Rules that decide who can open, use, or change a system or resource.
Access control uses identities, roles, groups, permissions, policies, and audit logs to enforce who can access data, devices, applications, networks, or administrative functions.
A Microsoft system used to manage users, computers, passwords, and access in a company network.
Active Directory stores identity objects and policies for Windows environments. It supports authentication, authorization, group policy, domain services, organizational units, and centralized account management.
A support person who works on tickets and helps users solve issues.
In help desk tools, an agent is usually a licensed support user who can view queues, assign tickets, update statuses, respond to requesters, add internal notes, and close or escalate work based on permissions.
A way for two pieces of software to talk to each other.
API means Application Programming Interface. APIs define requests, responses, authentication, endpoints, data formats, and rules that let systems exchange information or trigger actions.
Tracking the equipment, software, and devices an organization owns or uses.
Asset management tracks ownership, location, lifecycle, warranty, assignments, compliance, cost, configuration, and retirement of devices, licenses, and infrastructure components.
The process of proving who you are before getting access.
Authentication may use passwords, MFA, biometrics, certificates, tokens, SSO, or device trust. It verifies identity before authorization decides what that identity can access.
The rules that decide what an approved user is allowed to access.
Authorization controls permissions after authentication. It may use roles, groups, policies, claims, scopes, access control lists, or least-privilege rules.
Using software to complete repeated tasks without someone doing every step by hand.
Automation can route tickets, assign categories, send reminders, provision users, deploy patches, run scripts, or trigger approvals based on rules, events, or workflow conditions.
A separate cloud location inside a region used to keep services running if one location has trouble.
Availability zones are isolated data center groups within a cloud region. They help improve resilience by separating power, networking, and physical infrastructure failure domains.
The pile of open tickets that have not been finished yet.
A backlog can include new tickets, aging tickets, blocked work, stale requests, reopened issues, and low-priority items waiting for capacity. Teams track backlog to understand workload, staffing needs, and process bottlenecks.
A saved copy of data that can be restored if something is lost or damaged.
Backups may be full, incremental, differential, local, cloud-based, immutable, or snapshot-based. Strong backup plans include retention rules, recovery testing, encryption, and offsite copies.
How much data a network connection can move at one time.
Bandwidth is usually measured in bits per second. It affects how much traffic a link can carry, but real performance also depends on latency, packet loss, congestion, and application behavior.
The normal or approved setup used as the starting standard.
Baselines define expected settings, performance, security controls, software versions, or configurations. Teams use them to detect drift, compare systems, and enforce consistency.
A Microsoft tool that encrypts a computer drive so data is harder to steal.
BitLocker uses disk encryption and recovery keys to protect data at rest on Windows devices. IT teams often manage it through policy, device management, and key escrow.
When a device keeps restarting and never fully turns on.
Boot loops can come from failed updates, corrupted operating system files, firmware problems, driver conflicts, storage failure, power issues, or damaged startup configuration.
A mistake in software that makes it behave the wrong way.
Bugs can come from code defects, logic errors, dependency issues, configuration problems, environment mismatches, or unexpected user behavior. They are often tracked through issue systems with reproduction steps and severity.
A written report that explains what went wrong in software.
A useful bug report includes the expected result, actual result, steps to reproduce, affected version, environment, screenshots, logs, severity, and business impact.
A temporary storage area that helps systems load information faster.
Caches store frequently used data closer to the application or user. Cache problems can cause stale data, login issues, display errors, or inconsistent behavior until cleared or refreshed.
A digital proof used to verify identity and protect secure connections.
Certificates are used in TLS, device authentication, code signing, and identity systems. They include public keys, expiration dates, subject names, issuers, and trust chains.
A process for reviewing and controlling changes before they affect systems or users.
Change management reduces risk by requiring impact review, approvals, testing, scheduling, rollback plans, communication, and documentation before changes are applied.
A formal request to change a system, process, configuration, or service.
Change requests document what will change, why it is needed, risk, rollback steps, approval, timing, affected systems, testing, and communication plans. They help teams avoid surprise outages and track controlled updates.
