-volume database environments:

Fault tolerance: Because there is more than one server or instance for users to connect to, clustering offers an alternative, in the event of individual server failure.

Load balancing: The clustering feature is usually set up to allow users to be automatically allocated to the server with the least load.

Soft Robotics

Soft robotics is the subset of robotics that focuses on technologies that more closely resemble the physical characteristics of living organisms. Experts describe the soft robotics approach as a form of biomimicry in which the traditionally linear and somewhat stilted aspects of robotics are replaced by much more sophisticated models that imitate human, animal and plant life.

Brooks' Law

Brooks’ Law refers to a well-known software development principle coined by Fred Brooks in The Mythical Man-Month. The law, "Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later," states that when a person is added to a project team, and the project is already late, the project time is longer, rather than shorter.

Cluster Analysis

Cluster analysis is a statistical classification technique in which a set of objects or points with similar characteristics are grouped together in clusters. It encompasses a number of different algorithms and methods that are all used for grouping objects of similar kinds into respective categories. The aim of cluster analysis is to organize observed data into meaningful structures in order to gain further insight from them.

Distributed System

A distributed system is any network structure that consists of autonomous computers that are connected using a distribution middleware. Distributed systems facilitate sharing different resources and capabilities, to provide users with a single and integrated coherent network. The opposite of a distributed system is a centralized system. If all of the components of a computing system reside in one machine, as was the case with early mainframes such as Von Neumann machines, it is not a distributed system.

Hashing

Hashing is the process of translating a given key into a code. A hash function is used to substitute the information with a newly generated hash code. More specifically, hashing is the practice of taking a string or input key, a variable created for storing narrative data, and representing it with a hash value, which is typically determined by an algorithm and constitutes a much shorter string than the original. The hash table will create a list where all value pairs are stored and easily accessed through its index. The result is a technique for accessing key values in a database table in a very efficient manner as well as a method to improve the security of a database through encryption.

Hashing makes use of algorithms that transform blocks of data from a file in a much shorter value or key of a fixed length that represent those strings. The resulting hash value is a sort of concentrated summary of every string within a given file, and should be able to change even when a single byte of data in that file is changed (avalanche effect). This provides massive benefits in hashing in terms of data compression. While hashing is not compression, it can operate very much like file compression in that it takes a larger data set and shrinks it into a more manageable form. Suppose you had "John's wallet ID" written 4000 times throughout a database. By taking all of those repetitive strings and hashing them into a shorter string, you’re saving tons of memory space.

Term of the day - 23

Breadcrumb Navigation

Breadcrumb navigation is a tool used in Web searches that allows users to retrace their steps, or go back to a point in time that relates to their original search. Breadcrumb navigation derived its name from the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel", in which the two main characters used a breadcrumb trail to find their way back home. Breadcrumb navigation links the user back to the prior website page in the overall online route. In other words, the breadcrumb trail will allow the user to backtrack through the previous pages. Breadcrumb navigation may also be called a breadcrumb trail or a cookie crumb trail.

Empowered Edge

Empowered edge is a term in IT that is used to talk about empowering computing centralization that is distributed toward the edge of a network, toward the end user and the end user device. It is a key concept in device management in the cloud and big data age. Empowered edge is also known as device democracy.

Machine Intelligence

Machine intelligence is a somewhat obscure term for specific kinds of artificial intelligence that are being noticing as the field advances. A definition put forth by some artificial intelligence companies is that machine intelligence “enables a machine to interact with an environment in an intelligent way.”

Undefined Behavior

In computer science, undefined behavior happens when a computer language does not handle a certain operation that is coded into a codebase. Some experts describe this as “assumptions made by translators of a source code,” suggesting that when there is not a procedure for a certain syntax, that leads to a problem that is hard to predict in terms of its resolution.

Bandwidth Shaping

Bandwidth shaping is the process of allocating parts of network connections as well as establishing bandwidth usage amounts that correspond to activity types. As it relates ISPs, the term refers to the limitations they set to manage the amount of bandwidth individual consumers use so that no one user can obtain a disproportionate amount of control over the Internet gateway.

Cross-Browser

Cross-browser refers to the ability of a website, HTML construct, application or even client-side script to work in several different environments, ones that provide its required features. Similar to the way a cross-platform program is one that can run across multiple computer platforms, cross-browser websites are capable of running in several browsers.

Embedded Intelligence

Embedded intelligence is a term for a self-referential process in technology where a given system or program has the ability to analyze its own operations. Embedded intelligence is often inherent in some business process, automation program or task-based resource. Using embedded intelligence, companies can get smarter about how they deploy technology in enterprise environments.

Bake-Off

A bake-off is a research process or proof of concept in which competing technologies are compared and the best product or service is selected.

A bake-off may also refer to a meeting in which software programmers challenge network protocols with their best innovative programs.

A bake-off may also be called a technology bake-off.

Bayesian Statistics

Bayesian statistics is a type of dynamic probability statistics commonly used in today’s world of artificial intelligence and machine learning. These technologies seek to go beyond pure linear programming to a more probabilistic approach. Bayesian statistics complements this idea, because a Bayesian statistical approach is more sophisticated and based on a different probabilistic foundation than “frequentist” statistics that have been the most common type of statistical analysis done to date.

Hash Rate

A hash rate in blockchain and cryptocurrency operations is defined as the number of hash operations done in a given amount of time, or the speed of a miner's performance. The hash rate is an important factor in the logistics of cryptocurrency mining and blockchain operations, and something that is often evaluated and discussed in cryptocurrency communities.

Variety

Variety is a 3 V's framework component that is used to define the different data types, categories and associated management of a big data repository. Variety provides insight into the uniqueness of different classes of big data and how they are compared with other types of data.

Cryptomining

The practice of “cryptomining” or cryptocurrency mining involves adding various cryptocurrency transactions and evidence of mining work to the blockchain ledger. As a miner works to generate the block contents and algorithmic outputs that make up new blockchain transactions, they are said to be creating a new “coin” of a particular kind in the blockchain.

Chatbot

A chatbot is an artificial intelligence (AI) program that simulates interactive human conversation by using key pre-calculated user phrases and auditory or text-based signals. Chatbots are frequently used for basic customer service and marketing systems that frequent social networking hubs and instant messaging (IM) clients. They are also often included in operating systems as intelligent virtual assistants. A chatbot is also known as an artificial conversational entity (ACE), chat robot, talk bot, chatterbot or chatterbox.

Typosquatting

Typosquatting is a questionable technique used by a cybersquatter to attract website traffic by redirecting common typos of popular search terms or major websites to their own sites. Cybersquatters may try to sell products, install malware on a user's machine or even make an opposing political statement. The extreme version of typosquatting is similar to phishing, where an impostor website mimics a real site, thus providing the user with a false impression that he or she has accessed the correct web page.

Zombie Cookie

A zombie cookie is an HTTP cookie that returns to life automatically after being deleted by the user. Zombie cookies are recreated using a technology called Quantcast, which creates Flash cookies to trace users on the internet. The Flash cookies are then used to recreate browser cookies, becoming zombie cookies that never die.

Community Cloud

A community cloud is a cloud service model that provides a cloud computing solution to a limited number of individuals or organizations that is governed, managed and secured commonly by all the participating organizations or a third party managed service provider.

Stealth Mode

Stealth mode is an IT business strategy in which software, hardware or an IT product/service is intentionally hidden from the market, competitors or the general public until a predefined or completion date. It is the practice of keeping a product or service under wraps, specifically in highly competitive markets.

Big Data Visualization

Big data visualization refers to the implementation of more contemporary visualization techniques to illustrate the relationships within data. Visualization tactics include applications that can display real-time changes and more illustrative graphics, thus going beyond pie, bar and other charts. These illustrations veer away from the use of hundreds of rows, columns and attributes toward a more artistic visual representation of the data.

Kaggle

Kaggle is a subsidiary of Google that functions as a community for data scientists and developers. Those interested in machine learning or other kinds of modern development can join the community of over 1 million registered users and talk about development models, explore data sets, or network across 194 separate countries around the world.

Common Language Infrastructure (CLI)

Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) is a Microsoft specification for running high-level language program applications in different computer systems without changing the application code. CLI is based on the Microsoft .NET concept that some high-level language programs require modifications due to system hardware and processing constraints. CLI compiles applications as Intermediate Language (IL), which is automatically compiled as native system code. This approach allows applications to run without code rewrites in limited systems.

Information Security Audit

An information security audit occurs when a technology team conducts an organizational review to ensure that the correct and most up-to-date processes and infrastructure are being applied. An audit also includes a series of tests that guarantee that information security meets all expectations and requirements within an organization. During this process, employees are interviewed regarding security roles and other relevant details.

Pulsing Zombie

A pulsing zombie is a degradation-of-service attack that occurs when a hacker maliciously targets a system and compromises computer security by sending a steady stream of attacks over a long period of time. Pulsing zombie attacks generally occur without the website users' knowledge. Although pulsing zombie attacks weaken system performance, they do not shut down systems like with a typical denial-of-service attacks.

Cloud Management

Cloud management is the process of evaluating, monitoring and optimizing cloud computing based solutions and services to produce the desired efficiency, performance and overall service level required. Cloud management is the practice of end-to-end supervision of the cloud environment by an organization, cloud service vendor or both. It ensures that the cloud computing services are delivered and operated in the most optimal form.

Ransomware

Ransomware is a type of malware programming that infects, locks or takes control of a system. The attacker then requests a financial payment to undo the malicious action. Ransomware attackers typically encrypt files and demand digital currency in exchange for the correct decryption key. The attacker may threaten to leak exfiltrated data to the public or post it for sale on the dark web if the ransom is not paid. Ransomware is distributed through malicious email attachments, infected downloads and compromised websites. The attacker will typically demand payment in a specific cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, to avoid detection through conventional follow-the-money tracing methods used by law enforcement. Ransomware may also be referred to as a crypto-virus, crypto-Trojan or crypto-worm.

Microservices

A microservice is a modular software component that does one defined job. Microservices, which have become the default architecture for software development, can run as processes in application servers, virtual machines (VMs) and containers. Each microservice is a mini-application that has its own business logic and adapters for carrying out functions such as database access and messaging. Microservices typically communicate with each other using Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

Edge Computing

Edge computing is the practice of processing data as close to its source as possible in order to reduce network latency by minimizing communication time between clients and servers. In an edge computing network architecture, data that was traditionally sent to the cloud or a central data center is processed locally, close to where the data originated. The benefits of edge computing include data-stream acceleration and real-time data processing without latency. This approach to processing data at the edge of the network also allows threat monitoring and network analytic tools to be deployed where they’re needed most.

Blockchain

Blockchains are lists of records that are linked together using cryptography. Each record is called a block. The blocks contain the record data and a cryptographic hash to the previous block in the chain. The cryptographic hash is created using the data in the record. So, if any of the data is changed, the link to that data will no longer be valid. This linking creates a secure record history because it is not possible to change a record without altering all the subsequent blocks attached to it, referred to as an immutable ledger. Blockchains are used to record cryptocurrency transactions. The structure of blockchains allows both parties to efficiently verify the transaction.

Because it is the structure of the data that secures the information, blockchains allow transaction records to be open and distributed. All parties can access the entire record of transactions. This allows users to verify that funds are available before a transaction and blockchains create a secure record of the transaction. This makes it harder for someone to make a fraudulent payment. The transaction ledger can also be stored on peer-to-peer systems because the blocks include the location of the next record. No central intermediary is required. The distributed nature of blockchains makes it harder for hackers to gain access to the system. There is no one central point that is vulnerable to attack.

Composable Infrastructure

A composable infrastructure is a type of infrastructure that is pieced together conceptually, where individual elements such as compute, storage and network elements are treated as individual services. The composable infrastructure is meant to operate independently of a single hardware platform, and resource pooling helps to provide what individual elements need to perform well. The use of application programming interfaces (APIs) can help companies to create these types of infrastructures.

Radio Frequency Identification

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) refers to technologies that use wireless communication between an object (or tag) and interrogating device (or reader) to automatically track and identify such objects. The tag transmission range is limited to several meters from the reader. A clear line of sight between the reader and tag is not necessarily required. Several industry groups, including the International Standards Organization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), regulate and define RFID interoperability standards.

Intelligent Sensor

An intelligent sensor, as the name suggests, is a sensor device that is able to perform a number of intelligent functions as part of its task or duty. An intelligent sensor is able to self-test, self-validate and self-adapt as well as self-identify. These sensors understand the environment they are put into and they can manage a wide range of conditions.

Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM)

Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) is a strategic approach to lowering the probability that an organization’s reputation and/or profitability will be harmed by an untrustworthy supply chain component.

Supply chain risk management software platforms can help stakeholders improve supply chain resiliency by using data to identify areas of risk and proactively mitigate them. This type of software platform is often procured as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) cloud app.

The features of an enterprise SCRM platform can help stakeholders:

Use real-time data and big data analytics to optimize supply chain resources.
Take advantage of machine learning algorithms to identify and prioritize risk remediation efforts.
Experiment with graph databases to map dependencies between supplier components.
Manage third-party risk more effectively by identifying more than one supplier for key purchase items.
Vet new suppliers by automating the processes required to collect, analyze and manage supplier information.
Automate communication and smart contract updates with supply chain partners.
Cross-reference supplier software bill of materials (SBOM).

Term of the day - 24

Word of Mouse

The phrase “word of mouse” is a new version of the older term “word of mouth” that applies to the digital era – “word of mouse” is people passing along messages about a company or product (or anything else) through digital forums.

Source Routing

Source routing is a specific routing process where senders can specify the route that data packets take through a network. This allows for troubleshooting and various transmission goals. Source routing is an alternative to traditional routing where packets just move through a network based on their destination. Source routing is also known as path addressing.

Standard ML (SML)

Standard ML (SML) is a newer version of the “Meta Language” or ML programming language developed in the 1970s. ML has roots in LISP, which is one of a family of computing programming languages with parenthesized prefix notation.

Business Email Compromise (BEC)

A business email compromise (BEC) attack is a type of deceptive hack in which malicious outsiders target company email systems. By spoofing a corporate email account, BEC attackers can get access to critical data and perform various kinds of effective hacking. These attacks are also often called “man-in-the-email” attacks.

Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT)

Artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) is a broad term for applying artificial intelligence to the internet of things (IoT), a new phenomenon that represents many simple digital connections between hardware devices. The internet of things is comprised of billions of small connected devices, including traditional devices and appliances networked together and communicating over internet protocols. Adding AI to IoT brings its own system of challenges and potential solutions.

Orphan Account

An orphan account is a corporate account that has permissions to access sensitive data or internal systems but does not belong to a specific legitimate user. These types of user accounts can be a significant liability to businesses.

Accounting as a Service (AaaS)

Accounting as a service (AaaS) is a business and technology term used to refer to innovative next-generation methods of providing accounting services to a client. Aspects of accounting as a service include the idea of using cloud services to provide accounting services, and the idea that accounting becomes a modular service design, rather than a traditional office-to-office relationship.

Actionable Insight

Actionable insight is a term in data analytics and big data for information that can be acted upon or information that gives enough insight into the future that the actions that should be taken become clear for decision makers. It is often the result of extensive data analytics and other data processing; in short it is an analytics result that provides enough data for managers and organizations to make an informed decision.

Superscalar Processor

A superscalar processor is a specific type of microprocessor that uses instruction-level parallelism to help to facilitate more than one instruction executed during a clock cycle. This depends on analysis of the instructions to be carried out and the use of multiple execution units to triage these instructions.

DevOps

The term DevOps is commonly considered a combination of the concepts of development and operations. It is used in IT to refer to roles or processes that bridge various departments – usually development and operations teams – to achieve a certain project management philosophy that involves more efficiency in communications between development teams and other parts of a greater business or organization.

Freemium

Freemium is a business strategy or model implemented by business owners or service providers to allow a user to use the basic features of a service or product free of charge for a limited time period. The service providers normally charge a premium for additional or advanced features. The term freemium is a blend of the words "free" and "premium."

Location Intelligence

Location intelligence is a broad term for a type of technology that is very quickly proliferating – the capacity of technology to track items or people in a physical space. Location technology is being widely used in consumer-facing technologies and in other fields such as security and law enforcement.

AIOps

AIOps is a methodology that is on the frontier of enterprise IT operations. AIOps automates various aspects of IT and utilizes the power of artificial intelligence to create self-learning programs that help revolutionize IT services.

Comma-Separated Values File (CSV)

A comma separated values (CSV) file contains different values separated by a delimiter, which acts as a database table or an intermediate form of a database table. In other words, a CSV file is a set of database rows and columns stored in a text file such that the rows are separated by a new line while the columns are separated by a semicolon or a comma. A CSV file is primarily used to transport data between two databases of different formats through a computer program.

Blackholing

Blackholing is an anti-spam technique in which an internet service provider (ISP) blocks packets coming from a certain domain or address. Blackholing can also refer to an individual who sets up a similar barrier up for his or her personal network. Blackholing of specific domains can prevent certain types of malware and denial of service attacks.

Big Mother

Big Mother is a slang term that refers to modern technology that parents can use to monitor their children. The range of Big Mother technology is quite large. Some examples include: Geolocation, Cell phone spy software, Nanny cams, Purchase tracking software, Car chips and cameras.

Dark Fiber

Dark fiber is unused optical fiber that has been laid but is not currently being used in fiber-optic communications. Because fiber-optic cable transmits information in the form of light pulses, a "dark" cable refers to one through which light pulses are not being transmitted. There are thousands of miles of dark fiber across the U.S., as companies have installed additional fiber optic systems. These companies assume that they will be able to lease those dark fibers to cable TV, telephone or other companies looking to expand their reach in the future. The fibers are neither controlled nor connected to the phone company, but the phone company provides the necessary functional components.

Dark fiber services are provided by local exchange carriers (LECs) to maintain optical fiber transmission capacity between customer locations where light for fibers is provided by the customers. Dark fiber is also known as unlit fiber.

Big Iron

Big iron is a slang word commonly used to describe a very large, expensive and extremely fast computer. It is often used to refer to oversized computers such as Cray’s supercomputer or IBM’s mainframe. The term big iron originated in the 1970s, when smaller computers known as minicomputers were introduced. To describe larger computers compared to the small minicomputers, the term big iron was coined by users and the industry.

Big iron computers are primarily used by large companies to process massive amounts of data such as bank transactions. They are designed with considerable internal memory, a high aptitude for external storage, top-quality internal engineering, superior technical support, fast throughput input/output and reliability.

Deep Web

The deep web refers to any internet information or data that is inaccessible by a search engine and includes all web pages, websites, intranets, networks and online communities that are intentionally and/or unintentionally hidden, invisible or unreachable to search engine crawlers. The deep web is also known as the hidden web, undernet, deepnet or invisible web.

Parallax Scrolling

Parallax scrolling is a scrolling technique used in computer graphics in which background images move more slowly than images in the foreground, creating the illusion of depth and immersion. It is often used in video games.

