Hello and welcome back to our series on the most important, common, and frequently-used abbreviations that business owners need to know in 2024!
So far in this series, we’ve covered over 30 common IT abbreviations that business owners absolutely must be familiar with in order to not only survive in 2024 but to thrive – and we are only going further. We’re back again with yet another dozen IT abbreviations for you to refer to any time you’re talking tech with your IT partners, internal and external.
As we’ve done in our past couple of articles on this topic, we’ll fill you in on the basics of these concepts, and give you a little information on why they’re beneficial to you so you can decide whether it’s important or not for your business. Here’s 10 more IT-related abbreviations that you absolutely should know as a business owner in 2024.
- HCI (Hyper-Converged Infrastructure): Hyper-converged infrastructure, or HCI, involves consolidating computing, storage, and networking into a single system to streamline data center operations and reduce costs. It’s beneficial for business owners looking to simplify IT management and enhance scalability without sacrificing performance.
- NaaS (Network as a Service): Network as a service is a business model where network services such as connectivity and bandwidth are delivered over the internet on a subscription basis. Instead of investing in physical infrastructure like routers, servers, and other local internet, NaaS allows you to connect to the internet, without having the traditional hardware required. NaaS allows business owners to reduce capital expenditure on network infrastructure and adjust resources dynamically as business needs change.
- BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): BYOD – or bring your own device – is a modern business policy that involves allowing employees to use their personal devices to do their business. Since COVID, BYOD is an inevitability for most businesses. Taking this tack can reduce costs for businesses and increase employee satisfaction and productivity by allowing them to use devices they are familiar with.
- HPC (High-Performance Computing): High-performance computing or HPC involves using supercomputers and parallel processing to perform complex calculations rapidly. For businesses involved in tasks like genomic sequencing, energy exploration, or complex simulations, HPC can dramatically reduce the time required to derive results.
- VDC (Virtual Data Center): A virtual data center – aka a VDC – is a collection of cloud-based resources that offers businesses enhanced IT agility and scalability while minimizing the costs associated with physical data centers. It’s particularly useful for businesses undergoing digital transformation processes, like investing in IT infrastructure. Check out our article on data centers for a more general overview of data centers.
- ZTN (Zero Trust Network): Zero Trust is a network security model that requires strict identity verification for every individual trying to access resources on a private network, regardless of whether they are within or outside the network perimeter. This model can significantly enhance the cybersecurity of a business by preventing unauthorized access and making users prove their identity before they can gain access to anything.
- SDN (Software-Defined Networking): Software-defined networking involves technology that allows network administrators to manage network services via software like APIs. SDN is crucial for business owners because it simplifies network management and improves network flexibility and responsiveness.
- DaaS (Desktop as a Service): Another -aaS for you, DaaS allows for users to use virtual hosted desktops over the internet. This allows you to reduce the cost and complexity of managing your IT hardware resources by allowing users to access their desktops remotely. DaaS is ideal for supporting remote work, while also enhancing data security.
- EUC (End-User Computing): Similar to DaaS, EUC enables users to access corporate applications and data from any device, improving flexibility and employee productivity. It’s more than just a desktop service – EUC allows you to access certain apps and software beyond just your desktop. EUC is powerful for business owners looking to support a mobile workforce while maintaining control over your IT resources. Discover EUC at VMware.
- SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response): SOAR is a platform that integrates various security tools and automates responses to cybersecurity incidents. Security orchestration, automation, and response technology can significantly reduce the time and resources required for threat detection and response, making it essential for businesses to maintain robust security protocols efficiently.
- SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network): SD-WAN technology allows enterprises to manage network traffic efficiently across wide areas, improving bandwidth usage and providing more reliable connectivity. Businesses with multiple branches or those that rely heavily on cloud applications should consider SD-WAN as it simply makes your users’ experience smoother and more seamless.
That’s it for this week’s dive into common IT abbreviations! Check back in with us soon for more common IT abbreviations and acronyms that business owners should know in 2024. Until then, have fun putting your new IT knowledge to use!