The way a user reaches support, such as email, phone, chat, portal, or walk-up desk.
Contact channels matter because they affect routing, response expectations, audit trails, and reporting. Mature support teams often standardize intake channels so requests do not get lost in private messages or side conversations.
A lightweight package that runs an app with the pieces it needs.
Containers bundle application code, dependencies, and runtime settings while sharing the host operating system kernel. They are often managed with Docker, Kubernetes, registries, and orchestration platforms.
A simple rating that shows how happy users were with the support they received.
Customer Satisfaction Score, often called CSAT, is commonly collected after a ticket closes. It helps teams spot service quality issues, training gaps, confusing communication, or recurring pain points in the support experience.
When users solve a problem without opening a ticket because helpful information was available.
Ticket deflection usually comes from knowledge base articles, self-service portals, automated answers, status pages, or request forms. Good deflection reduces repeat work without hiding real issues from the support team.
The process of putting software, settings, or updates into an environment where they can run.
Deployments may target development, staging, testing, or production environments. They can include code releases, configuration changes, database migrations, feature flags, validation checks, and rollback plans.
The tools and policies IT uses to control company computers, phones, and tablets.
Device management may include enrollment, inventory, configuration profiles, patching, encryption, remote wipe, compliance rules, application deployment, and security baselines.
The service that automatically gives devices network addresses.
DHCP means Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. It assigns IP addresses, gateways, DNS servers, lease times, and other network settings to devices joining a network.
A test or check used to figure out what is wrong.
Diagnostics can include logs, health checks, ping tests, device scans, event viewer entries, error codes, hardware tests, network traces, and guided troubleshooting steps.
A system that stores users, groups, devices, and access information.
Directory services centralize identity and resource information for authentication and authorization. Examples include Active Directory, LDAP directories, and cloud identity directories.
The system that turns website names into the network addresses computers use.
DNS means Domain Name System. It maps names like example.com to IP addresses through records such as A, CNAME, MX, TXT, and NS. DNS issues can cause websites, email, authentication, and cloud services to fail even when servers are healthy.
A device that connects a laptop to monitors, keyboard, mouse, network, and power.
Docking stations use USB-C, Thunderbolt, or vendor-specific connectors. Common support issues include display detection, firmware, power delivery, driver compatibility, and cable limits.
A named area used to organize websites, email, or company network identities.
Domains can refer to internet DNS names or identity domains in directory systems. They help group resources, manage authentication, route traffic, and organize trust boundaries.
Time when a system, service, or device is unavailable or not working correctly.
Downtime may be planned, such as a maintenance window, or unplanned, such as an outage. Teams track downtime for SLA reporting, reliability analysis, incident review, and business impact measurement.
Turning data into unreadable form unless someone has the right key.
Encryption protects data at rest and in transit using algorithms and keys. Common uses include disk encryption, HTTPS, VPN tunnels, database encryption, and secure backups.
A user device like a laptop, desktop, phone, or tablet.
Endpoints are managed and secured with tools for inventory, encryption, patching, antivirus, EDR, policy enforcement, and remote support. They are common entry points for security risk.
Security software that watches devices for suspicious activity and helps respond to threats.
Endpoint Detection and Response, or EDR, collects endpoint telemetry, detects malicious behavior, supports investigation, isolates devices, and helps security teams contain threats.
A saved setting that software can read when it runs.
Environment variables store configuration such as API keys, paths, modes, connection strings, and feature flags. They help separate code from deployment-specific settings.
Moving a ticket to a person or team with more access, authority, or expertise.
Escalation can be functional, such as moving from Tier 1 to Tier 2, or hierarchical, such as involving a manager for approval or risk. Good escalation includes context, troubleshooting already completed, impact, urgency, and the reason the handoff is needed.
A security tool that controls what network traffic is allowed or blocked.
Firewalls inspect traffic based on rules such as source, destination, port, protocol, application, identity, or threat signals. They can protect networks, cloud environments, endpoints, and applications from unauthorized access.