URL Rewriting

URL rewriting is the process of modifying Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) for various purposes. The URL as a “web address” is a string that, when entered into the browser bar field, directs the browser to move to a given site and page. Changing the URL can help with user access and site visibility; it can also be used by hackers to redirect users without their knowledge or “trap” them in a certain site. URL rewriting is also known as URL manipulation.

DataOps

The DataOps approach seeks to apply the principles of agile software development and DevOps (combining development and operations) to data analytics, to break down silos and promote efficient, streamlined data handling across many segments. DataOps is served by tools, technologies and techniques that combine multiple stages of a staged process to improve and enhance the management of data for enterprise use.

Technodeterminism

Technodeterminism is a reductionist theory created by an American sociologist, Thorstein Veblen, which states that the improvement of society’s cultural values and social structure is driven by the technology it possesses. Technological advancements as a whole have become a key aspect influencing change and history. Other technodeterminists include Clarence Ayes, John Dewey, and William Ogburn. Technodeterminism is also known as technological determinism.

Labeled Data

Labeled data is a designation for pieces of data that have been tagged with one or more labels identifying certain properties or characteristics, or classifications or contained objects. Labels make that data specifically useful in certain types of machine learning known as supervised machine learning setups.

Analytics of Things

Analytics of Things is the term used to describe the analysis of the data generated by the Internet of Things devices. In other words, analytics of the Internet of Things is Analytics of Things. Analytics of Things is required so as to make the connected devices smart and to give the devices the ability to make intelligent decisions.

Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ)

Automatic Repeat ReQuest (ARQ), also called Automatic Repeat Query, is an error-control protocol that automatically initiates a call to retransmit any data packet or frame after receiving flawed or incorrect data. When the transmitting device fails to receive an acknowledgement signal to confirm the data has been received, it usually retransmits the data after a predefined timeout and repeats the process a predetermined number of times until the transmitting device receives the acknowledgement. ARQs are often used to assure reliable transmissions over an unreliable service.

AWS Elastic Beanstalk

AWS Elastic Beanstalk is an application deployment tool that helps developers to deploy applications on AWS. This service helps make application deployment quicker and more efficient, and it takes a lot of the guesswork out of deploying applications in the AWS environment.

Deterministic Finite Automaton

A deterministic finite automaton is a type of deterministic algorithm based on a state that changes with inputs. These are also known as deterministic finite state machines or deterministic finite acceptors.They are different from probabilistic and non-deterministic models in that one input (X) results in one known output (Y).

Boolean Logic

Boolean logic is a type of computer science originally developed by mathematician George Boole in the mid-1800s. It supports a great deal of algorithmic programming and the emergence of computing functionality approaching artificial intelligence (AI).

Sandbox

A sandbox is a style of game in which minimal character limitations are placed on the gamer, allowing the gamer to roam and change a virtual world at will. In contrast to a progression-style game, a sandbox game emphasizes roaming and allows a gamer to select tasks. Instead of featuring segmented areas or numbered levels, a sandbox game usually occurs in a "world" to which the gamer has full access from start to finish. A sandbox game is also known as an open-world or free-roaming game.

Neuro Symbolic Artificial Intelligence

Neuro Symbolic Artificial Intelligence, also known as neurosymbolic AI, is an advanced version of artificial intelligence (AI) that improves how a neural network arrives at a decision by adding classical rules-based (symbolic) AI to the process. This hybrid approach requires less training data and makes it possible for humans to track how AI programming made a decision.

In image recognition, for example, Neuro Symbolic AI can use deep learning to identify a stand-alone object and then add a layer of information about the object’s properties and distinct parts by applying symbolic reasoning. This way, a Neuro Symbolic AI system is not only able to identify an object, for example, an apple, but also to explain why it detects an apple, by offering a list of the apple’s unique characteristics and properties as an explanation.

Neuro Symbolic AI is expected to help reduce machine bias by making the decision-making process a learning model goes through more transparent and explainable. Combining learning with rules-based logic is also expected to help data scientists and machine learning engineers train algorithms with less data by using neural networks to create the knowledge base that an expert system and symbolic AI requires.

Term of the day - 25

Copy Data Virtualization

Copy data virtualization is a type of virtualization approach applied to copies of data used for backup or archiving. With data backup and management looming so large in the business IT world, copy data virtualization is an attempt to make use of this data more efficiently.

Data Center Capacity Planning

Data center capacity planning is the process of planning for current and future hardware, software and other data center infrastructure requirements within a perceived time frame. It is a form of IT capacity planning that reviews and analyzes current data center utilization in order to plan ahead for data center capacity increment, decrement, both or none.

Human Augmentation

Human augmentation is generally used to refer to technologies that enhance human productivity or capability, or that somehow add to the human body. Modern advancements in many areas of IT have led to a greater variety of implants and other technologies that could be classed as human augmentation. Human augmentation may also be called human 2.0.

Intelligent Matching

Intelligent matching is a type of data management technique in which data is searched, indexed and retrieved from a database through a series of artificial-intelligence-based data sorting and matching algorithms. Intelligent matching makes it possible to find data based on the principles of semantics, where human-like searching and inference techniques are applied to each query.

Quantum as a Service (QaaS)

Quantum as a service (QaaS) is a term for services that bring the functionality of quantum computing to clients through cloud delivery processes. This is part of a range of services based on the broader software as a service (SaaS) model.

Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART)

Adaptive resonance theory (ART) is a particular philosophy driving unsupervised artificial neural network models. It uses a specific architecture, often useful in some types of neural networks, to try to build the capacity for new learning while keeping in place fundamental existing models.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

Endpoint detection and response (EDR) is a specific type of security focusing on endpoint devices. It is often described as the use of a central data repository to observe and analyze endpoint vulnerabilities and work toward stronger endpoint threat response.

Big Data Architecture

Big data architecture is the logical and/or physical layout/structure of how big data is stored, accessed and managed within a big data or IT environment. It logically defines how the big data solution will work, the core components (hardware, database, software, storage) used, flow of information, security and more.

Chief Cloud Officer

A chief cloud officer (CCO) is an individual who manages, supervises and governs the entire cloud computing environment and its operations within an organization. The chief cloud officer allows an organization to harness the power, productivity and efficiency from a suite of cloud computing solutions and services. As such, the CCO is the ultimate custodian of cloud-related resources and components.

Attack Surface

The attack surface of a system is the complete set of vulnerabilities that exist within that system. It is a metaphor used for assessing security in a hardware and software system. The attack surface is not an actual surface, but it helps the individual to visualize where vulnerabilities are in a system.

Technical Errata

Technical errata is a collection of faults or errors for any hardware or software system. It is a technical term for various types of research that uncover the shortcomings of a particular architecture.

Tunnel Broker

In networking, a tunnel broker is the service entity that provides a tunneling capacity between networks. Individual tunnel brokers are chosen to help route protected data through a network tunnel for security or privacy, or other purposes.

Mimikatz

Mimikatz is an open-source application that allows users to manipulate authentication credentials in Windows systems. Created to work as a proof of concept tool for Windows security, Mimikatz has been used by hackers to compromise many different types of systems.

Data Sandbox

A data sandbox includes massive parallel central processing units, high-end memory, high-capacity storage and I/O capacity and typically separates data experimentation and production database environments in data warehouses. The IBM Netezza 1000 is an example of a data sandbox platform which is a stand-alone analytic data mart. An example of a logical partition in an enterprise data warehouse, which also serves as a data sandbox platform, is the IBM Smart Analytics System. A Hadoop cluster like IBM InfoSphere BigInsights Enterprise Edition is also included in this category. This definition was written in the context of Big Data.

Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO)

A chief knowledge officer (CKO) is a corporate title for a professional within an organization who oversees its knowledge management. Not all businesses have CKO roles, but many larger companies have carved out this position in order to benefit from a more proactive use of data and other knowledge resources, which can be used to gain competitive advantage and improve overall organizational performance.

Application Analyst

An application analyst is a professional who supports a particular application or set of applications. This can involve some types of computing and design or maintenance work, as well as facilitating particular use cases. An application analyst is also known as an application support analyst.

Feedforward Neural Network

The feedforward neural network is a specific type of early artificial neural network known for its simplicity of design. The feedforward neural network has an input layer, hidden layers and an output layer. Information always travels in one direction – from the input layer to the output layer – and never goes backward.

Business Process as a Service (BPaaS)

Business process as a service (BPaaS) is a term for a specific kind of web-delivered or cloud hosting service that benefits an enterprise by assisting with business objectives. In the general sense, a business process is simply a task that must be completed to benefit business operations. Using the term BPaaS implies that the business process is being automated through a remote delivery model.

Bluesnarfing

Bluesnarfing is a device hack performed when a wireless, Bluetooth-enabled device is in discoverable mode. Bluesnarfing allows hackers to remotely access Bluetooth device data, such as a user's calendar, contact list, emails and text messages. This attack is perpetrated without the victim's knowledge.

Cloud Cartography

Cloud cartography refers to figuring out the physical locations of hardware installations used by cloud computing service providers. Mapping a service provider’s hardware can help identify the most likely locations for a virtual machine, or help viewers to generally
understand where the service provider deploys hardware.

Hashing

Hashing is generating a value or values from a string of text using a mathematical function. Hashing is one way to enable security during the process of message transmission when the message is intended for a particular recipient only. A formula generates the hash, which helps to protect the security of the transmission against tampering. Hashing is also a method of sorting key values in a database table in an efficient manner.

Rational Agent

In machine learning and artificial intelligence research, the “rational agent” is a concept that guides the use of game theory and decision theory in applying artificial intelligence to various real-world scenarios. The rational agent is a theoretical entity based on a realistic model, that has preferences for advantageous outcomes, and will seek to achieve them in a learning scenario.

Operating System Virtualization (OS Virtualization)

Operating system virtualization (OS virtualization) is a server virtualization technology that involves tailoring a standard operating system so that it can run different applications handled by multiple users on a single computer at a time. The operating systems do not interfere with each other even though they are on the same computer. In OS virtualization, the operating system is altered so that it operates like several different, individual systems. The virtualized environment accepts commands from different users running different applications on the same machine. The users and their requests are handled separately by the virtualized operating system. Also known as operating system-level virtualization.

Data Management

Data management refers to an organization's management of information and data for secure and structured access and storage. Data management tasks include the creation of data governance policies, analysis and architecture; database management system (DMS) integration; data security and data source identification, segregation and storage.

Oracle Database (Oracle DB)

Oracle Database (Oracle DB) is a relational database management system (RDBMS) from Oracle Corporation. Originally developed in 1977 by Lawrence Ellison and other developers, Oracle DB is one of the most trusted and widely used relational database engines for storing, organizing and retrieving data by type while still maintaining relationships between the various types. The system is built around a relational database framework in which data objects may be directly accessed by users (or an application front end) through structured query language (SQL). Oracle is a fully scalable relational database architecture and is often used by global enterprises which manage and process data across wide and local area networks. The Oracle database has its own network component to allow communications across networks. Oracle DB is also known as Oracle RDBMS and, sometimes, simply as Oracle.

Oracle Public Cloud

The Oracle Public Cloud is an application development platform solutions delivered entirely through the Internet on a subscription-based billing method from Oracle Corporation. Oracle's public cloud solution provides enterprise-class applications, middleware services and databases managed, hosted, patched and supported by Oracle itself. The services offered under Oracle public cloud are, Fusion CRM and HCM Cloud, Social Network Cloud, Database Cloud and Java Cloud and being hosted at Oracle's datacenters by default, posses a scalable, flexible and secure architecture.

Data Preprocessing

Data preprocessing involves transforming raw data to well-formed data sets so that data mining analytics can be applied. Raw data is often incomplete and has inconsistent formatting. The adequacy or inadequacy of data preparation has a direct correlation with the success of any project that involve data analyics. Preprocessing involves both data validation and data imputation. The goal of data validation is to assess whether the data in question is both complete and accurate. The goal of data imputation is to correct errors and input missing values -- either manually or automatically through business process automation (BPA) programming.

Term of the day - 26

Enterprise Knowledge Management (EKM)

Enterprise knowledge management (EKM) is a fairly broad term in IT that refers to any solutions or systems that deal with organizing data into structures that build knowledge within a business. Another way to say this is that knowledge management solutions create business knowledge out of existing assets.

Nonprofits and businesses often create knowledge management departments or structures that help to oversee business processes and to order intangibles such as data assets. This fits into a bigger picture of enterprise resource planning and business intelligence, where many different kinds of software assist human decision-makers in making the most informed decisions based on a large field of existing data.

Knowledge Representation

The field of knowledge representation involves considering artificial intelligence and how it presents some sort of knowledge, usually regarding a closed system. IT professionals and others may monitor and evaluate an artificial intelligence system to get a better idea of its simulation of human knowledge, or its role in presenting the data about focus input.

Active Threat Management

In IT, active threat management means working proactively to defend networks and systems against active threats. The term creates confusion because it is so commonly used in the field of physical security against an active threat, such as an active shooter. In IT, active threat management can mean managing an active threat, or taking an approach to threat management that is active.

Low-Code/No-Code Development (LCNC Development)

Low-code/no-code (LCNC) development refers to an environment where visual drag-and-drop applications or similar tools allow individuals and teams to program applications without a lot of linear coding. These types of systems help the IT world to deal with a lack of skilled developers and streamline the emergence of new applications and interfaces.

Industrial Internet of Things

The industrial internet of things (IIoT) is a term for all of the various sets of hardware pieces that work together through internet of things connectivity to help enhance manufacturing and industrial processes. When people talk about the industrial internet of things, they're talking about all of the sensors, devices and machines that contribute to physical business processes in industrial settings. By contrast, when people talk about the internet of things in general, they're talking about any connected devices that fit the IoT model. For instance, when people think about the internet of things, they often think about smart home devices that are linked together to provide consumer conveniences.

Pandas

Pandas is a library kit for the Python programming language that can help manipulate data tables or other key tasks in this type of object-oriented programming environment. Pandas may be useful in the design of certain machine learning and neural network projects or other major innovations where the Python programming language plays a role.

Deepfake

Deepfake is a term for videos and presentations enhanced by artificial intelligence and other modern technology to present falsified results. One of the best examples of deepfakes involves the use of image processing to produce video of celebrities, politicians or others saying or doing things that they never actually said or did.

Virtual Disaster Recovery

Virtual disaster recovery is a combination of storage and server virtualization that helps to create more effective means of disaster recovery and backup.

It is now popular in many enterprise systems because of the many ways that it helps to mitigate risk.

Data Exhaust

Data exhaust refers to the data generated as trails or information byproducts resulting from all digital or online activities. These consist of storable choices, actions and preferences such as log files, cookies, temporary files and even information that is generated for every process or transaction done digitally. This data can be very revealing about an individual, so it is very valuable to researchers and especially to marketers and business entities.

Intelligent Edge

Intelligent edge is a term describing a process where data is analyzed and aggregated in a spot close to where it is captured in a network. The intelligent edge, also described as “intelligence at the edge,” has important ramifications for distributed networks including the internet of things (IoT).

Document Object Model

Document Object Model (DOM) is a language and platform-independent convention that represents the interaction of objects written in markup languages, i.e., Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML) and Extensible Markup Language (XML).

Reality Distortion Field (RDF)

A reality distortion field (RDF) is a phenomenon in which an individual’s intellectual abilities, persuasion skills and persistence make other people believe in the possibility of achieving very difficult tasks. The term was coined by Apple employee Bud Tribble to describe former Apple Inc. co-founder, CEO and chairman Steve Jobs' ability to encourage his team to complete virtually any assigned or delegated task.

Virtual Telecommunication Access Method

Virtual Telecommunications Access Method (VTAM) is an IBM application programming interface that allows application programs to communicate or exchange data with external devices such as mainframes, communications controllers, terminals, etc. VTAM helps to abstract these devices into logical units so that developers do not need to know the underlying details of the protocols used by these devices.

Communication and Networking Riser (CNR)

A Communications and Networking Riser (CNR) is a riser card developed by Intel for the advanced technology extended (ATX) family of motherboards. It is used for specialized networking, audio and telephony equipment. When introduced, CNR offered savings to motherboard manufacturers by removing analog I/O components from the motherboard. While CNR slots were common on Pentium 4 motherboards, they have largely been phased out in favor of on-board or embedded components.

Master Data Management

Master data management (MDM) is the management of specific key data assets for a business or enterprise. MDM is part of data management as a whole, but is generally focused on the handling of higher level data elements, such as broader identity classifications of people, things, places and concepts.

Augmented Analytics

Augmented analytics refers to analytics processes that are enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and deep learning technologies. An important goal of augmented analytics is to allow non-technical line of business (LOB) professionals to write queries in plain English (instead of SQL) and make data-driven decisions without needing help from their organization's data scientists or machine learning engineers (MLEs). Augmented analytic is often a key competitive differentiator for self-service business intelligence (SSBI) platforms.

Wireless Charging

Wireless charging, also known as wireless power transfer (WPT), is the process of electrically charging battery-powered devices such as laptops, smartphones and electric vehicles without the need for a wired connection. Wireless charging can be enabled through three different forms.

Inductive Charging: Uses electromagnetic waves to transfer energy and charge devices wirelessly. Inductive charging requires the device to come in physical contact with a conductive charging pad that is directly connected to electrical power. Radio Charging: Similar to inductive charging, radio charging use wireless radio waves to transfer electricity. In this type of charging, the device sits on a transmitter that uses radio waves to charge the device.

Resonance Charging: Consists of a sending (sender) copper coil and a receiving (receiver) copper coil at the device end. When the sender and receiver are in close proximity and set to the same electronic magnetic frequency, electrical energy can be transferred. Resonance charging may also be referred to as over-the-air charging.

Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)

Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is a document that provides details about the components used to build a software application. SBOMs are useful for identifying which software applications are most at risk when a third-party vulnerability is discovered.

SBOMs are created and maintained by software vendors and individual program authors. Ideally, a new SBOM should be created each time a new software verion is released to the general public. The documentation an SBOM provides can help stakeholders:

Gain better visibility into software assets.
Conduct due diligence to assess risk.
Identify and monitor potential regulatory compliance conflicts.
Prioritize remediation options.

Continuous Delivery (CD)

Continuous delivery (CD) is a software development practice that automates quality assurance (QA) testing in order to facilitate frequent code releases to a staging server.

A continuous delivery approach requires the production and test environments to be similar. Once new code is committed, it triggers an automated work flow that builds, tests and stages the update. With continuous delivery, the developer makes the final decision about whether the code is stable enough to move into a live production environment, and the operations team is responsible for moving approved code from stage to a production server.

Vulnerability Management

Vulnerability management is a security practice specifically designed to proactively prevent the exploitation of IT vulnerabilities that could potentially harm a system or organization. The practice involves identifying, classifying, mitigating and fixing known vulnerabilities within a system. It is an integral part of computer and network security and plays an important role in IT risk management.

Phishing

Phishing is a security exploit in which a perpetrator impersonates a legitimate business or reputable person in order to acquire private and sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, personal identification numbers (PINs) and passwords. Phishers use social engineering techniques to fool email recipients and Web users into believing that a spoofed email or website is legitimate and genuine. In actuality, the phishing victim later discovers their personal identity and other vital information have been stolen and exposed.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI), also known as machine intelligence, is a branch of computer science that focuses on building and managing technology that can learn to autonomously make decisions and carry out actions on behalf of a human being. AI is not a single technology. It is an umbrella term that includes any type of software or hardware component that supports machine learning, computer vision, natural language understanding (NLU) and natural language processing (NLP).

Today’s AI uses conventional CMOS hardware and the same basic algorithmic functions that drive traditional software. Future generations of AI are expected to inspire new types of brain-inspired circuits and architectures that can make data-driven decisions faster and more accurately than a human being can.

AI initiatives are often talked about in terms of their belonging to one of four categories:

Reactive AI relies on real-time data to make decisions.
Limited Memory AI relies on stored data to make decisions.
Theory of Mind AI can consider subjective elements such as user intent when making decisions.
Self-Aware AI possesses a human-like consciousness that is capable of independently setting goals and using data to decide the best way to achieve an objective.
A good way to visualize these distinctions is to imagine AI as a professional poker player. A reactive player bases all decisions on the current hand in play, while a limited memory player will consider their own and other player’s past decisions.
A Theory of Mind player factors in other player's behavioral cues and finally, a self-aware professional AI player stops to consider if playing poker to make a living is really the best use of their time and effort.

Term of the day - 27

BigQuery

BigQuery is a web service from Google that is used for handling or analyzing big data. It is part of the Google Cloud Platform. As a NoOps (no operations) data analytics service, BigQuery offers users the ability to manage data using fast SQL-like queries for real-time analysis.

Artificial Immune System

An artificial immune system is a system that utilizes some of the engineering of biological immune systems to put together algorithms or technologies that address systemic goals. This may involve mathematical and computer modeling of immune systems, or the abstraction of some immunology-related principles into algorithms.

Geotagging

Geotagging is the process of adding geographical information to various media in the form of metadata. The data usually consists of coordinates like latitude and longitude, but may even include bearing, altitude, distance and place names. Geotagging is most commonly used for photographs and can help people get a lot of specific information about where the picture was taken or the exact location of a friend who logged on to a service.

Data Smog

Data smog refers to an overwhelming amount of data and information - often obtained through an internet search - whose volume serves more to confuse the user than illuminate a topic. Data smog is a term coined from a book written by the journalist David Shenk, which deals with the influence of the information technology revolution and how the vast amount of information available online make it increasingly difficult to separate facts from fiction.

ARM Server

An ARM server, or Advanced RISC Machine server, is a server that uses ARM processors or chips instead of traditional x86 class processors. This allows the server structure to produce specific results with less energy waste.

Dark Mode

"Dark mode" in IT refers to user interfaces that work to decrease light output by changing the way that information is presented on the screen. Specifically, IT pros use the term "dark mode" to talk about light text showing up on a dark screen background.

Computational Storage

Computational storage is an IT design architecture where data is processed at the storage level. Computational storage allows for the merging of computing and storage resources for efficiency and complementary function.

Geospatial Mashups

Geospatial mashups are digital tools that bring data together from diverse sources and present them visually. IT Experts describe a geospatial mashup as a dashboard-like view or a similar visual tool.

Gesture Recognition

Gesture recognition refers to the mathematical interpretation of human motions using a computing device. It is a component of perceptual user interface (PUI). Other popular PUI components are voice recognition, facial recognition, lip movement recognition and eye tracking. Gestures could possibly come from any state or bodily motion; however, they usually originate from the hands or face. At present, gesture recognition is mainly centered on hand-gesture recognition and facial emotion recognition. In gesture recognition, the human body's motions are read by a camera and the captured data is sent to a computer. The computer then makes use of this data as input to handle applications or devices. Gesture recognition may also be referred to as gesture control.

Data Science Platform

A data science platform is an environment for conducting data science work, which typically includes coding and the deployment of code models, as well as the aggregation and use of data from diverse sources. Data science projects benefit from a central data science platform that is often described as a "software hub" for this kind of big data work.

Matplotlib

Matplotlib is a plotting library available for the Python programming language as a component of NumPy, a big data numerical handling resource. Matplotlib uses an object oriented API to embed plots in Python applications.

Vampire Tap

A vampire tap is a device that connects 10BASE5 cabling to Ethernet transceivers. The vampire tap gets its name from the way it taps into a cable. It pierces or bites through the insulation of the cable instead of slicing both ends to attach connectors. To connect the cable to the transceiver, a hole is drilled through the outer shielding. A spike is then forced through the hole to contact the inner conductor while other spikes are clamped onto the outer conductor. A small cable or attachment unit interface (AUI) is then connected from the vampire tap to the network interface card (NIC) in the computer.

Octet

An octet is a series of 8 bits. It is an important 8-bit designation that has played a significant role in the development of the personal computer (PC) and other hardware devices.

Accumulator

As a type of traditional register, an accumulator is a design within a CPU core that holds "intermediate" results. While a computer or device is working on multi-step operations, intermediate values are sent to the accumulator and then overwritten as needed.

Data Mart

A data mart is a subject-oriented archive that stores data and uses the retrieved set of information to assist and support the requirements involved within a particular business function or department. Data marts exist within a single organizational data warehouse repository. Data marts improve end-user response time by allowing users to have access to the specific type of data they need to view most often by providing the data in a way that supports the collective view of a group of users.

Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics refers to the use of computer science, statistical modelling and algorithmic processing to understand biological data. Bioinformatics is an example of how computer science has revolutionized other fields.

Master Data Management

Value Learning Problem

The value learning problem is a specific fundamental issue in the development of machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies that addresses the difference between humans and computers, and the ways that they think. In a nutshell, the value learning problem is based on how hard it is for computers to figure out what to "value" (in terms of both data and policy) and how to act in a machine learning network, and how programmers can optimize how the program acts to match their original intentions when they created it.

Quantum decoherence

Quantum decoherence in physics and quantum computing is the loss of quantum coherence. Quantum coherence is the idea that an individual particle or object has wave functions that can be split into two separate waves.When the waves operate together in a coherent way, that's referred to as quantum coherence.

Ambient Backscatter

Ambient backscatter is a new idea related to the use of radio waves and connectivity that posits a device's ability to send and receive signals without inherent power. It has the potential to greatly redefine the Internet of Things (IoT) landscape and change wireless technology in a big way.

Management Reporting

Management reporting is a key term for a type of business intelligence that involves reports meant to help managers to oversee operations and performance. These types of reports are core pieces of many new enterprise technologies that aim to automate or enhance the process of management reporting.

Advanced Analytics

Advanced analytics refers to a broad range of analytics that are intended to give businesses greater insight into their data than they could ordinarily. Some of these techniques include machine learning, data mining, predictive analytics, location analytics, big data analytics and location intelligence. A number of companies offer software packages that perform advanced analytics.

Control Structure

A control structure is a codebase portion that supports decisions based on analysis of variables. These functional components are eminently useful in computer science and computer programming.

Apache Avro

Apache Avro is a data serialization and remote procedure call framework which is developed within the Apache Hadoop project where it provides both a serialization format to get persistent data and a wire format for providing communication between Hadoop nodes, as well as connecting client programs to the Hadoop services. Avro uses the JSON format for defining protocols and data types, as well as serializes data into a compact binary format.

Delta Rule

The Delta rule in machine learning and neural network environments is a specific type of backpropagation that helps to refine connectionist ML/AI networks, making connections between inputs and outputs with layers of artificial neurons. The Delta rule is also known as the Delta learning rule.

Intelligence Amplification (IA)

Intelligence amplification (IA) is the idea that technologies can be assistive to human intelligence, rather than being composed of technologies that create an independent artificial intelligence. Intelligence amplification systems work to enhance a human's own intelligence, to improve a human decision-maker’s function or capability in some way. Intelligence amplification is also known as assistive intelligence, augmented intelligence, cognitive augmentation or machine-augmented intelligence.

Web Development

Web development refers in general to the tasks associated with developing websites for hosting via intranet or internet. The web development process includes web design, web content development, client-side/server-side scripting and network security configuration, among other tasks. In a broader sense, web development encompasses all the actions, updates, and operations required to build, maintain and manage a website to ensure its performance, user experience, and speed are optimal.

It might also, but not necessarily, include all those strategic actions needed to ensure its proper ranking on search engine results. Usually, those tasks pertain to a different specialization, namely search engine optimization (SEO). Web development is also known as website development, while the professionals that maintain a website are called web developers or (more commonly) web devs.

Software-Defined Networking (SDN)

Software-defined networking (SDN) is a newly emerging computer networking architecture. Its main distinguishing factor is the separation of the data plane from the control plane in routers and switches. In other words, the control is decoupled from hardware and implemented in software. Under this architecture, the implementation of the control plane is via software within the servers and is separate from networking equipment, while the data plane is implemented within networking hardware or equipment. The best example of this architecture is OpenFlow.

Doxware
Doxware is a type of ransomware that threatens to release personal data to the public if the user does not pay the ransom. The term comes from the hacker term "doxing," or releasing confidential information over the internet. Doxware attacks frequently infect computers from phishing emails. Doxware is also known as extortionware.

Supply Chain Visibility

Supply chain visibility (SCV) is the trackability or traceability of product orders and physical product shipments from the production source to their destination. This includes logistics activities and transport as well as the state of events and milestones that take place before and during transit.

The objective of SCV is to enhance and empower the supply chain by making information easily accessible to each and every stakeholder, including customers. The integration of SCV tools or systems enables different supply chain divisions in an organization to acquire real-time and precise information regarding stock, orders and deliveries in their incoming and outgoing networks.

Labor Management System

A labor management system (LMS) is comprised of enterprise tools that help businesses better plan their daily work and processes for better delivery of products and services. These tools are intended to facilitate "labor productivity reporting" and to help analyze units of labor and units of time to enable tracking of changes.

Python

Python is a multiparadigm, general-purpose, interpreted, high-level programming language. Python allows programmers to use different programming styles to create simple or complex programs, get quicker results and write code almost as if speaking in a human language. Some of the popular systems and applications that have employed Python during development include Google Search, YouTube, BitTorrent, Google App Engine, Eve Online, Maya and iRobot machines.

Term of the day - 28

Master Data Management

Very High Density Cable Interconnect

A Very High Density Cable Interconnect (VHDCI) is an improved type of SCSI hardware used as an external connector for SCSI cables and devices. The SCSI interface is a set of standards that transfers data and physically connects a computer and a peripheral device. The VHDCI is defined as an SPI-2 standard and is a smaller version of the older high-density 68-pin connectors. It was introduced in the SPI-3 document of SCSI-3. The SCSI-3 is the third generation of SCSI; a standard that introduced Fast-20 and Fast-40 and includes high-speed serial bus architecture such as IEEE 1394, Fibre Channel, and Serial Storage Architecture (SSA). The benefit of VHDCI is that it is very small. Two connectors can be crowded next to each other inside the width of a SCSI host adapter's back edge or expansion slot insert. This allows the placement of four wide SCSI connectors on the back of a single Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) card slot.

Virtual Dedicated Server

A virtual dedicated server (VDS) is an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud offering that allows users to provision an isolated server over the Internet. It provides functionality and resources similar to an in-house server but is managed on a rental basis by a cloud service provider. A VDS provides small-full scale server instances, depending on the provider's resource requirements and capabilities.

Geofencing

Geofencing is a technology that defines a virtual boundary around a real-world geographical area. In doing so, a radius of interest is established that can trigger an action in a geo-enabled phone or other portable electronic device.

Waterfall Model

The waterfall model is a sequential software development process model that follows the following defined phases:

-Conception
-Initiation
-Analysis
-Design
-Construction
-Testing
-Production/Implementation
-Maintenance

Using the software development life cycle's (SDLC) common steps, the waterfall model enforces moving to the next phase only after completion of the previous phase. Returning to a previous phase is frowned upon unless there is a clear need to do so.

Service-Oriented Modeling and Architecture

Service-oriented modeling and architecture (SOMA) is a methodology for modeling service-oriented architecture (SOA) applications. SOMA is an end-to-end analysis and design method that extends traditional object-oriented and component-based analysis and design methods.

Sequence Diagram

A sequence diagram, in the context of UML, represents object collaboration and is used to define event sequences between objects for a certain outcome. A sequence diagram is an essential component used in processes related to analysis, design and documentation. A sequence diagram is also known as a timing diagram, event diagram and event scenario.

SciPy

SciPy is a free open-source Python library included in a suite of tools that also includes general-purpose algorithm resources allowing engineers to get into the process of algorithm development in Python.

Segment Routing

Segment routing is a specific type of engineering for packet delivery that combines multiple packets in ordered lists for specific trajectory delivery. Segment routing provides an alternative to source routing and works with IPv6 network infrastructure.

Scikit-Learn

Scikit-learn is a key library for the Python programming language that is typically used in machine learning projects. Scikit-learn is focused on machine learning tools including mathematical, statistical and general purpose algorithms that form the basis for many machine learning technologies. As a free tool, Scikit-learn is tremendously important in many different types of algorithm development for machine learning and related technologies.

Network Slicing

Network slicing involves separating various parts of a virtual network setup according to the functions that they serve for applications and services. As a type of virtual network architecture, network slicing can help to customize a virtual networking that operates various segments or portions for interrelated goals and objectives.

OpenJDK

OpenJDK is an open-source version of the Java development kit. The Java development kit is a key resource for applications utilizing the Java platform. As a key Java tool, OpenJDK is extremely useful in a software development context, and relatable to the diverse tech stacks that developers work with as they innovate Java-based apps, features and microservices.

Spike Testing

Spike testing is a type of performance testing that measures an application's ability to respond to large changes in demand volume. It is a common part of routine testing for applications in order to spot weaknesses and potential problems in a production environment.

Orthogonal

Orthogonal, in a computing context, describes a situation where a programming language or data object can be used without considering its after-effects toward other program functions.In vector geometry, orthogonal indicates two vectors that are perpendicular to each other. The extended general usage of orthogonal is where two things vary from each other independently.

Stream Processing

Stream processing is the process of analyzing streaming data in real time. Analysts are able to continuously monitor a stream of data in order to achieve various goals. Stream processing as a way of optimizing data flow is popular with tech firms, for example, in use by social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, but it is also useful in a wider spectrum of tech uses where companies want to direct data flow in a more precise or specialized way, for instance, in IaaS and PaaS offerings, or in various types of ERP resources.

Deobfuscate

To deobfuscate is to convert a program that is difficult to understand into one that is simple, understandable and straightforward. There are tools available to deobfuscate a tough code or program into a simple and understandable form. Obfuscation is usually done to secure software from attackers, making it hard for those with malicious intentions to understand its inner functionality. Similarly, obfuscation may also be used to conceal malicious content in software. A deobfuscating tool is used to reverse-engineer such programs.

Rational Rose

Rational Rose is an object-oriented programming (OOP) and unified modeling language (UML) tool to design enterprise-level software applications and components. It creates visual software application models under object-oriented principles. Example application models include the creation of actors, use cases, relationships, objects, entities, etc. Rational Rose uses classical UML concepts to graphically model software applications. This facilitates documenting the environment, requirements and overall design.

Accessor

In computer programming, an accessor method is a method that fetches private data that is stored within an object. An accessor provides the means by which to obtain the state of an object from other program parts. This is a preferred method in object-oriented paradigms as it provides an abstraction layer that hides the implementation details of functionality sets.

Integer Overflow

Integer overflow is the result of an attempt by a CPU to arithmetically generate a number larger than what can fit in the devoted memory storage space. Arithmetic operations always have the potential of returning unexpected values, which may cause an error that forces the whole program to shut down. For this reason, most programmers prefer to perform mathematical operations inside an exception frame, which returns an exception in the case of integer overflow instead. Integer overflow is also known as arithmetic overflow.

Fault Tolerance

Fault tolerance is the way in which an operating system (OS) responds to a hardware or software failure. The term essentially refers to a system's ability to allow for failures or malfunctions, and this ability may be provided by software, hardware or a combination of both. To handle faults gracefully, some computer systems have two or more duplicate systems.

Quantum Coherence

The term "quantum coherence" represents the idea of a superpositioning that is at the heart of quantum mechanics and quantum computing. Specifically, quantum coherence contemplates a situation where an object's wave property is split in two, and the two waves coherently interfere with each other.

Textio

Textio is an augmented writing program that promises to help customers spin up copy in new and innovative ways. This software bills itself as "the augmented writing platform" and is just now emerging in the new market for machine learning and artificial intelligence services.

Kali Linux

Kali Linux is a Linux distribution that is specialized for cybersecurity. It is an open-source product that involves a lot of customization for penetration testing, which helps companies to understand their vulnerabilities.

Symmetric Encryption

Symmetric encryption is a form of computerized cryptography using a singular encryption key to guise an electronic message. Its data conversion uses a mathematical algorithm along with a secret key, which results in the inability to make sense out of a message. Symmetric encrpytion is a two-way algorithm because the mathematical algorithm is reversed when decrypting the message along with using the same secret key. Symmetric encryption is also known as private-key encryption and secure-key
encryption.

Data Protection

Data protection is the process of protecting data and involves the relationship between the collection and dissemination of data and technology, the public perception and expectation of privacy and the political and legal underpinnings surrounding that data. It aims to strike a balance between individual privacy rights while still allowing data to be used for business purposes. Data protection is also known as data privacy or information privacy.

mIRC

mIRC is one of the earliest and most iconic Internet Relay Chat messaging services. It was created in 1995 and distributed as a shareware program. It reached its peak use around 2003-2005, long before the full advent of modern social media. Still functional even in modern times, mIRC is compatible with the Windows operating system architecture. In fact, its scripting language is ever-evolving and has never stopped being updated.

Although it was just one of many IRC clients, mIRC rapidly became the most popular, especially among gamers, who used it for decades to gather in groups and guilds. One of its most appreciated features was its ability to share files via the DCC protocol and built-in file server.

SaaS Sprawl (Software-as-a-Service Sprawl)

SaaS sprawl (Software-as-a-Service sprawl) is a phenomenon that occurs when the number of third-party cloud applications being used on a network reaches a point where administrators can no longer manage them effectively. SaaS sprawl typically occurs when project teams and individual users download and install cloud apps to meet an immediate work need without waiting for their IT department to review and approve the cloud vendor’s software product. The ease of procuring, deploying, and using software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications has made this type of shadow IT easier to deploy than ever before.

(Note also that Individuals can also use Cloud-based SaaS applications directly on the web without installing any software. This can lead to Data Loss Prevention (DLP) issues and place unauthorized business data outside of your normal operating environment or jurisdiction.)

COVID-19 work-from-home mandates inspired many business departments to allow the unsupervised use of cloud apps without stopping to consider how the apps would fit into the organization's workflows. Although the large majority of cloud apps are used in isolation, it’s still important for IT departments to manage the data that moves in and out of them.