Low-level software built into hardware devices.
Firmware controls hardware behavior in devices such as laptops, docking stations, routers, printers, drives, and BIOS or UEFI systems. Updates can fix bugs, security issues, or compatibility problems.
Solving a user issue during the first support interaction.
First Contact Resolution, or FCR, measures how often tickets are resolved without escalation, reopening, or extra back-and-forth. High FCR can show strong documentation and training, but it should not push agents to rush complex work.
How long it takes support to send the first real response after a ticket comes in.
First response time is often tied to SLAs and may exclude automated confirmations. It measures acknowledgment speed, not full resolution, and helps teams understand whether users are waiting too long before anyone engages.
The network device or address that sends traffic outside the local network.
A default gateway routes traffic from a local subnet to other networks or the internet. Gateway issues can stop devices from reaching external resources even if local network access works.
Windows rules that control settings for users and computers.
Group Policy applies configuration from Active Directory to Windows devices and users. It can manage security settings, mapped drives, software, scripts, browser settings, and desktop restrictions.
The visual part of software that users click, tap, or interact with.
A GUI provides visual controls such as windows, buttons, menus, forms, icons, and dashboards. It differs from command-line interfaces, where users type commands instead of interacting visually.
The physical parts of technology, like laptops, monitors, cables, servers, and printers.
Hardware support can involve inventory, troubleshooting, warranty repair, firmware updates, driver issues, device lifecycle management, compatibility checks, and replacement planning.
The front line support team or system people use when they need IT help.
A help desk commonly handles user-facing requests like password resets, device issues, software access, printer problems, and basic troubleshooting. It may use ticketing software, phone support, chat, email, or self-service portals.
A quick fix released to solve an urgent problem.
Hotfixes are usually smaller and faster than normal releases because they address critical bugs, security issues, outages, or production problems. They should still be tracked, tested where possible, and documented.
The systems and rules for managing who can access what.
IAM means Identity and Access Management. It includes users, groups, roles, policies, authentication, authorization, lifecycle management, access reviews, SSO, MFA, and privilege control.
An unplanned problem that interrupts normal work or causes a system to stop working correctly.
Incidents are usually tracked separately from routine requests because they involve service disruption. Incident management focuses on restoring service quickly, documenting impact, communicating status, and reviewing what happened after recovery.
A private note on a ticket that only the support team can see.
Internal notes are used for troubleshooting details, handoff context, escalation comments, approval notes, and sensitive operational information. They should not include passwords, private identity data, or anything that violates policy.
A number that identifies a device on a network.
IP addresses can be IPv4 or IPv6 and may be public, private, static, or dynamically assigned. They are used for routing traffic between devices and networks.
A structured way to manage IT work, services, requests, incidents, and changes.
ITSM means IT Service Management. It includes practices for incident management, request fulfillment, change enablement, asset management, knowledge management, service catalogs, SLAs, and reporting.
A work tracking tool often used for software, support, and project tasks.
Jira can manage issues, workflows, boards, statuses, fields, automation, service projects, and reporting. IT teams may use Jira Service Management for tickets and service desk workflows.
A waiting line of tasks a system will process one by one or in groups.
Job queues manage background work such as emails, imports, reports, print jobs, deployments, automations, and integrations. They help control order, retries, load, and failure handling.
A library of helpful instructions, fixes, and answers that people can reuse.
A knowledge base can include troubleshooting steps, how-to articles, known errors, policy explanations, runbooks, and user guides. Strong knowledge bases reduce repeat tickets and help support teams answer consistently.
A problem the team already understands, even if the permanent fix is not done yet.
Known errors are often documented with symptoms, affected systems, workaround steps, root cause notes, and linked problem records. They help support teams respond consistently when the same issue keeps appearing.
A number used to measure how well a team, process, or service is doing.
IT support KPIs can include first response time, resolution time, reopen rate, backlog size, SLA compliance, customer satisfaction, ticket volume, escalation rate, and self-service usage.
A system for running and managing containers across servers.