Term of the day - 29

Block Reward

The bitcoin block reward is a particular rule for the bitcoin cryptocurrency. Bitcoin's developer, Satoshi Nakamoto, thought up the bitcoin reward as a way to control circulation. The bitcoin reward dictates what amount miners get for mining bitcoin.

Kubernetes

The Kubernetes container system is an open-source system for container virtualization. It is a popular part of new enterprise plans to streamline IT services and architectures, for example, the creation of microservices or new application containment systems that help companies to enhance their processes and build a “DevOps” or agile development model.

Information Systems Security Engineer

An Information Systems Security Engineer (ISSE) is the person in an organization who determines system security requirements. The ISSE also designs the security layout or architecture and determines required security tools and existing tool functionality.

Confusion Matrix

A confusion matrix is a type of table construct that plays a specific role in machine learning and related engineering. It helps to show the prediction and recall in a system where the values of the test data are known.

IronRuby

IronRuby is an open source interpretation of the Ruby programming language. It was created for Microsoft common language runtime (CLR). IronRuby was created as an open-source project, and its complete source code is released under Microsoft Public License. IronRuby runs on the .NET framework and offers several different tools and executables.

Common Language Infrastructure (CLI)

True Negatives

True negatives, in machine learning, are one component of a confusion matrix that attempts to show how classifying algorithms work.

True negatives indicate that a machine learning program has been set on test data where there is an outcome termed negative that the machine has successfully predicted.

Swift

The Swift programming language is a language that Apple developed for various operating systems, including some of its smartphone operating systems, as well as desktop platforms. It's a take on Objective-C that similarly utilizes variables to store values.

Full Stack

A "full stack" in the technology world is the entire set of software products and technologies used to accomplish a particular platform for applications. This includes elements like the operating system, database software, and more. The full stack provides an easy terminology for the entire set of tools that created architecture for a pipeline in enterprise IT.

Transformation Matrix

A transformation matrix is a matrix that represents a linear transformation in linear algebra. These have specific applications to the world of computer programming and machine learning.

Biorobotics

Biorobotics is generally thought of as the process of using biological organisms as a way to develop new technologies. It's a wide field that covers various things like cybernetics and genetic engineering, and many new scientific advances are based on different kinds of biorobotics initiatives or projects with a biorobotics component.

Data Sovereignty

The principle of data sovereignty is that data belongs to the jurisdiction of the nation-state where it is originally held in binary form. Data sovereignty helps to sort out many complicated issues about digital assets or how to regulate the flow of information online.

Hyperautomation

Hyperautomation refers to techniques and methods that can automate processes in significant and profound ways. Although the term is not clearly defined, in 2020 bodies like Gartner and big companies in the tech space are defining hyperautomation as the next wave of automation or “automation 2.0.”

Term of the day - 30

Logic Programming

Logic programming is a type of computer programming that is based on formal logic rules. In a sense, logic programming corresponds to the use of mathematical equations and other logical constructs to drive programming outcomes.

Disambiguation

Disambiguation is the conceptual separation of two ideas represented by the same word, a word that has the same spelling, where it is difficult to tell which meaning is being referenced. Humans and technology systems both have their own means for disambiguation and methods for interpreting and parsing inputs. Disambiguation is also known as word sense disambiguation and text disambiguation.

Layer-Wise Relevance Propagation

Layer-wise relevance propagation is a method for understanding deep neural networks that uses a particular design path to observe how the individual layers of the program work. These types of techniques help engineers to learn more about how neural networks do what they do, and they are crucial in combating the problem of "black box operation" in artificial intelligence, where technologies become so powerful and complex that it's hard for humans to understand how they produce results.

Rust Programming Language

Rust programming language is a computer language with object-oriented characteristics that's often prized as an alternative to traditional C++. While it's syntactically similar to C++, it also has its own range of features that make it a multi-paradigm programming language that's getting a lot of attention. For example, some cite a broad user base and low overhead as practical benefits of using Rust, while others point to different types of functionality, like the ability for Rust to be compiled into Web Assembly.

Kotlin

Kotlin is an open source object-oriented and functional programming language that's often suggested as an alternative to JavaScript. Some describe it as a ‘streamlined’ version of Java.

Unified Device Architecture

Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) is a parallel computing architecture useful for the support of applications that require significant amounts of parallel processing.

Pegasus

Pegasus is a specific type of spyware that can track calls, read text messages and steal data from devices, as well as implement key loggers and audio capture tools. Its design is commonly attributed to the Israeli cybersecurity firm NSO Group, and surfaced in 2016.

OpenBSD

OpenBSD is a specific type of UNIX-based operating system that is an open-source alternative to proprietary licensed products. With a Berkeley Software Distribution license, OpenBSD allows for the free use of a multi-platform and portable operating system.

SuperFetch

SuperFetch is a memory management tool in some of the newer Windows operating systems beginning with Windows Vista. It helps the system to manage random access memory (RAM) and allocate it across various applications for efficient performance.

IT Risk Management

IT risk management is the application of the principles of risk management to an IT organization in order to manage the risks associated with the field. IT risk management aims to manage the risks that come with the ownership, involvement, operation, influence, adoption and use of IT as part of a larger enterprise. IT risk management is a component of a larger enterprise risk management system. This encompasses not only the risks and negative effects of service and operations that can degrade organizational value, but it also takes the potential benefits of risky ventures into account.

BERT

Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers, or BERT, is a new type of natural language processing (NLP) deep learning strategy in which deep neural networks utilize bidirectional models with unsupervised language representation.

Neuralink

Neuralink is an American company using neurotechnology to research the possibility of future innovations in high-tech neurology applications. Neuralink has gained visibility as a project backed by Elon Musk, and as a ground-breaking way of looking at neurotech in general.

LIME

The acronym LIME, which stands for Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations, is a specific type of algorithm mode or technique that can help to address the black box program in machine learning. At its most basic level, LIME will seek to interpret model results for human decision-makers.

Cyberveillance

Cyberveillance refers to monitoring all of an employee's computer activity both online and offline. This is done to decrease or eliminate instances of cyberloafing, where employees use their Internet access during working hours for personal use or otherwise use their computers for personal activities.

Two-Tier ERP

A two-tiered enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is a system where the company utilizes two separate ERP platforms. This is done for various reasons and in various ways, but typically involves augmenting a legacy system with a new different system to be used at additional business locations.

Data Brokering

Data brokering refers to the practice of obtaining information on users, aggregating it, and enhancing it to provide to clients or customers. Over 4,000 data brokering companies are at work worldwide collecting and analyzing consumer data.

Nyquist's Law

Nyquist’s law is a formula which states that to accurately represent an analog signal in a digital format, two samples per cycle are sufficient. In other words, the analog signal sampling rate must be at least two times the maximum analog frequency to extract all bandwidth information and accurately represent analog signals in a digital format. Sampling rates that slightly exceed twice the suggested frequency level leads to imprecision in filters and other components used for analog to digital conversion. Nyquist’s law is also known as Nyquist’s Theorem.

Analytic Geometry

Analytic geometry is a kind of geometry using a coordinate system. The kind familiar to most people is the two-dimensional plane using the x and y-axes. Three-dimensional analytic geometry adds a z-axis. Both the 2-D and 3-D versions of analytic geometry are widely used in computer graphics to place objects on the screen. Analytic geometry is also known as Cartesian geometry or Coordinate geometry.

Semi-Supervised Learning

Semi-supervised learning is a method used to enable machines to classify both tangible and intangible objects. The objects the machines need to classify or identify could be as varied as inferring the learning patterns of students from classroom videos to drawing inferences from data theft attempts on servers. To learn and infer about objects, machines are provided labeled, shallow information about various types of data based on which the machines need to learn from large, structured and unstructured data they receive regularly.

Structured Data

Structured data are data that are organized in a format easily used by a database or other technology.

Unstructured Data

Unstructured data represents any data that does not have a recognizable structure. It is unorganized and raw and can be non-textual or textual. For example, email is a fine illustration of unstructured textual data. It includes time, date, recipient and sender details and subject, etc., but an email body remains unstructured. Unstructured data also may be identified as loosely structured data, wherein the data sources include a structure, but not all data in a data set follow the same structure. In customer-centered businesses, the data found in an unstructured form may be examined to enhance relationship marketing and customer relationship management (CRM). As social media apps, such as Facebook and Twitter, go mainstream, unstructured data development is likely to outrun the progress of structured data.

Data Aggregation

Data aggregation is a type of data and information mining process where data is searched, gathered and presented in a report-based, summarized format to achieve specific business objectives or processes and/or conduct human analysis. Data aggregation may be performed manually or through specialized software.

Ad Hoc Analysis

A cloud database is a type of database service that is built, deployed and delivered through a cloud platform. It is primarily a cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS) delivery model that allows organizations, end users and their applications to store, manage and retrieve data from the cloud.

Massively Parallel Processing

Massively parallel processing (MPP) is a form of collaborative processing of the same program by two or more processors. Each processor handles different threads of the program, and each processor itself has its own operating system and dedicated memory. A messaging interface is required to allow the different processors involved in the MPP to arrange thread handling. Sometimes, an application may be handled by thousands of processors working collaboratively on the application.

Decryption

Decryption is the process of transforming data that has been rendered unreadable through encryption back to its unencrypted form. In decryption, the system extracts and converts the garbled data and transforms it to texts and images that are easily understandable not only by the reader but also by the system. Decryption may be accomplished manually or automatically. It may also be performed with a set of keys or passwords.

Steganography

Steganography is data hidden within data. Steganography is an encryption technique that can be used along with cryptography as an extra-secure method in which to protect data. Steganography techniques can be applied to images, a video file or an audio file. Typically, however, steganography is written in characters including hash marking, but its usage within images is also common. At any rate, steganography protects from pirating copyrighted materials as well as aiding in unauthorized viewing.

Passive Biometrics

In passive biometrics, systems are able to authenticate a user without any explicit user activity or input. This is often done through a diversity of passive inputs, including data sets that are generated by monitoring the user in real time.

Hyperautomation

The term "hyperautomation" is relatively new and generally refers to new techniques and methods that can automate processes in significant and profound ways. Although the term is not clearly defined on many of the encyclopedia resources that people generally use online to figure out common usage for new terms, bodies like Gartner and big companies in the tech space are defining hyperautomation as the next wave of automation or “automation 2.0.”

Cloud Encryption Gateway

A cloud encryption gateway is a technology that provides point-of-process encryption for data traveling to and from a cloud environment. It is a tool that sits between a cloud system and an in-house system, and performs encryption or tokenization of data in transit. The resulting "shielded" data can then be used safely by software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications.

AI Strategist

An AI strategist is an IT professional whose role deals with the evolution and application of artificial intelligence products and services.

Lamport's Bakery Algorithm

Lamport’s bakery algorithm is a computing algorithm that ensures efficient use of shared resources in a multithreaded environment. This algorithm was conceived by Leslie Lamport and was inspired by the first-come-first-served, or first-in-first-out (FIFO), operational methodology of a bakery. Lamport’s bakery algorithm is a mutual exclusion algorithm that restricts two or more processes from accessing a resource simultaneously.

Internet of Everything (IoE)

The internet of everything (IoE) is a broad term that refers to devices and consumer products connected to the internet and outfitted with expanded digital features. It is a philosophy in which technology's future is comprised of many different types of appliances, devices and items connected to the global internet. The term is somewhat synonymous with the internet of things (IoT).

Online Marketing

Online marketing is a set of tools and methodologies used for promoting products and services through the internet. Online marketing includes a wider range of marketing elements than traditional business marketing due to the extra channels and marketing mechanisms available on the internet.
Online marketing can deliver benefits such as:

Growth in potential
Reduced expenses
Elegant communications
Better control
Improved customer service
Competitive advantage

Online marketing is also known as internet marketing, web marketing, or digital marketing. It includes several branches such as social media marketing (SMM), search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click advertising (PPC), and search engine marketing (SEM).

Term of the day - 31

Chief Data Officer (CDO)

A chief data officer (CDO) is a senior executive role in an organization that is responsible for data governance throughout the organization. Although related, the roles of the CDO and the chief information officer are different. The CDO typically reports to the chief technology officer (CTO), chief operating officer (COO) or the chief executive officer (CEO).

The CDO is responsible for a number of areas encompassed by data governance such as:

Information protection and privacy
Management of data life cycle
Management of data quality
Information governance
Leveraging data assets to create business value

Chief Risk Officer (CRO)

A chief risk officer (CRO) is an executive- or senior-level position within a company. The chief risk officer is responsible for analyzing and governing that company's risk. They are responsible for evaluating IT security as well as other potential threats to business.

Turing Complete

A system is said to be "Turing complete" in computer theory if it can be used to emulate a Turing machine, which is a theoretical construct designed by mid-century mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing.

Security Manager

In IT, a security manager can be a piece of software, a platform or a person that takes on security management tasks.

Bidirectional Search

Bidirectional search is a type of search and sort activity that combines two directional approaches, so that the generator in question searches in two directions at the same time. Using this method can decrease the amount of search activity needed to achieve a particular result.

Ethical Hacker

An ethical hacker is an individual hired to hack into a system to identify and repair potential vulnerabilities, effectively preventing exploitation by malicious hackers. They are security experts that specialize in the penetration testing (pen-testing) of computer and software systems for the purpose of evaluating, strengthening and improving security. An ethical hacker is also known as a white hat hacker, red team, tiger team or sneaker.

Security Operations Center

A Security Operations Center (SOC) is a strategic command center facility for fighting cyberattacks through monitoring, threat analysis and more. The implication is that the SOC is generally a physical location in which to house professionals and cybersecurity assets.

Security by Design

Security by design (or secure by design), sometimes abbreviated "SbD," is a new industry term for a range of security practices built on one fundamental idea — that security should be built into a product by design, instead of being added on later by third-party products and services.

Chief Medical Information Officer

A chief medical information officer (CMIO) is a healthcare executive who is responsible for managing the health informatics platform and working with clinical IT staff for supporting efficient design, implementation and usage of healthcare technologies. It is a relatively new role in the healthcare space. A chief medical information officer is also known as a chief medical informatics officer, chief clinical information officer, director of medical informatics or director of health informatics.

Rectified Linear Unit

The rectified linear unit (ReLU) is one of the most common activation functions in machine learning models. As a component of an artificial neuron in artificial neural networks (ANN), the activation function is responsible for processing weighted inputs and helping to deliver an output.

Data Annotation

Data annotation is a term to describe the labeling of data. Different types of data get annotated in different ways. Text strings can be labeled with various common annotations, where image data is often annotated with colored lines or other markers.

Ryuk Ransomware

Ryuk ransomware is a type of ransomware attack where encryption is used to steal away data which will only be a returned in exchange for a ransom. Ryuk ransomware spreads through malware and infects systems in ways that are difficult to analyze because certain aspects of the code are deleted after execution.

Systems Analyst

A systems analyst is an IT professional who works on a high level in an organization to ensure that systems, infrastructures and computer systems are functioning as effectively and efficiently as possible. System analysts carry the responsibilities of researching problems, finding solutions, recommending courses of actions and coordinating with stakeholders in order to meet specified requirements. They study the current system, procedures and business processes of a company and create action plans based on the requirements set.

NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies

NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies or NEAT is often described as a genetic solution for improving neural networks. The NEAT concept can be used to provide a new model for selecting typologies for a neural network and for initializing weights.

Closed-Loop Control System

A closed-loop control system refers to a hardware or logical setup that regulates a process variable and automatically keeps a process to a desired state, according to inputs. The alternative is an open-loop control system.

Linear Programming

Linear programming is a mathematical method that is used to determine the best possible outcome or solution from a given set of parameters or list of requirements, which are represented in the form of linear relationships. It is most often used in computer modeling or simulation in order to find the best solution in allocating finite resources such as money, energy, manpower, machine resources, time, space and many other variables. In most cases, the "best outcome" needed from linear programming is maximum profit or lowest cost.
Because of its nature, linear programming is also called linear optimization.

Database Manager

A database manager (DB manager) is a computer program, or a set of computer programs, that provide basic database management functionalities including creation and maintenance of databases. Database managers have several capabilities including the ability to back up and restore, attach and detach, create, clone, delete and rename the databases.

Automata-Based Programming

Automata-based programming is a type of programming where any part of the codebase represents a finite state machine or similar automaton. The automaton will generally have a variety of states, and will only exist in one particular state at a given time.

Chief Analytics Officer (CAO)

The chief analytics officer (CAO) is an executive within a company or business who is in charge of data strategy, with a specific focus on data analytics. The chief analytics officer may lead a data analytics strategy or determine how analysis gets done, with regard to the tools and resources used, any outsourcing, and any other aspects of the actual data analytics that gets done on valuable business data sets.

Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC)

Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) refers to the method used to identify objects through computing algorithms. For example, bar codes, radio-frequency identification (RFID), biometrics, magnetic strips, optical character recognition (OCR), smart cards and voice recognition technologies all include algorithms identifying objects captured using a still image capturing system, audio or video.

Behavioral Analytics

Behavioral analytics are a subset of business analytics which focus on finding out how and why people behave the way they do when using eCommerce platforms, social media sites, online games, and any other web application. Behavioral analytics take business analytics’ broad focus and narrows it down, which allows one to take what seem to be unrelated data points and then extrapolate, determine errors, and predict future trends. All of this is done through data exhaust that has been generated by users.

Apache Drill

Apache Drill is an open-source program that enables the interactive analysis of bulk datasets present on different computers. The primary function of Apache Drill is the distributive application of data analysis and data storage. Drill enables the joining of a single data entity with multiple datastores and applications. Apache Drill is an industrial-scale database engine and is extremely developer and user friendly.

Fuzzy Logic

Fuzzy logic is a logic operations method based on many-valued logic rather than binary logic (two-valued logic). Two-valued logic often considers 0 to be false and 1 to be true. However, fuzzy logic deals with truth values between 0 and 1, and these values are considered as intensity (degrees) of truth. Fuzzy logic may be applied to many fields, including control systems, neural networks and artificial intelligence (AI).

Graph Database

A graph database is a type of NoSQL or non-relational database, which is a type of database suitable for very large sets of distributed data. Instead of using tables like those found in relational databases, a graph database, as the name suggests, uses graph structures with nodes, properties and edges in order to represent and store data. A graph database is also known as a graph-oriented database.

Zettabyte

A zettabyte (ZB) is a unit of digital information storage used to denote the size of data. It is equivalent to 1,024 exabytes or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes.

R Programming Language

R is a programming language that is primarily used for statistical computing and graphics. It is available for free. Users can compile and run R on various operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The language is known to be fairly unconventional compared to popular software development languages such as C++ or Java. What makes R stand out from most other languages is that it acts as an interactive statistical environment. R also allows underscores as variable characters, unlike other languages that use them as assignment operators. R is popular among data scientists.

Machine Learning

Machine learning is an artificial intelligence (AI) discipline geared toward the technological development of human knowledge. Machine learning allows computers to handle new situations via analysis, self-training, observation and experience. Machine learning facilitates the continuous advancement of computing through exposure to new scenarios, testing and adaptation, while employing pattern and trend detection for improved decisions in subsequent (though not identical) situations. Machine learning is often confused with data mining and knowledge discovery in databases (KDD), which share a similar methodology.

Decision Theory

Decision theory is a study of an agent's rational choices that supports all kinds of progress in technology such as work on machine learning and artificial intelligence. Decision theory looks at how decisions are made, how multiple decisions influence one another, and how decision-making parties deal with uncertainty. Decision theory is also known as theory of choice.

Greenwashing

Greenwashing refers to a marketing makeover in which a product is presented as more environment friendly when no substantial effort has been taken to make it so. In a more extreme sense greenwashing may refer to an attempt to make a product that is environmentally damaging appear to be environmentally friendly. Greenwashing plays upon a renewed consumer interest in protecting the environment.

Rainbow Table Attack

A rainbow table attack is a type of hacking wherein the perpetrator tries to use a rainbow hash table to crack the passwords stored in a database system. A rainbow table is a hash function used in cryptography for storing important data such as passwords in a database. Sensitive data are hashed twice (or more times) with the same or with different keys in order to avoid rainbow table attacks.

Geotagging

Geotagging is the process of adding metadata that contains geographical information about a location to a digital map. The data usually consists of latitude and longitude coordinates, but may also include a timestamp, as well as links to additional information. Geotag metadata can be added manually or programmatically. In Google Maps and similar GPS services, geotagging may also be referred to as dropping a pin. Pins can be tagged with contextual information to share information about a specific physical location. Popular types of contextual info include photos, videos, website URLs and QR codes. The red icon above is called a pin and its use on a digital map indicates that a location that has been geotagged. End users can view a pin's additional metadata by hovering their finger or mouse over the icon.

Data Lake

A data lake is an easily accessible, centralized storage repository for large volumes of structured and unstructured data. A data lake has a flat architecture and uses object storage to store data. Data lakes play an important role in helping data scientists visualize and analyze data from disparate data in their native formats. In data science, this is an especially important consideration when the scope of the data -- and its uses -- may not yet be fully known.

Although data lakes offer strong data access benefits, they require a management component to help users find the most relevant data, understand relationships and integrate heterogeneous data sources. Popular data lake platforms include:

CoreLAKE -- a commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) data lake platform for healthcare organizations.
Qubole -- an open source data lake platform for machine learning and ad hoc analytics.
Azure Data Lake -- built on Hadoop YARN and optimized for the cloud.
AWS Lake Formation -- allows users to access a centralized data catalog that describes available data sets and their appropriate usage.
A data lake may also be referred to as a schema-agnostic or schema-less data repository.

Term of the day - 32

Training Data

The idea of using training data in machine learning programs is a simple concept, but it is also very foundational to the way that these technologies work. The training data is an initial set of data used to help a program understand how to apply technologies like neural networks to learn and produce sophisticated results. It may be complemented by subsequent sets of data called validation and testing sets. Training data is also known as a training set, training dataset or learning set.

Deconvolutional Neural Network

A deconvolutional neural network is a neural network that performs an inverse convolution model. Some experts refer to the work of a deconvolutional neural network as constructing layers from an image in an upward direction, while others describe deconvolutional models as "reverse engineering" the input parameters of a convolutional neural network model. Deconvolutional neural networks are also known as deconvolutional networks, deconvs or transposed convolutional neural networks.

Linear Discriminant Analysis

Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is a type of linear combination, a mathematical process using various data items and applying functions to that set to separately analyze multiple classes of objects or items. Flowing from Fisher's linear discriminant, linear discriminant analysis can be useful in areas like image recognition and predictive analytics in marketing.

Random Walk

The random walk is a somewhat popular mathematical construct that is used in computer science, and now in machine learning. It is described as a "stochastic" process because it works through the application of random variables. The random walk essentially tracks incremental steps by a particular modeled intelligence or digital "rational actor."

Natural Language Generation

Natural language generation (NLG) is a particular AI-complete task that involves generating language from non-language inputs. Some experts might refer to a natural language generation application as a "translator" of text or other informational formats into spoken language.

Data Matching

Data matching describes efforts to compare two sets of collected data. This can be done in many different ways, but the process is often based on algorithms or programmed loops, where processors perform sequential analyses of each individual piece of a data set, matching it against each individual piece of another data set, or comparing complex variables like strings for particular similarities.

Iris Flower Data Set

The Iris flower data set is a specific set of information compiled by Ronald Fisher, a biologist, in the 1930s. It describes particular biological characteristics of various types of Iris flowers, specifically, the length and width of both pedals and the sepals, which are part of the flower’s reproductive system. The Iris flower data set is now widely used as a data set for testing purposes in computer science.

Machine Binding

Machine binding is a software-binding or licensure-stopping software that works to prevent the software from being used on multiple computers. Mechanisms for machine binding include building serial numbers into hardware that can be accessed and matched to serial numbers within the software to provide an authorization match. Machine binding ties a licensure to a specific machine or user and is used for digital software distribution. It also prohibits changes in the system installed on a particular computer. Licensing activities can include the machine binding process. Machine-bound software can be highly tamper resistant.

Machine Code

Machine code (MC) is the executable instruction code provided by all running computer system programs and applications. MC language is a low-level code interpreted and converted from high-level source code and understood only by the machine. Machine code is transported to the system processor when a specific task, application or program executes even the smallest process. Machine code is also known as machine language (ML).

Wasserstein GAN

The Wasserstein GAN (WGAN) is an algorithm introduced in a paper written by Martin Arjovsky, Soumith Chintala and Léon Bottou at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. The paper examines methods for unsupervised learning, and provides part of the roadmap for dealing with the pursuit of certain outcomes in machine learning projects.

Validation Set

In machine learning, a validation set is used to “tune the parameters” of a classifier. The validation test evaluates the program’s capability according to the variation of parameters to see how it might function in successive testing. The validation set is also known as a validation data set, development set or dev set.

VPN Lethean

“VPN Lethean” or (Lethean VPN) is an independent VPN offering that utilizes blockchain in its design. Lethean VPN planners describe the project as having been composed by a relatively small team. Users can find a Lethean road map and other resources online.

Blockweave

The new term "blockweave" in IT refers to a new data storage protocol that revolutionizes decentralized proof of access to enable low-cost storage. Professionals point out that this new type of blockchain system is meant to solve the twin problems of on-chain data limitations and unsustainable access systems while decreasing the cost of chain storage.

Cryptomining

Delegated Proof of Stake

Delegated proof of stake (DPoS) is a verification and consensus mechanism in the blockchain. It competes with other proof of work and proof of stake models as a way to verify transactions and promote blockchain organization.

Delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance

Delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance (dBFT) is a sophisticated algorithm meant to facilitate consensus on a blockchain. Although it is not in common use as of yet, it represents an alternative to simpler proof of stake, proof of importance and proof of work methods.

Proof of Importance

Proof of importance (PoI) is a cryptocurrency term defined as a blockchain consensus technique – essentially, proof of importance works to prove the utility of nodes in a cryptocurrency system, so that they can create blocks.

Block Reward

Proof of Work

Proof of work (PoW) in the cryptocurrency world is an important way to validate coin transaction status and asset management. As an earlier method, it has been augmented by others such as proof of stake and proof of importance.

Bitcoin

Hard Fork

A hard fork in the world of bitcoin and cryptocurrency is a phenomenon in which a change forces certain divergences in the blockchain, as a result of miner or user activity or a change in rules. In the world of cryptocurrency, there are hard forks and soft forks; unlike a soft fork, a hard fork does not resolve automatically according to user trends.

Initial Coin Offering

Soft Fork

In the world of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, a soft fork is where the cryptocurrency chain experiences a divergence. Specifically, soft forks are contrasted with hard forks, which are more expensive and less easy to resolve.

Digital Wallet

Digital wallets are not only used for online purchases but also for authentication of the user. A digital wallet can store complete user information including credentials, transaction history and personal details. Digital wallets can also be used in combination with other mobile payment systems.

Augmented Reality Headset

An augmented reality headset is a specialized, head-mounted display device that provides a simulated visual environment through physical display optic lenses, allowing the user to see both a digital display and the world through the glasses. Augmented reality headsets provide virtual images, videos, animation or informational content to users who wear them, allowing them to add virtual elements to the real world they can see through the glasses. This is an emerging technology that aims to transform the world as users see it depending on what they're looking at.

Real Reality (RR)

Real reality (RR) is a term used to refer to the real world, rather than the increasingly engaging and interactive one found online. Real reality is used to distinguish an experience or interaction from virtual reality or any other fictional, fantasy or lifelike experience. Philosophically speaking, what is and isn't real is a matter of debate, especially when virtual reality and other digital experiences are becoming increasingly hard to distinguish from real-life experiences. The term real reality aims to preserve this distinction.

Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML)

Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) is an open-standard programming language created to design three-dimensional (3-D) and Web-based models, textures and illusion. VRML is used to illustrate 3-D objects, buildings, landscapes or other items requiring 3-D structure and is very similar to Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). VRML also uses textual representation to define 3-D illusion presentation methods. VRML is also known as Virtual Reality Markup Language.

Virtual Dedicated Server

A virtual dedicated server (VDS) is an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud offering that allows users to provision an isolated server over the internet. It provides functionality and resources similar to an in-house server but is managed on a rental basis by a cloud service provider. A VDS provides small to full-scale server instances, depending on the provider’s resource requirements and capabilities.

Paravirtualization

Paravirtualization is a virtualization technique that provides an interface to virtual machines that are similar to their underlying hardware. In paravirtualization, the guest operating system is explicitly ported before installing a virtual machine because a non-tailored guest operating system cannot run on top of a virtual machine monitor (VMM).

VM Rightsizing

VM rightsizing is an administrative process wherein system administrators optimize the allocation of resources within a virtualized hardware environment.

Virtualization Health Chart

A virtualization health chart is a data visualization construct that monitors and helps administrators stay on top of virtualized environments, from the hardware hosts and networking, down to the virtual machines themselves. The charts show the health of all the elements in the virtualization environment in real time, allowing for preemptive action or quick response if problems do occur.

Self-Driving Data Center

A self-driving data center is a data center that is highly automated to the point where it requires little human intervention to maintain. The term is used by analogy with self-driving cars that can navigate by themselves. The term is described as a theoretical goal, as most data centers still require system administrators.

Deep Learning

Deep learning is an iterative approach to artificial intelligence (AI) that stacks machine learning algorithms in a hierarchy of increasing complexity and abstraction. Each deep learning level is created with knowledge gained from the preceding layer of the hierarchy.

The first layer of a deep image recognition algorithm, for example, might focus on learning about color patterns in training data, while the next layer focuses on shapes. Eventually, the hierarchy will have layers that focuses on various combinations of colors and shapes, with the top layer focusing on the actual object being recognized.

Deep learning is currently the most sophisticated AI architecture in use today. Popular deep learning algorithms include:

Convolutional neural network - the algorithm can assign weights and biases to different objects in an image and differentiate one object in the image from another. Used for object detection and image classification.

Recurrent neural networks - the algorithm is able to remember sequential data. Used for speech recognition, voice recognition, time series prediction and natural language processing.

Long short-term memory networks - the algorithm can learn order dependence in sequence prediction problems. Used in machine translation and language modeling.

Generative adversarial networks - two algorithms compete against each other and use each other's mistakes as new training data. Used in digital photo restoration and deepfake video.

Deep belief networks - an unsupervised deep learning algorithm in which each layer has two purposes: it functions as a hidden layer for what came before and a visible layer for what comes next. Used in healthcare sectors for cancer and other disease detection.

R (Statistical Programming Language)
R is an open-source statistical programming language and framework that's used for a wide range of scientific applications, including machine learning. R is a popular skill requirement for job openings in artificial intelligence and data science.

R is considered to be a well-developed programming language, although it is known to be fairly unconventional when compared to other popular software development languages such as C++ or Java. What makes R stand out from most other languages is that the framework provides developers with an interactive statistical environment for analyzing and visualizing data.

Users can compile and run R on various operating systems including Windows, Unix, Mac OS X and Linux. New code and statistical techniques are shared through groups such as the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN).

SASE (Secure Access Service Edge)

Secure access service edge (SASE) is a network architecture in which security services are delivered over the internet directly to SD-WAN connections through a private backbone that is managed by the SASE provider.

The goal of SASE, which is pronounced “sassy," is to consolidate multiple networking and security functions into one native-cloud software stack that's billed as a single, on-demand cloud service.

Depending upon the provider, a SASE stack may include the following:

Support for Zero-trust Network Access (ZTNA)
Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) services
Secure Web Gateway (SWG) services
Deep packet inspection services
Virtual private network (VPN) services
Firewall as a service (FWaaS)
Data loss prevention (DLP) services

Term of the day - 33

Virtual Office

Virtual office is a broad term that refers to work environments that are delivered and accessed through Web-based communication and computing technologies. A virtual office replaces the workspace with cyberspace. It works off of Web-based IT services that are used for the initiation, execution and operation of typical office processes.

Network Functions Virtualization (NFV)

Network functions virtualization (NFV) increases and improves network function as well as managing networks. It does so by transforming the way architect networks deliver network services. This is an architectural and creatively designed procedure which chains together different classes of network nodes and creates a form of communication or makes particular information available to users.

X-Y-Z Matrix

An X-Y-Z matrix is a three-dimensional structure whereby the x-axis and y-axis denote the first two dimensions and the z-axis is the third dimension. In a graphic image, the x denotes width, y denotes height and the z represents depth. An X-Y-Z matrix is also known as a 3D matrix.

Query

A query is a request for data or information from a database table or combination of tables. This data may be generated as results returned by Structured Query Language (SQL) or as pictorials, graphs or complex results, e.g., trend analyses from data-mining tools. One of several different query languages may be used to perform a range of simple to complex database queries. SQL, the most well-known and widely-used query language, is familiar to most database administrators (DBAs).

For Loop

For loop is a programming language conditional iterative statement which is used to check for certain conditions and then repeatedly execute a block of code as long as those conditions are met. The for loop is distinguished from other looping statements through an explicit loop counter or loop variable which allows the body of the loop to know the exact sequencing of each iteration.

Declarative Programming

Declarative programming is a programming paradigm in which the programmer defines what needs to be accomplished by the program without defining how it needs to be implemented. In other words, the approach focuses on what needs to be achieved instead of instructing how to achieve it. It is different from an imperative program which has the command set to resolve a certain set of problems by describing the steps required to find the solution. Declarative programming describes a particular class of problems with language implementation taking care of finding the solution. The declarative programming approach helps in simplifying the programming behind some parallel processing applications.

Lisp

Lisp is a family of computer programming languages that originated in 1958 and has since undergone a number of changes and dialects. It is considered the second-oldest high-level programming language in use today, after Fortran. The name "Lisp" is derived from "list processing," because linked lists are part of major data structures and the source code is made up of lists. Because of its origins, Lisp was originally considered an acronym and spelled "LISP."

Proof of Importance

Proof of importance (PoI) is a cryptocurrency term defined as a blockchain consensus technique – essentially, proof of importance works to prove the utility of nodes in a cryptocurrency system, so that they can create blocks.

Programming Language

A programming language is a computer language engineered to create a standard form of commands. These commands can be interpreted into a code understood by a machine. Programs are created through programming languages to control the behavior and output of a machine through accurate algorithms, similar to the human communication process. A programming language is also known as a programming system, computer language or computer system.

Functor

A functor is a type of class in C++ that acts like a function. Experts point out that a functor is created by overloading the operator and passing one argument the way that one would to a conventional function, albeit with different results.

Common Language Infrastructure

Grace Hopper

Grace Hopper was a pioneering computer scientist who helped create the field of computer programming. Hopper and her team created the first compiler, so that programmers could program with English commands. Hopper also heavily influenced the creation and standardization of COBOL, one of the first programming languages that was compatible with different computers.

Greedy Algorithm

A greedy algorithm is an algorithmic strategy that makes the best optimal choice at each small stage with the goal of this eventually leading to a globally optimum solution. This means that the algorithm picks the best solution at the moment without regard for consequences. It picks the best immediate output, but does not consider the big picture, hence it is considered greedy.

Syntax

In programming, syntax refers to the rules that specify the correct combined sequence of symbols that can be used to form a correctly structured program using a given programming language. Programmers communicate with computers through the correctly structured syntax, semantics and grammar of a programming language.

Binary Tree

A binary tree is a tree data structure where each node has up to two child nodes, creating the branches of the tree. The two children are usually called the left and right nodes. Parent nodes are nodes with children, while child nodes may include references to their parents.

Visual Basic (VB)

Visual Basic (VB) is a well-known programming language created and developed by Microsoft. VB is characterized by its simple format, which is easy to understand. Beginning programmers often consider VB the starting point in software development. VB is the visual form of BASIC, an earlier language originally developed by Dartmouth professors John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz.

Power User

A power user is an individual that operates a computer or device with advanced skills, knowledge, experience and capabilities. A power user has the ability to reap multiple benefits and functionalities of a computer, software application or the Internet. A power user is also known as a super user.

Volatile Variable

A volatile variable is a variable that is marked or cast with the keyword "volatile" so that it is established that the variable can be changed by some outside factor, such as the operating system or other software. A volatile variable is useful in multithreaded applications or in other situations where programmers must anticipate changes to the variable other than those that are common within the code module.

Backward Chaining

Backward chaining is an inference method widely used in artificial intelligence, automated theorem provers and proof assistants. Backward chaining methodology can be described as working back from a goal. Many programming languages support backward chaining within their inference engines. Backward chaining is also referred to as backward reasoning.

Low-Level Language

A low-level language is a programming language that deals with a computer's hardware components and constraints. It has no (or only a minute level of) abstraction in reference to a computer and works to manage a computer's operational semantics. A low-level language may also be referred to as a computer’s native language.

High-Level Language (HLL)

A high-level language is any programming language that enables development of a program in a much more user-friendly programming context and is generally independent of the computer's hardware architecture. A high-level language has a higher level of abstraction from the computer, and focuses more on the programming logic rather than the underlying hardware components such as memory addressing and register utilization.

Metalanguage

From a programming language perspective, a metalanguage is a language used to make statements regarding statements made in another language, known as an object language. Metalanguage helps in describing the concepts, grammar and objects associated with a particular programming language. Metalanguage is widely used in language design, analysers, compilers and theorem provers. It is also used in financial systems, bioinformatics and in other similar applications.

Global Variable

A global variable is a programming language construct, a variable type that is declared outside any function and is accessible to all functions throughout the program. A group of global variables is called a global state or global environment because when combined, they define various aspects of a program or the environment when the program runs. A global variable is usually declared on top of all functions and is kept to a minimum, as all functions can manipulate them during the program’s run time, which is considered dangerous by most programmers because they may accidentally be changed, resulting in bugs.