Kubernetes orchestrates container workloads using pods, deployments, services, ingress, nodes, namespaces, config maps, secrets, and controllers. It helps automate scaling, recovery, and rollout behavior.
The delay before data starts moving or a system responds.
Latency is usually measured in milliseconds and can be caused by distance, routing, congestion, wireless issues, DNS lookup delays, overloaded systems, or application processing time.
A protocol used to look up users, groups, and directory information.
LDAP means Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. It is commonly used with directory services for authentication lookups, group membership checks, and identity-related queries.
Giving people only the access they need to do their job.
Least privilege reduces security risk by limiting unnecessary permissions. It is applied through roles, groups, access reviews, just-in-time access, privileged access management, and careful default settings.
A system that spreads traffic across multiple servers.
Load balancers improve availability and performance by distributing requests based on health checks, algorithms, sessions, protocols, and routing rules.
Spreading traffic or work across multiple servers so one system is not overloaded.
Load balancing uses health checks, routing algorithms, session handling, protocol rules, and failover behavior to improve availability, performance, and resilience.
A rule that locks an account after too many failed login attempts.
Lockout policies help reduce brute-force attacks by defining failed attempt thresholds, lockout duration, reset timers, admin unlock behavior, and exceptions for service accounts.
A file that records what a system, app, or device did.
Log files may record errors, requests, user activity, security events, timestamps, stack traces, configuration changes, and system messages used for troubleshooting and audits.
Records of what a system or application did.
Logs can show errors, logins, changes, requests, performance events, security activity, and system behavior. They are critical for troubleshooting, audits, monitoring, and incident investigation.
A serious outage or issue that affects many users or an important business system.
Major incidents usually trigger a coordinated response with an incident owner, communications lead, technical responders, timeline updates, escalation paths, and post-incident review after service is restored.
Software used to manage phones, tablets, laptops, and other work devices.
MDM supports device enrollment, policies, app deployment, encryption, remote wipe, compliance checks, restrictions, inventory, and security configuration across managed endpoints.
The average time it takes to fully fix issues.
MTTR measures the average duration from issue detection or ticket creation to resolution. It helps teams understand support speed, process bottlenecks, incident response, and service reliability.
A login method that requires more proof than just a password.
MFA combines factors such as something you know, something you have, or something you are. Common examples include authenticator apps, push prompts, hardware keys, SMS codes, and biometrics.
Software that sits between systems and helps them connect or exchange data.
Middleware can handle messaging, authentication, API management, queues, transformations, integrations, and communication between applications, databases, and services.
A network method that lets many devices share one public address.
NAT means Network Address Translation. It rewrites IP address information as traffic passes between private and public networks. It is common in home routers, firewalls, and cloud networks.
A folder or drive stored on the network that users can access.
Network shares may use SMB or other file sharing protocols. Access is controlled through permissions, groups, authentication, paths, quotas, and sometimes VPN or domain membership.
The layout of how network devices and connections are arranged.
Network topology shows devices, links, subnets, routing paths, firewalls, switches, access points, and dependencies. It helps with troubleshooting, design, documentation, and risk review.
A team or location that monitors networks and systems for problems.
A NOC watches alerts, uptime, performance, outages, connectivity, infrastructure health, and incident response. It often coordinates escalation for network and service-impacting events.
Any device or system connected to a network or cluster.
A node can be a computer, server, router, container host, Kubernetes worker, IoT device, or virtual system depending on context. It usually participates in communication or workload processing.
A schedule showing who is responsible for urgent issues outside normal hours.
On-call rotations define responders, escalation paths, handoff times, alert rules, backup contacts, severity levels, and expectations for incident response.
Technology hosted in an organization’s own building or data center instead of the cloud.
On-premise systems are owned or managed locally and may include servers, storage, networking, applications, and security tools. They require local maintenance, power, cooling, patching, and capacity planning.
The main software that lets a device run apps and manage hardware.
An operating system manages processes, memory, storage, drivers, users, permissions, networking, updates, and the interface between applications and hardware.