IoT Solutions Architect

An IoT solutions architect is a professional role involved in developing practical uses and applications of internet of things technology. The IoT solutions architect typically works with engineers and salespeople to facilitate process development.

Hashed Table

A hashed table or hash table is a special type of internal table used in ABAP programs, where by using the hash functionality, the necessary table record is obtained. Like other types of internal tables, hashed tables are also used to extract data from standard SAP database tables by means of ABAP programs or ABAP objects. However, unlike other types of internal tables like standard or sorted, hash tables cannot be accessed using an index. As with database tables, hashed tables also require a unique key.

Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Low earth orbit (LEO) is a designation for communication satellites whose locus extends from approximately 300 miles above the earth’s surface up to an altitude of 1,491 miles. A non-terrestrial network (NTN) of LEO satellites is called a constellation or swarm. LEO constellations can provide satellite broadband service to areas where it otherwise would be too costly or even impossible to lay land lines. LEOs, which are not fixed in space in relation to the planet's surface, are known for providing faster throughput and having less latency than traditional geostationary (GEO) satellites because they orbit over 60 times closer to the Earth's surface.

LEO orbits are typically less than 2,400 km (1,491 mi) in altitude. Geostationary (GEO) satellites orbit around the equator roughly 36,000 km (22,369 mi) above the Earth. Geosynchronous Transfer (GTO) is an elliptical orbit into which satellites are often first launched in order to reach GEO.

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)

Blockchain (Distributed Ledger)

A blockchain is a tamper-resistant distributed ledger that's used to validate and store digital transactional records. No single authority is responsible for maintaining a Blockchain. Instead, computers in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network each store a copy of the ledger and transactions are verified through a decentralized consensus mechanism.

Transactions are stored in permanent, time-stamped units called blocks and each block is connected (chained) to the previous block with a cryptographic hash that is created by using the previous block's contents. The hash links make it impossible to alter data in one block without making changes to each subsequent block in the chain at the exact same time. Essentially, this means that any attempt to alter or delete information will break the cryptographic chain and immediately alert all nodes in the network that there is a problem.

Blockchains can be public or private. In a public blockchain, anyone can view the ledger and participate in the consensus mechanism. In a private Blockchain, the consensus mechanism is restricted to certain nodes on the network and views of the private ledger may also be restricted.

Originally created for digital currency, Blockchain is now being used by many types of businesses as a decentralized database technology to support smart contracts as well as records management for health care and identity and access management (IAM).

Internet of Behaviors (IoB)

The Internet of Behaviors (IoB) is an area of research and development (R&D) that seeks to understand how, when and why humans use technology to make purchasing decisions. IoB combines three fields of study: behavioral science, edge analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT).

IoB platforms are designed to gather, aggregate and analyze data generated from a wide variety of sources, including household digital devices, wearable computers and human online activities. The data is then analyzed in terms of behavioral psychology to look for patterns that can be used by marketing and sales teams to influence future consumer behavior.

An important goal of the IoB is to help marketers understand and monetize the massive amount of data produced by network nodes in the Internet of Things.

USB-C Connector

USB-C (Universal Serial Bus Type-C) is an industry-standard for transmitting both data and power over a single cable. The benefits of USB-C include increased data transfer rates (DTRs) and faster charging capabilities. USB-C connectors have a small rectangular shape with rounded edges. Its design is symmetrical and each end of a USB-C cable has both downstream and upstream connectors. This means that end users do not need to be concerned with orientation when plugging in a USB-C cable. USB Type-C supports the 3.2 and 3.1 versions of the USB specification. It is also backward compatible with both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0.

Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance (PdM) is an approach to asset management that relies on operational data to determine when a physical asset requires service. An important goal of PdM is to minimize maintenance costs by preventing equipment failures before they occur. Predictive maintenance plays an important role in industries that requires high availability (HA) for machine parts. PdM can be contrasted with reactive maintenance and preventive maintenance.

Reactive Maintenance – Run equipment until it breaks and then fix or replace it.

Preventive Maintenance – Replace parts and schedule equipment repairs on a time- or machine-run-based schedule.

Predictive Maintenance – Use intelligent sensors to monitor machine parts in operations and machine learning to determine when data has deviated from desired parameters.

Term of the day - 34

Ubiquitous Computing

Integrated Analytics Platform

Edge Analytics

Edge analytics refers to the analysis of data from some non-central point in a system, such as a network switch, peripheral node or connected device or sensor. As an emerging term, “edge analytics” defines the attempt to collect data in decentralized environments.

Analytics of Things

Intelligent Edge

Ubicomp

Ubicomp is an abbreviation for the term "ubiquitous computing." Ubiquitous computing is an idea related to expanding an interface to make it seem "pervasive" in a given environment. Ubicomp is also the name of an annual conference on ubiquitous computing.

Smart Device

A smart device, as the name suggests, is an electronic gadget that is able to connect, share and interact with its user and other smart devices. Although usually small in size, smart devices typically have the computing power of a few gigabytes.

Empowered Edge

Cybercrime

In general, cybercrime is defined as either a crime involving computing against a digital target or a crime in which a computing system is used to commit criminal offenses. As a broad category of crime, cybercrime includes such disparate sorts of activities as illegal access of data, use of computer communications to commit fraud, or the ransoming of systems via digital means. Cybercrime may also be referred to as computer crime.

Cyber Defense

Cyber defense is a computer network defense mechanism which includes response to actions and critical infrastructure protection and information assurance for organizations, government entities and other possible networks. Cyber defense focuses on preventing, detecting and providing timely responses to attacks or threats so that no infrastructure or information is tampered with. With the growth in volume as well as complexity of cyber attacks, cyber defense is essential for most entities in order to protect sensitive information as well as to safeguard assets.

Security Architecture

Security architecture is a unified security design that addresses the necessities and potential risks involved in a certain scenario or environment. It also specifies when and where to apply security controls. The design process is generally reproducible. In security architecture, the design principles are reported clearly, and in-depth security control specifications are generally documented in independent documents. System architecture can be considered a design that includes a structure and addresses the connection between the components of that structure.

Data Modeling

Data modeling is a representation of the data structures in a table for a company’s database and is a very powerful expression of the company's business requirements. This data model is the guide used by functional and technical analysts in the design and implementation of a database. Data models are used for many purposes, from high-level conceptual models to physical data models.

Predictive Model Markup Language (PMML)

Predictive Model Markup Language (PMML) is an XML-based markup language designed to provide a method of defining application models related to predictive analytics and data mining. PMML attempts to eliminate proprietary issues and incompatibility from application exchange models.

Predictive Modeling

Predictive modeling is a process through which a future outcome or behavior is predicted based on the past and current data at hand.
It is a statistical analysis technique that enables the evaluation and calculation of the probability of certain results related to software, systems or an entire IT environment.

Bi-Directional Predictive Frame (B-Frame)

A bi-directional predictive frame (B-Frame) is part of an MPEG video compression standard. In this method, groups of sequential pictures are aggregated to form a group of pictures (GOP), which are displayed in sequence to provide video. A single bi-directional predictive frame relates to other frames directly preceding or following it. By recording just the information that differs from a preceding picture or a following picture, the data storage requirements for each individual picture become much lower than in a technique that would store each successive image completely. A bi-directional predictive frame may also be known as a bi-directional frame.

Predictive Analytics Tools

Predictive analytics tools provide business owners a way to predict how their customers and potential audiences are reacting to promotions and other strategies or campaigns that the businesses might be running. Predictive analytics tools work by providing well-tracked historical data and real-time insights.

Business Analytics (BA)

Business analytics (BA) refers to all the methods and techniques that are used by an organization to measure performance. Business analytics are made up of statistical methods that can be applied to a specific project, process or product. Business analytics can also be used to evaluate an entire company. Business analytics are performed in order to identify weaknesses in existing processes and highlight meaningful data that will help an organization prepare for future growth and challenges. The need for good business analytics has spurred the creation of business analytics software and enterprise platforms that mine an organization’s data in order to automate some of these measures and pick out meaningful insights.

Customer Relationship Management Analytics (CRM Analytics)

Customer relationship management analytics (CRM analytics) refers to applications used to evaluate an organization’s customer data to facilitate and streamline business choices. CRM analytics also may be used for online analytical processing (OLAP) through the use of data mining. CRM analytical tools use a variety of applications that help measure the effectiveness of customer related processes and ultimately provide customer categorization, such as profitability analysis, event monitoring, what-if scenarios and predictive modeling.

Customer Analytics

Customer analytics is an activity within of e-commerce whereby customers' online shopping and internet search behavior is examined by software with the results used by teams of marketing professionals looking to increase revenues for online merchants. Customer analytics uses data collection and subsequent software analysis to zero-in on customers' online order transactions for the purpose of sorting out specific customer demographics, shopping patterns, internet usage and applying predictive analyses to allow marketers to take measures to increase online business profit margins. Other commonly used terms for customer analytics include Customer Relationship Management analytics, or CRM analytics.

Real-Time Customer Analytics

Real-time customer analytics is a type of analytics which concentrates on real-time data captured from customers as they are performing their actions rather than on older historical data like traditional analytics, which use historical data to predict future trends. Real-time customer analytics also gives more emphasis to customer interaction and usage data rather than page views and other similar statistics, giving a more customer-centric view rather than a demographic one.

Real-Time Web Analytics

Real-time Web analytics is a technology in which the owner/manager of a website has the ability to monitor a website's users and activities in an instantaneous (or almost instant) fashion. The term encompasses all facets of a website, from visitors, pageviews, clicks, sales and other metrics, and generally implies immediate updating of dashboards and reporting.

Analytical Engine

Analytical engine most often refers to a computing machine engineered by Charles Babbage in the early 1800s. It is considered an early and very important step toward modern computer design. This term can also be used to refer to any comprehensive internal system for analytics.

Big Data Mining

Big data mining is referred to the collective data mining or extraction techniques that are performed on large sets /volume of data or the big data. Big data mining is primarily done to extract and retrieve desired information or pattern from humongous quantity of data.

Real-Time Predictive Analytics

Real-time predictive analytics is the process of extracting useful information from data sets in real time. This is done to determine and predict future outcomes. Real-time predictive analytics does not precisely predict what will happen in the future; instead, it forecasts what might happen on the basis of certain "if" scenarios.

Predictive Alerting

Predictive alerting is technology that is able to provide predictions of certain events or inputs. It is related to machine learning because the technology is able to learn from the data it is regularly processing and based on its learning, is able to make predictions which are actionable. The technology is used in many industries such as telecommunications, banking and finance, and defense.

Distributed File System

A distributed file system (DFS) is a file system with data stored on a server. The data is accessed and processed as if it was stored on the local client machine. The DFS makes it convenient to share information and files among users on a network in a controlled and authorized way. The server allows the client users to share files and store data just as if they are storing the information locally. However, the servers have full control over the data, and give access control to the clients.

Backpropagation Mean

Backpropagation is an algorithm used in artificial intelligence (AI) to fine-tune mathematical weight functions and improve the accuracy of an artificial neural network's outputs. A neural network can be thought of as a group of connected input/output (I/O) nodes. The level of accuracy each node produces is expressed as a loss function (error rate). Backpropagation calculates the mathematical gradient of a loss function with respect to the other weights in the neural network. The calculations are then used to give artificial network nodes with high error rates less weight than nodes with lower error rates.

Backpropagation uses a methodology called chain rule to improve outputs. Basically, after each forward pass through a network, the algorithm performs a backward pass to adjust the model’s weights. An important goal of backpropagation is to give data scientists insight into how changing a weight function will change loss functions and the overall behaviour of the neural network. The term is sometimes used as a synonym for "error correction."

Term of the day - 35

Social Networking Site (SNS)

A social networking site is an online platform that allows users to create a public profile and interact with other users. Social networking sites usually allow a new user to provide a list of people with whom they share a connection, and then allow the people on the list to confirm or deny the connection. After connections are established, the new user can search the networks of connections to make more connections. A social networking site is also known as a social networking website or social website.

Cyclic Redundancy Check

The cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is a technique used to detect errors in digital data. As a type of checksum, the CRC produces a fixed-length data set based on the build of a file or larger data set. In terms of its use, CRC is a hash function that detects accidental changes to raw computer data commonly used in digital telecommunications networks and storage devices such as hard disk drives.

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)

A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a wireless distribution method for two or more devices. WLANs use high-frequency radio waves and often include an access point to the Internet. A WLAN allows users to move around the coverage area, often a home or small office, while maintaining a network connection. A WLAN is sometimes called a local area wireless network (LAWN).

File Management System

A file management system is used for file maintenance (or management) operations. It is is a type of software that manages data files in a computer system. A file management system has limited capabilities and is designed to manage individual or group files, such as special office documents and records. It may display report details, like owner, creation date, state of completion and similar features useful in an office environment. A file management system is also known as a file manager.

Data Definition Language (DDL)

A data definition language (DDL) is a computer language used to create and modify the structure of database objects in a database. These database objects include views, schemas, tables, indexes, etc. This term is also known as data description language in some contexts, as it describes the fields and records in a database table.

Database Security

Database security refers to the collective measures used to protect and secure a database or database management software from illegitimate use and malicious cyber threats and attacks. Database security procedures are aimed at protecting not just the data inside the database, but the database management system and all the applications that access it from intrusion, misuse of data, and damage. It is a broad term that includes a multitude of processes, tools and methodologies that ensure security within a database environment.

Processor

A processor is an integrated electronic circuit that performs the calculations that run a computer. A processor performs arithmetical, logical, input/output (I/O) and other basic instructions that are passed from an operating system (OS). Most other processes are dependent on the operations of a processor. The terms processor, central processing unit (CPU) and microprocessor are commonly linked as synonyms. Most people use the word “processor” interchangeably with the term “CPU” nowadays, it is technically not correct since the CPU is just one of the processors inside a personal computer (PC). The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is another processor, and even some hard drives are technically capable of performing some processing.

Constructor

A constructor is a special method of a class or structure in object-oriented programming that initializes a newly created object of that type. Whenever an object is created, the constructor is called automatically. A constructor is like an instance method that usually has the same name as the class, and can be used to set the values of the members of an object, either to default or to user-defined values. However, although it resembles it, a constructor is not a proper method since it doesn’t have a return type. Instead of performing a task by executing code, the constructor initializes the object, and it cannot be static, final, abstract, and synchronized.

Network Layer

The network layer is a portion of online communications that allows for the connection and transfer of data packets between different devices or networks. The network layer is the third level (Layer 3) of the Open Systems Interconnection Model (OSI Model) and the layer that provides data routing paths for network communication. Data is transferred to the receiving device in the form of packets via logical network paths in an ordered format controlled by the network layer. Logical connection setup, data forwarding, routing and delivery error reporting are the network layer’s primary responsibilities. Layer 3 can be either able to support connection-oriented or connectionless networks (but not both of them at the same time).

Macro

A macro is an automated input sequence that imitates keystrokes or mouse actions. A macro is typically used to replace a repetitive series of keyboard and mouse actions and used often in spreadsheets and word processing applications like MS Excel and MS Word. The file extension of a macro is commonly .MAC. The concept of macros is also well-known among MMORPG gamers (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specialists. In the world of programming, macros are programming scripts used by developers to re-use code. The term macro stands for “macro-instruction” (long instruction).

Ethereum

Ethereum is a contract management platform created by the Ethereum Foundation, a Swiss nonprofit group. It uses the digital financial ledger technology blockchain to create contracts that the foundation calls “smart contracts” that utilize blockchain to provide a static and consistent ledger record.

Broadband Wireless Access

Broadband wireless access (Wireless broadband, or WiBro) refers to inherent network mobility in a geographical area and managed mobility between fixed networks. Broadband wireless access facilitates and ensures mobile device connectivity and communication. Broadband wireless access is also known as wireless local loop (WLL), fixed-radio access (FRA), fixed wireless access (FWA), radio in the loop (RITL) and metro wireless (MW).

Public Cloud Storage

Public cloud storage is a cloud storage model that enables individuals and organizations alike to store, edit and manage data. This type of storage exists on a remote cloud server and is accessible over the internet under a subscription-based utility billing method where the users pay only for the storage capacity being used. Public cloud storage is provided by a storage service provider that hosts, manages and sources the storage infrastructure publicly to many different users. Public cloud storage service is also known as storage as a service, utility storage and online storage.

Kubernetes

Kubernetes is an open-source orchestration platform for working with software containers. Originally designed by Google, Kubernetes is now maintained by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). Kubernetes helps microservice-based applications to be deployed automatically.

Behavioral Analytics

Behavioral analytics are a subset of business analytics which focus on finding out how and why people behave the way they do when using eCommerce platforms, social media sites, online games, and any other web application. Behavioral analytics take business analytics’ broad focus and narrows it down, which allows one to take what seem to be unrelated data points and then extrapolate, determine errors, and predict future trends. All of this is done through data exhaust that has been generated by users.

Term of the day - 36

Universal Serial Bus

A Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a common interface that enables communication between devices and a host controller such as a personal computer (PC) or smartphone. It connects peripheral devices such as digital cameras, mice, keyboards, printers, scanners, media devices, external hard drives and flash drives. Because of its wide variety of uses, including support for electrical power, the USB has replaced a wide range of interfaces like the parallel and serial port.

A USB is intended to enhance plug-and-play and allow hot swapping. Plug-and-play enables the operating system (OS) to spontaneously configure and discover a new peripheral device without having to restart the computer. As well, hot swapping allows removal and replacement of a new peripheral without having to reboot.

There are several types of USB connectors. In the past the majority of USB cables were one of two types, type A and type B. The USB 2.0 standard is type A; it has a flat rectangle interface that inserts into a hub or USB host which transmits data and supplies power. A keyboard or mouse are common examples of a type A USB connector. A type B USB connector is square with slanted exterior corners. It is connected to an upstream port that uses a removable cable such as a printer. The type B connector also transmits data and supplies power. Some type B connectors do not have a data connection and are used only as a power connection.

Today, newer connectors have replaced old ones, such as the Mini-USB (or Mini-B), that has been abandoned in favor of the Micro-USB and USB-C cables. Micro-USB cables are usually used for charging and data transfer between smartphones, video game controllers, and some computer peripherals. Micro-USB are being slowly replaced by type-C connectors, which are becoming the new standard for Android smartphones and tablets.

A constructor is like an instance method that usually has the same name as the class, and can be used to set the values of the members of an object, either to default or to user-defined values. However, although it resembles it, a constructor is not a proper method since it doesn’t have a return type. Instead of performing a task by executing code, the constructor initializes the object, and it cannot be static, final, abstract, and synchronized.

Internet Service Provider (ISP)

An Internet service provider (ISP) is a company that provides customers with Internet access. It is often referred to as just “the provider.” Data may be transmitted using several technologies, including dial-up, DSL, cable modem, wireless or dedicated high-speed interconnects. Typically, ISPs also provide their customers with the ability to communicate with one another by providing Internet email accounts, usually with numerous email addresses at the customer’s discretion. Other services, such as telephone and television services, or personal websites or home pages may be provided as well. The services and service combinations may be unique to each ISP.