A period when a system, service, or network is not working.
Outages can affect a single service, location, user group, or entire organization. Support teams track start time, impact, owner, workaround, communications, restoration time, and root cause.
Changing or restoring a user’s password when they cannot sign in.
Password reset workflows should verify identity, avoid recording sensitive secrets, document the affected account, confirm completion, and follow security rules for temporary credentials or reset links.
An update that fixes software bugs, security issues, or performance problems.
Patches may apply to operating systems, applications, firmware, libraries, or services. Patch management includes testing, scheduling, deployment, rollback planning, and compliance tracking.
The process of planning, testing, and installing software updates.
Patch management covers vulnerability review, testing, deployment rings, maintenance windows, rollback plans, compliance reporting, and exceptions for systems that cannot be updated immediately.
A scam message that tries to trick someone into giving access or information.
Phishing may use email, text, phone calls, fake login pages, malicious attachments, or impersonation. Defenses include filtering, training, MFA, reporting processes, and incident response.
A simple test to see if another device or server responds on the network.
Ping uses ICMP echo requests and replies to check reachability and measure round-trip time. Firewalls may block ping, so a failed ping does not always mean a host is down.
A numbered door a computer uses for specific network traffic.
Ports identify application-level services on a device, such as 80 for HTTP or 443 for HTTPS. Firewalls and services use ports to allow, block, listen for, or route traffic.
The waiting line of print jobs before they are printed.
Printer queues store pending jobs and can get stuck from driver issues, offline printers, spooler problems, permissions, paper errors, or network connectivity failures.
A label that shows how quickly a ticket should be handled.
Priority levels are usually based on urgency and impact. They help teams decide response order, SLA targets, escalation rules, and communication expectations.
The work of finding and fixing the deeper cause behind repeat incidents.
Problem management looks beyond individual tickets to identify root causes, known errors, recurring failures, and long-term fixes. It helps teams reduce repeated incidents instead of solving the same symptom forever.
Setting up access, accounts, devices, or services for a user.
Provisioning can include account creation, group assignment, licensing, device setup, app deployment, mailbox creation, permissions, and onboarding workflows. Automation helps reduce missed steps.
A server that sits between a user and the internet or another service.
Proxy servers can filter traffic, cache content, hide internal addresses, enforce policy, inspect requests, log activity, or route access to protected resources.
Network rules that give important traffic better treatment.
QoS can prioritize voice, video, business applications, or critical traffic by shaping, marking, queuing, or limiting bandwidth. It helps reduce delay and packet loss for sensitive services.
A waiting list of tickets, tasks, jobs, or requests that need attention.
Queues can be organized by team, priority, service, location, skill, status, or workflow stage. Queue health depends on clear ownership, routing, aging review, SLA monitoring, and backlog management.
Organizing and controlling ticket queues so work does not get lost.
Queue management includes routing, assignment, prioritization, aging review, SLA tracking, backlog cleanup, ownership checks, escalation rules, and workload balancing.
Malware that locks or steals data and demands payment.
Ransomware attacks may encrypt files, exfiltrate data, disable backups, move laterally, and pressure victims with extortion. Controls include backups, EDR, patching, least privilege, segmentation, and response planning.
A search pattern used to find, match, or replace text.
Regular expressions use special characters and rules to match text patterns such as email addresses, numbers, file names, log entries, or repeated strings. They are useful in scripting, search tools, validation, automation, and log analysis.
A version of software made available to users.
Releases may include features, fixes, configuration changes, database migrations, or security updates. Release management coordinates testing, approvals, rollout, communications, and rollback plans.
A ticket that was marked solved or closed but later became active again.
Reopens may happen when the issue returns, the user disagrees with closure, the fix was incomplete, or new information arrives. Tracking reopened tickets helps teams find weak resolutions, unclear communication, or recurring problems.
The person who asks for help or submits a ticket.
The requester is usually the user affected by the issue, though a manager or teammate may submit on someone else’s behalf. Ticket systems often track requester department, location, contact details, and service history.
How long it takes to fully solve a ticket.
Resolution time usually measures from ticket creation to solved or closed status. Teams may separate total elapsed time from active work time, especially when tickets spend time waiting on a user, vendor, approval, or another team.
A locked-down computer, system, or workspace where users can only do approved things.
Restricted environments reduce risk by limiting permissions, network access, installed software, data movement, or administrative actions. They are common in secure labs, production systems, compliance workflows, and sandboxed testing.
Undoing a change and returning to the previous working state.
Rollback plans define how to reverse a release, patch, configuration change, or migration if it causes issues. Good rollback planning includes checkpoints, backups, owners, and decision criteria.
A review that tries to find the real reason a problem happened.
Root Cause Analysis, or RCA, is used after incidents or repeat issues. It documents what happened, why it happened, contributing factors, timeline, impact, corrective actions, and prevention steps.
A device that sends network traffic between different networks.
Routers use routing tables and protocols to choose paths for traffic. They may also support NAT, firewall rules, VPNs, DHCP, QoS, and internet gateway functions.
A step-by-step guide for handling a task or incident.
Runbooks document repeatable operational procedures such as outage response, server restart, user provisioning, backup recovery, access removal, and escalation steps.
A safe test area separated from important systems.
Sandboxes isolate code, files, users, or environments to reduce risk during testing, malware analysis, development, or training. They limit damage if something behaves unexpectedly.
A computer or system that provides services to other devices or users.
Servers can host applications, files, databases, websites, authentication, email, backups, or infrastructure services. They may be physical, virtual, cloud-hosted, or container-based.
A menu of IT services users can request, like access, equipment, software, or onboarding help.
A service catalog turns common requests into structured forms and workflows. It can define required fields, approvals, fulfillment teams, SLAs, automation, and user-facing descriptions for each service.
A broader support function that manages IT services, not just quick fixes.
A service desk often follows ITSM practices and may manage incidents, service requests, change requests, assets, knowledge, SLAs, and service reporting. It is usually more process-driven than a basic help desk.
A platform many organizations use to manage IT services and support workflows.
ServiceNow supports ITSM, incident management, request fulfillment, change management, asset management, knowledge bases, automation, reporting, and enterprise service workflows.
A measure of how serious an issue is based on impact.
Severity is often based on how many users are affected, whether a critical system is down, whether there is a workaround, and whether business operations are blocked. It is related to priority but not always identical.
A login setup that lets users access many apps with one identity.
Single Sign-On, or SSO, uses identity providers and protocols such as SAML, OAuth, or OpenID Connect to reduce separate passwords and centralize access control.
A time promise for how quickly support should respond to or fix something.
SLA means Service Level Agreement. In IT support, an SLA may define first response time, resolution targets, escalation rules, business hours, and priority-specific expectations for incidents or requests.
A saved point-in-time copy of a system, disk, or data set.
Snapshots are often used for quick rollback, backups, testing, and system recovery. They are not always full backups and may depend on the original storage system.
The current stage of a ticket, such as new, open, pending, solved, or closed.
Ticket statuses help teams understand ownership and next action. Common statuses include new, assigned, in progress, pending user, pending vendor, resolved, closed, canceled, and reopened.
A smaller section of a network.
Subnets divide IP networks into manageable ranges. They help organize routing, security boundaries, broadcast domains, cloud networks, and address allocation.
A device that connects computers and network devices inside a local network.
Switches forward traffic using MAC addresses. Managed switches may support VLANs, port security, spanning tree, PoE, monitoring, and quality of service.
A recorded request, issue, or task that tells IT what someone needs help with.
A ticket usually includes a requester, summary, priority, status, owner, timestamps, notes, and resolution history. Teams use tickets to track work from intake through closure and to report on patterns like volume, response time, and repeat issues.
The list of open tickets waiting for support teams to review, assign, or resolve.
Queues are often organized by team, category, priority, location, product, or status. A healthy queue makes ownership visible and helps teams spot backlog, aging tickets, bottlenecks, and work that needs escalation.