Today, ISPs are usually cable companies or mobile phone companies that offer Internet subscriptions in addition to TV or mobile communications services. An Internet service provider is also known as an Internet access provider (IAP).

Cache Memory

Cache memory is a small-sized type of volatile computer memory that provides high-speed data access to a processor and stores frequently used computer programs, applications and data. A temporary storage of memory, cache makes data retrieving easier and more efficient. It is the fastest memory in a computer, and is typically integrated onto the motherboard and directly embedded in the processor or main random access memory (RAM).

Peripheral Device

A peripheral device is an internal or external device that connects directly to a computer or other digital device but does not contribute to the computer's primary function, such as computing. It helps end users access and use the functionalities of a computer. Since it’s not a core device for the system, the computer can still function without the peripheral, which simply provides extra functions. However, some peripherals such as a mouse, keyboard, or monitor tend to be pretty much fundamental to the interaction between the user and the computer itself. A peripheral device is also called a peripheral, computer peripheral, input-output device, or I/O device.

Mobile Application

A mobile application, most commonly referred to as an app, is a type of application software designed to run on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer. Mobile applications frequently serve to provide users with similar services to those accessed on PCs. Apps are generally small, individual software units with limited function. This use of app software was originally popularized by Apple Inc. and its App Store, which offers thousands of applications for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. A mobile application also may be known as an app, web app, online app, iPhone app or smartphone app.

Physical Layer

The physical layer is the first and lowest layer of the Open System Interconnection Model (OSI Model.) The physical layer (also known as layer 1) deals with bit-level transmission between different devices and supports electrical or mechanical interfaces connecting to the physical medium for synchronized communication. This layer plays with most of the network’s physical connections—wireless transmission, cabling, cabling standards and types, connectors and types, network interface cards, and more —as per network requirements. The physical layer does not deal with the actual physical medium (like copper, fiber, etc.)

Resolution

Resolution is a measure used to describe the sharpness and clarity of an image or picture. It is often used as a metric for judging the quality of monitors, printers, digital images and various other hardware and software technologies. The term is popular in the mobile industry for describing a mobile device's display capabilities, and also in the entertainment media to distinguish the visual quality of movies to distinguish between high definition and standard definition movies. It is also used to determine the resolution of a screen, monitor, or TV. Resolution is also referred to as screen resolution.

Production Environment

Production environment is a term used mostly by developers to describe the setting where software and other products are actually put into operation for their intended uses by end users. A production environment can be thought of as a real-time setting where programs are run and hardware setups are installed and relied on for organization or commercial daily operations.

Remote Direct Memory Access

Remote direct memory access (RDMA) is a term used in IT to describe systems that allow different networked computers to send one another data without impacting the operating system of either machine.

Secondary Storage Device

A secondary storage device refers to any non-volatile storage device that is internal or external to the computer. It can be any storage device beyond the primary storage that enables permanent data storage. A secondary storage device is also known as an auxiliary storage device, backup storage device, tier 2 storage, or external storage.

Data Redundancy

Data redundancy is a condition created within a database or data storage technology in which the same piece of data is held in two separate places. This can mean two different fields within a single database, or two different spots in multiple software environments or platforms. Whenever data is repeated, it basically constitutes data redundancy. Data redundancy can occur by accident but is also done deliberately for backup and recovery purposes.

Interpreter

An interpreter is a computer program that is used to directly execute program instructions written using one of the many high-level programming languages. The interpreter transforms the high-level program into an intermediate language that it then executes, or it could parse the high-level source code and then performs the commands directly, which is done line by line or statement by statement.

Automated Treatment Plan

An automated treatment plan is composed of a series of electronic forms and software specifically designed to help medical professionals and health care providers in treating their patients. These forms are usually customized to meet the various needs and demands of individual practitioners particularly those who are in the behavioral health care practices.

Patient data is usually captured and stored for further retrieval and report generation with relation to their corresponding medical treatment plans. An IT professional is usually needed to assist in the process of developing the automated treatment plan. On most cases, vendors and OEMs are hired to implement automated treatment plans for organizations that do not have their own IT staff.

Storage Device

A storage device is any type of computing hardware that is used for storing, porting or extracting data files and objects. Storage devices can hold and store information both temporarily and permanently. They may be internal or external to a computer, server or computing device. A storage device may also be known as a storage medium or storage media depending on whether it is seen as discrete in nature (for example, “a hard drive” versus “some hard drive space.”)

Cybercrime

Client/Server Architecture

Client/server architecture is a computing model in which multiple components work in strictly defined roles to communicate. The server hosts, delivers and manages most of the resources and services to be consumed by the client. This type of shared resources architecture has one or more client computers connected to a central server over a network or internet connection.

Client/server architecture is also known as a networking computing model or client/server network because all the requests and services are delivered over a network. It’s considered a form of distributed computing system because the components are doing their work independently of one another.

Query

Normalization

Normalization is the process of reorganizing data in a database so that it meets two basic requirements: There is no redundancy of data, all data is stored in only one place. Data dependencies are logical,all related data items are stored together. Normalization is important for many reasons, but chiefly because it allows databases to take up as little disk space as possible, resulting in increased performance. Normalization is also known as data normalization.

Data Dictionary

A data dictionary is a file or a set of files that contains a database's metadata. The data dictionary contains records about other objects in the database, such as data ownership, data relationships to other objects, and other data. The data dictionary is a crucial component of any relational database. It provides additional information about relationships between different database tables, helps to organize data in a neat and easily searchable way, and prevents data redundancy issues. Ironically, because of its importance, it is invisible to most database users. Typically, only database administrators interact with the data dictionary. A data dictionary is also called a metadata repository.

Network

A network, in computing, is a group of two or more devices or nodes that can communicate. The devices or nodes in question can be connected by physical or wireless connections. The key is that there are at least two separate components, and they are connected.

The scale of a network can range from a single pair of devices or nodes sending data back and forth, to massive data centers and even the global Internet, the largest network in existence. What all of these networks have in common, from the smallest ones to the largest, is that they allow computers and/or users to share information and resources. Networks may be used for:

Communications such as email, instant messaging, chat rooms, etc.
Shared hardware such as printers and input devices.
Shared data and information through the use of shared storage devices.
Shared software, which is achieved by running applications on remote computers.

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

A software development life cycle (SDLC) model is a conceptual framework describing all activities in a software development project from planning to maintenance. This process is associated with several models, each including a variety of tasks and activities. Software development is a cumbersome activity requiring proper identification of requirements, their implementation, and software deployment. However, the activities do not end there. After the distribution of the software, proper maintenance has to be provided in a timely manner. This term is also known as the software development process model.

C++ Programming Language

C++ is an object oriented computer language created by notable computer scientist Bjorne Stroustrop as part of the evolution of the C family of languages. Some call C++ “C with classes” because it introduces object oriented programming principles, including the use of defined classes, to the C programming language framework. C++ is pronounced "see-plus-plus."

Business Intelligence Analyst (BI Analyst)

A business intelligence analyst works with data assets and data mining processes on the key concept of business intelligence or insights. Over time, as technology world evolves, there's the growing mentality that data is one of a company's biggest assets, and that by utilizing certain systems and processes, companies can glean valuable business intelligence to guide decision-making and improve business process results. A business intelligence analyst is a front-line worker in this exciting field.

Scripting Language

A scripting language is a language that uses a sophisticated method to bring codes to a runtime environment. In key ways, scripting languages are made for specific runtime environments, and they automate some of the code implementation. In that sense, they are modernizations of a system that previously used compilers to interpret inputs.

Network Identity (Network ID)

A network ID, in the world of Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol or TCP/IP, is the portion of the TCP/IP address which identifies the network for a given host, usually composed of three octets with dotted decimal representation. The term “network ID” can also be applied in different ways to local network resources, for user authentication, but the classic use of the term relates to the TCP/IP address itself, how that is used to route information, and how it is used in the context of modern cybersecurity. A network ID is also known as network identification or NetID.

Amdahl's Law

Amdahl's law, named after a computer architect named Gene Amdahl and his work in the 1960s, is a law showing how much latency can be taken out of a performance task by introducing parallel computing. In parallel computing, Amdahl's law is mainly used to predict the theoretical maximum speedup for program processing using multiple processors. This term is also known as Amdahl’s argument.

Color Saturation

Color saturation refers to the intensity of color in an image. As the saturation increases, the colors appear to be more pure. As the saturation decreases, the colors appear to be more washed-out or pale. A highly saturated image has vivid, rich and bright colors, while an image with a low saturation will veer towards a scale of grey. In most monitor devices, televisions and graphic editing programs there’s an option to increase or decrease saturation. Color saturation ultimately is one of the three color properties, the other two being hue and value. Saturation is sometimes called “chroma” although the two terms have a slightly different meaning. While chroma defines the brilliance of a color in absolute terms according to the Munsell Color System, saturation is relative to pure gray. However, in nearly all instances, this difference is quite negligible in practice.

Static Method

In Java, a static method is a method that belongs to a class rather than an instance of a class. The method is accessible to every instance of a class, but methods defined in an instance are only able to be accessed by that object of a class. A static method is not part of the objects it creates but is part of a class definition. Unlike instance methods, a static method is referenced by the class name and can be invoked without creating an object of class. In simpler terms, they are methods that exist even if no object has been constructed yet and that do not require an invocation object.

Digital Video Broadcasting

Digital video broadcasting (DVB) is a standard for digital television and video that is used in many parts of the world. Various DVB standards cover satellite, cable and terrestrial television as well as video and audio coding for file formats like MPEG. Digital video broadcasting may also be referred to as digital television.

Automatic Machine Learning

Automatic machine learning (AutoML) is a general discipline that involves automating any part of the entire process of machine learning application. By working with various stages of the machine learning process, engineers develop solutions to expedite, enhance and automate parts of the machine learning pipeline. Automatic machine learning is also known as automated machine learning.

Firewall

A firewall is software or hardware that can be configured to block data from certain locations, applications, or ports while still allowing relevant and necessary data to pass through. Firewalls are used to block unauthorized access to or from networks that have different levels of trust. They work by enforcing security policies and are used to prevent malicious actors from gaining access to private networks connected to the Internet. A firewall may be implemented through hardware, software or a combination of both.

Firewalls at the perimeter of a network can be augmented by Zero Trust policies to ensure network access is granted appropriately and securely at every access layer of the OSI Model.

Microservices

A microservice is a modular software component that does one defined job. Microservices, which have become the default architecture for software development, can run as a process on an application server, virtual machines (VM) or container. Each microservice is a mini-application that has its own business logic and adapters for carrying out functions such as database access and messaging. The resulting application will have small, loosely-coupled components that communicate with each other using lightweight communication protocols. Microservices typically communicate with each other using Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

Term of the day - 37

Communication Streaming Architecture (CSA)

Communication Streaming Architecture (CSA) is a communication interface developed by Intel that links the memory controller hub (MCH) on the chipset to the network controller. The device is an individualized connection that does not use the peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus on the input/output (I/O) controller hub. The CSA offloads network traffic from the PCI bus and reduces bottlenecks by freeing up bandwidth for other I/O processes. The CSA was only used for the Intel chipset that was manufactured in 2003. It was discontinued a year later and replaced by the PCI Express.

Computer-Mediated Communication

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is a process in which human data interaction occurs through one or more networked telecommunication systems. A CMC interaction occurs through various types of networking technology and software, including email, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), instant messaging (IM), Usenet and mailing list servers. CMC technology saves time and money in IT organizations by facilitating the use of all communication formats.

Real Time Streaming Protocol

Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) is a protocol which provides framework for real time media data transfer at the application level. The protocol focuses on connecting and controlling the multi data delivery sessions on lines of time synchronization for continuous media like video and audio. In short, real time streaming protocol acts as a network remote control for real time media files and multimedia servers. Real Time Streaming Protocol is also known as RFC 2326.

Stream Control Transmission Protocol

The Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) association is an SCTP endpoint uniquely identified by transport addresses. Only one SCTP association occurs between two endpoints at a time. The SCTP protocol is specified by RFC 4960, which updates RFC 2960 and RFC 3309.

Stream Control Transmission Protocol Endpoint

The Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) endpoint is an SCTP designated packet sender or receiver with eligible combined and unique transport addresses. SCTP endpoint addresses may not be used by other SCTP endpoints. SCTP enables single endpoint capability for multiple Internet Protocol (IP) addresses known as multi-homing. This provides better data survivability during network failure. SCTP multi-homing is only used for redundancy.

Internet Streaming Media Alliance

The Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA) was a nonprofit corporation operating in the early 21st century to help standardize and explore open standards for streaming media. ISMA was a corporate collective, with participants such as Apple, Cisco and Sun Microsystems.

Deep Learning

Deep learning is a collection of algorithms used in machine learning, used to model high-level abstractions in data through the use of model architectures, which are composed of multiple nonlinear transformations. It is part of a broad family of methods used for machine learning that are based on learning representations of data.

Advance Encryption Standard

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a symmetric-key block cipher algorithm and U.S. government standard for secure and classified data encryption and decryption. In December 2001, the National Institute of Standards (NIST) approved the AES as Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS PUB) 197, which specifies application of the Rijndael algorithm to all sensitive classified data. The Advanced Encryption Standard was originally known as Rijndael.

Encryption Algorithm

An encryption algorithm is a component for electronic data transport security. Actual mathematical steps are taken and enlisted when developing algorithms for encryption purposes, and varying block ciphers are used to encrypt electronic data or numbers. Encryption algorithms help prevent data fraud, such as that perpetrated by hackers who illegally obtain electronic financial information. These algorithms are a part of any company’s risk management protocols and are often found in software applications.

Hybrid Encryption

Hybrid encryption is a mode of encryption that merges two or more encryption systems. It incorporates a combination of asymmetric and symmetric encryption to benefit from the strengths of each form of encryption. These strengths are respectively defined as speed and security. Hybrid encryption is considered a highly secure type of encryption as long as the public and private keys are fully secure.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Robotic process automation (RPA) is the practice of automating routine business practices with software agents (bots) that perform tasks automatically. RPA programming plays an important role in data preprocessing and can be thought of as a more sophisticated version of macros. In the past, if an electronic form was missing a price, traditional automation software would flag the form as having an exception and issue an alert. An employee on the receiving end of the alert would then handle the exception by looking up the correct price and entering it manually on the form. With RPA technology, however, the software is able to look up the missing information and complete the form without human assistance.

Today, RPA technology is one of the fastest growing categories of enterprise application automation and sophisticated RPA bots can be taught a workflow that encompasses multiple steps, including:

Receiving forms.
Issuing a receipt for the form.
Checking the form for completeness.
Filling in missing information.
Forwarding a completed, validated form to its next destination.

Wireless Bridge

A wireless bridge is a type of networking device that enables an over-the-air connection between two different segments of a local area network (LAN). Wireless bridges use radio signals in the microwave or laser spectrum to provide fixed wireless access. A wireless bridge, which may also be referred to as a Wi-Fi bridge, works much like a wired network bridge. They play an important role in connecting LAN segments that are logically separated or located in different physical locations.

Narrow Artificial Intelligence

Narrow artificial intelligence (narrow AI) is a specific type of artificial intelligence in which a learning algorithm is designed to perform a single task, and any knowledge gained from performing that task will not automatically be applied to other tasks. Unlike general artificial intelligence, which seeks to mimic complex thought processes, narrow AI is designed to successfully complete a single task without human assistance. Popular applications for narrow AI include language translation and image recognition. Most AI applications in use today can be categorized as being narrow AI. Narrow AI may also be referred to as weak AI.

Quantum as a Service (QaaS)

Quantum as a service (QaaS) is a cloud service that provides customers with access to quantum computing platforms over the internet. QaaS uses the software as a service (SaaS) delivery model. Quantum computing is based on the qubit, which can superimpose binary positions and support artificial intelligence (AI) beyond today's narrow AI functionality. An important goal of quantum computing is to make artificial general intelligence a reality.

Although much of the theory and operational detail has been solved for quantum computing, business use for this type of computing is still very expensive. The QaaS model allows researchers to experiment with quantum computing on an on-demand basis with minimal financial output.

Cloud Application Programming Interface (Cloud API)

When a cloud provider creates an application or service, they also create APIs so that other software can communicate with that software or service.

Cloud API protocols
The protocols that support Cloud APIs include:

REST -- RESTful APIs use the HTTP protocol to perform functions such as creating, reading, updating, archiving and deleting records.

GraphQl -- GraphQL pulls all relevant data from multiple sites with a single request.

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) -- SOAP APIs use the XML protocol to transfer data.

JSON-RPC -- This type of remote procedure call uses JSON formatting instead of XML to transfer data.

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Data Encryption Standard

The data encryption standard (DES) is a common standard for data encryption and a form of secret key cryptography (SKC), which uses only one key for encryption and decryption. Public key cryptography (PKC) uses two keys, i.e., one for encryption and one for decryption.

Machine Learning Operations

Machine learning operations (MLOPs) is a set of practices that combines developing and maintaining machine learning (ML) seamlessly. The goal is to establish reliable communication and collaboration between data scientists and machine learning operations professionals in order to properly manage and shorten an artificial intelligence (AI) product’s lifecycle. The three main components of MLOps are machine learning, DevOps (IT), and data engineering. It achieves that by implementing automation as often as possible, settling on the balance between improving product quality and meeting business and market requirements.

MLOps works on the same principles that run DevOps. In addition to the software developers (Devs) and IT operations teams, MLOps includes data scientists and ML engineers. The result is a continuous production loop that starts with collecting data and modeling in the MLOps segment. The workflow then proceeds to the devs, where they handle the product’s verification and packaging before sending it to the IT operations team to release, configure, and monitor the result. The loop continues as the feedback is used to plan and create a new update to the machine, going back to data experts.

MLOps is able to produce noticeable results because it bridges the gap between data scientists and ML engineers, and devs and IT teams. MLOps was developed with the knowledge that not all data scientists and ML engineers are experienced in programming languages and IT operations. But instead of older models, where every section in ML development is independent, MLOps creates a continuous feedback loop between the three departments, enabling a faster development cycle and higher product quality, all whilst allowing professionals to focus solely on what they know best instead of having to learn skills on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game

A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that takes place in a persistent state world (PSW) with thousands, or even millions, of players developing their characters in a role-playing environment. The virtual world in which the game takes place is never static. Even when a player is logged off, events are occurring across the world that may impact the player when he or she logs in again.

First Person Shooter

A first person shooter (FPS) is a genre of action video game that is played from the point of view of the protagonist. FPS games typically map the gamer's movements and provide a view of what an actual person would see and do in the game.

A FPS usually shows the protagonist's arms at the bottom of the screen, carrying whatever weapon is equipped. The gamer is expected to propel his avatar through the game by moving it forward, backward, sideways and so on using the game controller. Forward movements of the controller result in the avatar moving forward through the scenery, usually with a slight left-right rocking motion to properly simulate the human gait. In order to increase the level of realism, many games include the sounds of breathing and footsteps in addition to the regular sound effects.

FPS games can be played in two general modes, mission or quest mode and multiplayer mode. The mission mode is usually the default mode for a single player. It usually involves the player battling through progressively harder game levels towards some ultimate goal. The multiplayer mode involves multiple gamers participating via a network and playing in a shared game environment. The multiplayer mode can take many forms, including:
Deathmatches
Capture the flag
Team deathmatch
Search and destroy
Base (a.k.a assault or headquarters)
Last man standing
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Grinding

Grinding refers to the playing time spent doing repetitive tasks within a game to unlock a particular game item or to build the experience needed to progress smoothly through the game. Grinding most commonly involves killing the same set of opponents over and over in order to gain experience points or gold. Although other game genres require some grinding, role-playing games (RPG) – specifically massively multiplayer online role-playing games – are the most notorious for requiring this type of time investment from players. A game level at which a lot of grinding is required may be called a treadmill level.

Emergent Gameplay

Emergent gameplay is a game design term that refers to video game mechanics that change according to the player's actions. Emergent gameplay includes a number of relatively simple decisions that a player must make, the sum of which lead to more complex outcomes. Emergent gameplay can also be created by adding multiple players to the same game environment and having their individual actions impact the overall game narrative. Similarly, more complex artificial intelligence capable of impacting the storyline in unpredictable ways can be used in lieu of additional players.

Massively Multiplayer Online Game

A massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) refers to videogames that allow a large number of players to participate simultaneously over an internet connection. These games usually take place in a shared world that the gamer can access after purchasing or installing the game software. The explosive growth in MMOGs has prompted many game designers to build online multiplayer modes into many traditionally single-player games.

Secure File Transfer Protocol

Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is a file protocol for transferring large files over the web. It builds on the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and includes Secure Shell (SSH) security components. Secure Shell is a cryptographic component of internet security. SSH and SFTP were designed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for greater web security. SFTP transfers files security using SSH and encrypted FTP commands to avoid password sniffing and exposing sensitive information in plain text. Since the client needs to be authenticated by the server, SFTP also protects against man-in-the-middle attacks.

SFTP can be handy in all situations where sensitive data needs to be protected. For example, trade secrets may not be covered by any particular data privacy rule, but it can be devastating for them to fall into the wrong hands. So a business user might use SFTP to transmit files containing trade secrets or other similar information. A private user may want to encrypt his or her communications as well. This term is also known as Secure Shell (SSH) File Transfer Protocol.

Cryptomining

Cryptomining is the process of validating cryptocurrency transactions. The foundation of cryptocurrencies is distributed public ledgers that record all financial transactions. The records are saved in the form of blockchains. Each transaction is linked to the subsequent transaction creating a chain of records. The records are linked using cryptographic hashes.

Because the ledger is public, a record needs to be validated before being added to the ledger. Otherwise, it would be too easy to forge fraudulent payments. Cryptocurrencies use Proof-of-Work (PoW) as a security measure.

In order to post a transaction to the ledger, a problem that is difficult to solve, but easy to verify must be computed. The problems are computationally complex and require brute force to solve. A network of computers will compete to solve the problem first. This process is called cryptomining.

The computer that solves the problem first earns the right to post the transaction to the ledger. The goal is to make the cost of solving the complex problem higher than the gain of posting a fraudulent transaction. The benefit to the cryptominer is that for every transaction posted, the winner receives a small reward. The reward is often a combination of a fee associated with the transaction and newly created cryptocurrency.

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a set of communication standards for digital telephone connection and the transmission of voice and data over a digital line, and is a development of the plain old telephone service (POTS). These digital lines are commonly telephone lines and exchanges established by the government. They are used instead of the traditional circuits of the classic switched telephone network since they can integrate data and speech on the same line. Before ISDN, it was not possible for ordinary telephone lines to provide fast transmission over a single line.

ISDN was designed to run on digital telephone systems that were already in place. As such, it meets telecom’s digital voice network specifications. Originally, it was largely used by businesses that needed to support many desk phones and fax machines. However, it took so long for ISDN to be standardized that it was never fully deployed in the telecommunications networks it was intended for.

ISDN was formally standardized in 1988 and gained some significant popularity in the 1990s as a faster (128 Kbps) alternative to the 56 Kbps dial-up connection for internet access. However, as soon as telecom companies switched from analog to digital infrastructures, modern long-distance networking and broadband internet technologies eventually made it an obsolete technology.

Deep Learning

Deep learning is currently the most sophisticated AI architecture in use today. Popular deep learning algorithms include:

Recurrent neural networks - the algorithm is able to remember sequential data. Used for speech recognition, voice recognition, time series prediction and natural language processing.

Long short-term memory networks - the algorithm can learn order dependence in sequence prediction problems. Used in machine translation and language modeling.

Generative adversarial networks - two algorithms compete against each other and use each other's mistakes as new training data. Used in digital photo restoration and deepfake video.

FileMaker Pro

FileMaker Pro is a cross-platform relational database application that is currently being marketed as a low-code/no-code (LCNC) database management system (DBMS) and rapid application development (RAD) software development tool. Data can be easily exported and imported to and from FileMaker Pro, and the graphical user interface (GUI) is designed to help non-technical line of business (LOB) professionals easily search, filter and sort specific data sets.

Each file in a FileMaker Pro database can consist of multiple tables, layouts, fields, menu sets, scripts, functions, logical relationships, calculations and embedded multimedia objects. Data in one table can be linked to data in other tables and multiple views for each table can easily be created, saved and shared. In the technology marketplace, FileMaker's competitors include MySQL, Libre Office Space and Zoho. It's possible to connect FileMaker to these other database systems by using a RESTful API called Claris Connect.

Firmware

Firmware is a type of software that is etched directly into a piece of hardware. It operates without going through APIs, the operating system, or device drivers—providing the needed instructions and guidance for the device to communicate with other devices or perform a set of basic tasks and functions as intended. Without firmware, the most basic of devices would not function. That is why it is often stored on a Read-Only Memory (ROM) chip, ensuring it does not get erased by accident, all while remaining as close as possible to the metal of the device.

Firmware comes in various complexities and can be found in simple devices, like keyboards and hard drives, to more complex ones, like graphics cards and Basic Input/Output System (BIOS). In Android operating systems, the firmware is different depending on the manufacture, that is, it is the operating software is device-specific. When a device is powered on, firmware is the first part to run and starts sending instructions to the device's processor to execute. If the device is as simple as a keyboard, the firmware does not stop working as there is no software to replace it. However, in more complex devices, such as PCs, laptops, and tablets, there are often multiple firmware sets that interact to achieve a common goal; load the operating system.

Regardless of the type of device, firmware can only work with a basic or low level, binary language known as machine language. While the firmware's code could be written in a high level language for ease and versatility, it needs to be translated into a low level language before getting etched into the device. The same firmware cannot run on processors it was not designed for, as different processors can only identify certain instructions. If a device’s firmware were to get corrupted—during an update, for example—it cannot be fixed, as there is no way to communicate with the machine to install a replacement.

Hyperautomation

Hyperautomation is a strategic approach to scaling automation within an enterprise. The strategy involves identifying what tasks to automate and choosing the most appropriate automation tools for each task. An important goal of hyperautomation is to optimize ways that robotic process automation (RPA) can be used to improve productivity. Gartner and some big companies in the tech space are promoting hyperautomation as the next wave of automation or “automation 2.0.”

Hyperparameter

A hyperparameter is a machine learning parameter whose value is chosen before a learning algorithm is trained.

Hyperparameters should not be confused with parameters . In machine learning, the label parameter is used to identify variables whose values are learned during training. The prefix hyper is used to identify higher-level parameters that control the learning process.

Every variable that an AI engineer or ML engineer chooses before model training begins can be referred to as a hyperparameter -- as long as the value of the variable remains the same when training ends.

It’s important to choose the right hyperparameters before training begins because this type of variable has a direct impact on the performance of the resulting machine learning model. Examples of hyperparameters in machine learning include:

Model architecture
Learning rate
Number of epochs
Number of branches in a decision tree
Number of clusters in a clustering algorithm

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Robotic process automation (RPA) is a technology that uses software agents (bots) to carry out routine clerical tasks without human assistance. RPA is useful for automating business processes that are rules-based and repetitive.

RPA bots can follow a workflow that encompasses multiple steps across multiple applications. Unlike traditional automation projects that require extensive developer help, RPA projects simply use an organization's existing applications.

Essentially, RPA can be thought of as a more sophisticated version of macros. Initially, the technology requires a human to record themselves carrying out a specific business process. This creates a script that a bot uses to replicate workflow.

RPA is often used for data preprocessing tasks, including data entry, data reconciliation and spreadsheet manipulation. Additional uses at the enterprise-level include data analytics, data reporting and event-driven customer outreach.

Popular commercial off-the-shelf (COTs) RPA tools include Blue Prism, Automation Anywhere and UiPath.

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Synthetic Data

Synthetic data is input that is generated mathematically from a statistical model. Synthetic data plays an important role in finance, healthcare and artificial intelligence (AI) when it is used to protect personally identifiable information (PII) in raw data and fabricate massive amounts of new data to train machine learning (ML) algorithms.

Synthetic data is created by executing sequential statistical regression models against each variable in a real-world data source. Any new data collected from the regression models will statistically have the same properties as the originating data, but its values will not correspond to a specific record, person or device.

Synthetic data provides data scientists and analysts with quick access to additional data and frees them from having to worry about compliance. Its varied uses include:

Machine learning (ML) -- synthetic data can be used to quickly create additional data that statistically resembles the originating raw data.
Analytics -- synthetic data can be used to build large datasets by extrapolating information from relatively small datasets.
Compliance -- synthetic data can be used to provide data privacy by de-coupling the information a record contains from its originating source.
Information security -- synthetic data can be used to populate honeypots with fabricated data that's realistic enough to attract attackers.
Software development -- synthetic data can be used in quality assurance (QA) to test code changes in a sandbox environment.

Transport Layer

The transport layer is the fourth layer in the open systems interconnection (OSI) network model. The OSI model divides the tasks involved with moving information between networked computers into seven smaller, more manageable task groups. Each of the seven OSI layers is assigned a task or group of tasks.

The transport layer's tasks include error correction as well as segmenting and desegmenting data before and after it's transported across the network. This layer is also responsible for flow control and making sure that segmented data is delivered over the network in the correct sequence. Layer 4 (the transport layer) uses the transmission control protocol (TCP) & user data protocol (UDP) to carry out its tasks.

Overfitting

Overfitting is a condition that occurs when a machine learning or deep neural network model performs significantly better for training data than it does for new data. Overfitting is the result of an ML model placing importance on relatively unimportant information in the training data. When an ML model has been overfit, it can't make accurate predictions about new data because it can't distinguish extraneous (noisey) data from essential data that forms a pattern.

For example, if a computer vision (CV) program's task is to capture license plates, but the training data only contains images of cars and trucks, the learning model might overfit and conclude that having four wheels is a distinguishing characteristic of license plates. When this happens, the CV programming is likely to do a good job capturing license plates on vans, but fail to capture license plates on motorcycles.

The most common causes of overfitting include the following:

The data used to train the model is dirty and contains large amounts of noise.
The model has a high variance with data points that are very spread out from the statistical mean and from each other.
The size of the training dataset is too small.
The model was created by using a subset of data that does not accurately represent the entire data set.

Computer Vision

Computer vision (CV) is the subcategory of artificial intelligence (AI) that focuses on building and using digital systems to process, analyze and interpret visual data. The goal of computer vision is to enable computing devices to correctly identify an object or person in a digital image and take appropriate action.

Computer vision uses convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to processes visual data at the pixel level and deep learning recurrent neural network (RNNs) to understand how one pixel relates to another.

Uses for computer vision include:

Biometric access management -- CV plays an important role in both facial and iris recognition.
Industrial robots and self-driving cars -- CV allows robots and autonomous vehicles to avoid collisions and navigate safely.
Digital diagnostics -- CV can be used in tandem with other types of artificial intelligence programming to automate the analysis of X-rays and MRIs.
Augmented reality -- CV allows mixed reality programming to know where a virtual object should be placed.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Personal Identifiable Information (PII) is a label used to describe data that directly or indirectly identifies a specific individual.

Examples of PII include names, addresses, biometrics and alphanumeric account numbers.

Name -- includes full names, maiden names, mother‘s maiden names, nicknames and aliases.
Address -- includes street addresses, email addresses, IP addresses and MAC addresses.
Biometrics -- includes photographs, x-rays and other types of bio-based data such as fingerprints.
Alphanumeric account numbers -- includes telephone numbers, driver‘s license numbers, taxpayer IDs, patient IDs, vehicle registration numbers and credit card numbers.
In many parts of the world, personally identifiable data has to be collected, stored and destroyed in accordance with compliance rules and regulations. Because non-PII can easily become PII if additional information is made publicly available, this type of data should be periodically reviewed to determine whether its IT risk management level has changed.

Risk impact levels (low, medium, high) for PII are subjective and based on the potential harm that inappropriate access, use or disclosure of the personally identifiable information would cause. The likelihood of risk is greatly reduced if an organization minimizes the amount of PII it collects, stores and shares.

Logistic Regression

Logistic regression is a supervised learning algorithm used in machine learning to predict the probability of a binary outcome. A binary outcome is limited to one of two possible outcomes. Examples include yes/no, 0/1 and true/false. Logical regression is used predictive modeling to analyze large datasets in which one or more independent variables can determine an outcome. The outcome is expressed as a dichotomous variable that has one of two possible outcomes. Essentially, logistic regression works by estimating the mathematical probability that an instance belongs to a specified class -- or not.

DevRel (DeveloperRelations)

Developer Relations (DevRel) is a strategic approach to improving business-to-business (B2B) communications between a software company’s internal programmers and the external programmers who will be using the company’s open APIs. Just as DevOps strives to improve communication between an organization’s developer and operations teams, DevRel seeks to improve communication between proprietary and open-source developer communities.

Typically, a DevRel team is made up of employees from the software company's product, engineering and marketing teams. In addition to serving as developer evangelists, team members are responsible for gathering metrics that can be used to quantify user engagement and help the software company's internal developers understand their end users' pain points.

Artificial Intelligence Engineer

An artificial intelligence engineer is someone whose job is to identify the right approach to using AI to solve a specific business problem. In the enterprise, AI engineers typically work closely with machine learning engineers to develop and deploy learning algorithms that can use historical and real-time data to predict future events. In smaller companies, the same person (AI/ML engineer) may be responsible for both AI strategy and implementation.

AI engineers need a strong background in math and statistics. Ideally, they are also familiar with Python and R, as well as their most commonly-used libraries and packages. Basic responsibilities for an AI engineer include the following:

Establish business objectives for implementing AI.
Brainstorm with other IT team members to explore how machine learning concepts can be used solve specific business problems.
Develop proof of concepts (POCs).
Identify obstacles that could potentially put an AI-driven project at risk and research workarounds.
Create metrics to measure an AI project’s return on investment (ROI).
Promote best practices for data wrangling, data processing and project documentation

Machine Intelligence

Machine intelligence is an umbrella term that's used to describe the accuracy of a machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL) or classical algorithm output.

In business-to-business (B2B) marketing, the term is also being used to describe a growing market segment for information technology (IT) vendors who specialize in machine learning and artificial intelligence as a service (MLaaS and AIaaS).

Data Wrangling

Data wrangling is a process that data scientists and data engineers use to locate new data sources and convert the acquired information from its raw data format to one that is compatible with automated and semi-automated analytics tools. Data wrangling, which is sometimes referred to as data munging, is arguably the most time-consuming and tedious aspect of data analytics.

The exact tasks required in data wrangling depend on what transformations the analyst requires to make a dataset useable. The basic steps involved in data wranging include:

Discovery -- learn what information is contained in a data source and decide if the information has value.
Structuring -- standardize the data format for disparate types of data so it can be used for downstream processes.
Cleaning -- remove incomplete and redundant data that could skew analysis.
Enriching -- decide if you have enough data or need to seek out additional internal and/or 3rd-party sources.
Validating -- conduct tests to expose data quality and consistency issues.
Publishing -- make wrangled data available to stakeholders in downstream projects.

In the past, wrangling required the analyst to have a strong background in scripting languages such as Python or R. Today, an increasing number of data wrangling tools use machine learning (ML) algorithms to carry out wrangling tasks with very little human intervention.

Digital Twin
A digital twin is a digital version of an entity or system that exists in the physical world. They allow users to learn how a change will impact a physical object or system by testing the change first on a virtual model.

Digital twins can be either static or dynamic. Static twins, which are also referred to as simulations, represent an entity or system at a specific point in time. Dynamic twins are linked to the physical entity or system they represent in order to accurately depict the state of the entity or system in real time.

Digital twins play an important role in research and development (R&D), system integration, change management and enterprise risk management. Popular uses for digital twins include:

Forecasting the health of an entity or system under specific conditions.
Training staff how to use/manage a physical entity or system.
Capturing requirements for a new entity or sytem.
Predicting how a change will affect a real-world entity or system.
Comparing two different lifecycle plans for an entity or system.
Understanding an entity or system's dependencies prior to building it in the real world.

Data Purging
Data purging is the process of permanently removing obsolete data from a specific storage location when it is no longer required.

Common criteria for data purges include the advanced age of the data or the type of data in question. When a copy of the purged data is saved in another storage location, the copy is referred to as an archive.

The purging process allows an administrator to permanently remove data from its primary storage location, yet still retrieve and restore the data from the archive copy should there ever be a need. In contrast, the delete process also removes data permanently from a storage location, but doesn’t keep a backup.

In enterprise IT, the compound term purging and archiving is used to describe the removal of large amounts of data, while the term delete is used to refer to the permanent removal of small, insignificant amounts of data. In this context, the term deletion is often associated with data quality and data hygiene, whereas the term purging is associated with freeing up storage space for other uses.

Strategies for data purging are often based on specific industry and legal requirements. When carried out automatically through business rules, purging policies can help an organization run more efficiently and reduce the total cost of data storage both on-premises and in the cloud.

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a parallel processor that allows repetitive calculations within an application to run simultaneously. GPUs were introduced towards the end of the last century to help central processing units (CPUs) keep up with the huge number of calculations required by animated video games. The GPU carried out repetitive calculations concurrently, while the rest of the application continued to run on the CPU.

As the demand for graphic applications increased towards the end of the last century, GPUs became more popular. Eventually, they became not just an enhancement but a necessity for optimum performance of a PC. Today, GPUs are powerful enough to perform rapid mathematical calculations in parallel for deep learning algorithms and are used in just about every type of computing device, including mobile phones, tablets, display adapters, workstations and game consoles.

Imprint

Publication Date: 06-22-2017

Dedication:
Latest Terms in Information Technology for Networking

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