The first support level that handles common questions and routine fixes.
Tier 1 often handles intake, basic troubleshooting, password resets, known fixes, documentation-based support, and routing. It protects higher tiers from repeat issues and gathers context before escalation.
A deeper support level for issues that need more skill, access, or investigation.
Tier 2 may review logs, troubleshoot advanced issues, handle permissions beyond Tier 1, investigate repeat failures, and work with system owners or vendors. Good Tier 2 work depends on clean escalation notes.
A security protocol that helps protect data sent over the internet.
TLS means Transport Layer Security. It provides encryption, authentication, and integrity for web traffic and other connections using certificates and cryptographic handshakes.
The first sorting step where support figures out what a ticket is, how urgent it is, and who should handle it.
Ticket triage checks category, priority, impact, requester details, missing information, duplicates, and routing rules. Good triage prevents urgent issues from being buried and keeps routine requests moving to the right queue.
Testing by real users to confirm a system works for the business before launch.
UAT validates workflows, requirements, permissions, data, usability, and business rules before production release. It often happens after technical testing but before final approval.
The amount of time a system is available and working.
Uptime is often measured as a percentage over a period of time. It is used in reliability reporting, SLAs, monitoring dashboards, and service availability goals.
Setting up a user’s accounts, access, software, and equipment.
User provisioning may create accounts, assign licenses, add groups, configure devices, grant application access, create mailboxes, and trigger onboarding approvals or automation.
A software-based computer that runs inside another computer or cloud platform.
Virtual machines use hypervisors to share physical hardware while running separate operating systems. They support isolation, scaling, snapshots, migration, and flexible infrastructure management.
A way to split one physical network into separate logical networks.
VLAN means Virtual Local Area Network. VLANs separate traffic for security, organization, performance, or policy reasons. They are configured on switches, routers, and firewalls.
A secure connection that lets someone access a private network from another location.
VPN means Virtual Private Network. It creates an encrypted tunnel between a user device and a network or service. IT teams use VPNs for remote access, private resource access, traffic protection, and controlled connectivity.
A secure connection that lets someone reach private systems from another location.
VPNs create encrypted tunnels between devices and networks. They can support remote access, site-to-site connectivity, private app access, and controlled network traffic routing.
A weakness that could be used to attack or damage a system.
Vulnerabilities may exist in software, hardware, configuration, credentials, processes, or permissions. They are usually managed through scanning, risk ratings, patching, mitigation, and tracking.
A network that connects locations across a large distance.
WANs connect offices, data centers, cloud environments, and remote sites using internet, MPLS, SD-WAN, VPN, leased lines, or carrier services.
A temporary way to keep working before the real fix is ready.
Workarounds are used when permanent resolution takes longer or requires outside action. A good workaround should be documented with limits, risk, affected users, expiration expectations, and a path to the permanent fix.
Rules that move work forward automatically based on triggers or conditions.
Workflow automation can assign tickets, request approvals, send notices, update fields, create tasks, enforce SLAs, trigger scripts, or integrate systems without manual steps.
A text format used to structure and share data.
XML uses tags to describe data and is common in older integrations, configuration files, APIs, documents, and enterprise systems. It can be validated with schemas such as XSD.
A readable text format often used for configuration files.
YAML is common in automation, infrastructure, CI/CD, Kubernetes, and application configuration. Its indentation matters, so spacing errors can break deployments or settings.
A support platform used to manage tickets, user requests, and customer conversations.
Zendesk includes ticketing, automations, macros, triggers, knowledge base tools, reporting, messaging, and integrations. IT teams may use it for internal or external support workflows.
A security weakness attackers may know about before a fix is available.
A zero day vulnerability has no official patch at the time it becomes known or exploited. Response may require mitigation, monitoring, isolation, configuration changes, and emergency patching when available.
A security approach that does not automatically trust users or devices.
Zero Trust uses continuous verification, least privilege, device health, identity controls, segmentation, monitoring, and policy enforcement instead of assuming internal networks are safe.