SaaS
|
Software as a Service. This refers to the conceptual
leap that the IT industry is making. Traditionally people buy their software,
or at least buy a licence to use the software. Software as a service is a
move towards effectively renting the software. See Web Services and
Application Service Provider.
|
Safari
|
Apple’s web browser.
|
SAN
|
Storage Area Network. A network, which only links
storage devices together, such as disk and tape storage. Increasingly IT
departments have separate networks for the users, processors and storage
devices.
|
Sap
|
A German company and major player in the world of
enterprise applications. It created the ERP marketplace, which today also
embraces CRM and SCM. Its roots lie
in the world of MRP (Manufacturing Resource Planning) systems. Sap is also
used as a term to describe the applications that Sap sells.
|
Sarbannes – Oxley
|
This is the name of legislation created in the US to
avoid the possibility of accounting scandals emerging in US quoted companies.
It was created in response to Worldcom and Enron accounting scandals. Because
of the burden it places on IT systems, it is often an issue for IT
departments.
|
Scalability
|
A solution is scalable if it can run on both small and
large computers. The term is generally used to sell a solution to a small
company. By being scalable the solution they are buying will still be useful
as the company grows. Thus enabling the buyer to squeeze more value from the
investment in this solution.
|
SCM
|
Supply Chain Management. This is a collective term for
those activities that help manage the manufacturing and delivery elements of
one’s organisation. In respect of the IT industry SCM is a reference to
software solutions that support the supply chain process.
|
Script(1)
|
A reference to
software that is written for use in the IT department. This is in contrast to
application software that is written for users. Unix system administrators
usually write scripts. These scripts are sometimes referred to as batch
programmes.
|
Script(2)
|
A reference to
software that is embedded within a web page. Unlike other software scripts
can only run when viewed via a browser.
|
Script kiddie
|
A type of hacker
who uses software available from the web to launch attacks. Usually
youngsters who do it for fun and kudos rather than financial or political
gain.
|
Scripting language
|
See Script.
|
Scrum
|
An approach to
software development based on the Agile approach. In other words it is a
user-oriented approach to software development.
|
Search engine
|
A web site dedicated to helping users find information
on the WWW. Google is a high profile example.
|
Search Engine Optimisation
|
A growing area within the world of online marketing.
SEO concerns itself with tuning one’s website so that ranks higher in the
search rankings when potential customers visit search engine web sites such
as Google.
|
SEO
|
See Search Engine Optimisation.
|
Servlet
|
A Java program designed to run on a server. As opposed
to a Java applet.
|
Seti
|
Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. A project to
look for life beyond earth which employs P2P computing. Essentially the Seti
project makes use of the processing power available on people’s computers
around the world.
|
Server
|
A hardware device that enables users to share resources
such as processing power, files, databases. Applications and access to the
Web. Server can also refer to the software that enables the server hardware
to share resources.
|
Services Oriented Architecture
|
Is a model for developing software whereby the software
modules map neatly onto the associated business processes. It can be thought
off as the successor to object orientation.
|
Shell
|
This is a program that provides a user interface for
the Unix operating system.
|
Shared Source
|
Shared source is a variant of open source. Whereas open
source allows anyone to have access to a program’s source code, shared source
restricts access to those approved by the software owner.
|
Shell Script
|
A programming language designed to exploit the features
of a shell. Rather than manually typing command into a shell they can be
bundled into a script file. See Shell.
|
Smart card
|
A card that has some processing and storage capacity.
Often associated with the ability to store value such as e-money, or
information, such as medical records. One could argue that credit/debit cards
are smart cards, but they do not store value as such, and their processing
power is limited to proving that the card is genuine.
|
Smart software
|
Software that is in some way underpinned by artificial
intelligence.
|
SME
|
Small to medium-sized enterprise.
|
SMP
|
Symmetric Multi Processing. A hardware architecture for
utilizing multiple processors as if they were really one super processor.
|
SMS
|
Short Messaging service. A popular wireless standard
for transmitting text based messages. Also known as texting.
|
SNA
|
Systems Network Architecture – An old networking
architecture introduced by IBM back in 1974.
|
SOA
|
See Services Oriented Architecture.
|
Soap
|
Simple Object Access Protocol. An open standard
middleware solution used to enable applications to communicate with each
other over the web.
|
Software
|
IT systems are made up of hardware, software and
data. You cannot see software. It is the instructions that are given to
otherwise stupid hardware to make it do, in general, useful things. Dropping software on your foot will
definitely not hurt.
|
Software Engineer
|
Any role that relates to the development and
maintenance of software. Tends to be
used on projects where a formal approach is essential, eg. real-time / embedded systems.
|
Solaris
|
Sun Microsystems’ Unix offering.
|
Solution Architect
|
This is a technical architect that is expected to
behave himself in front of the customer.
|
Sox
|
See Sarbannes – Oxley.
|
Spam
|
A term used to describe unsolicited emails. Usually
sent in high volumes and often courtesy of other people’s servers.
|
Spider
|
Software used by search engines to gather web addresses
by visiting web sites on the WWW.
|
Spring
|
Spring is an open source framework (ie both a model and
a set of technologies) used in the development of Java applications. It is
one of the projects associated with the Apache Software Foundation. It is
attractive to application developers because it enables them to keep the user
interface element of web applications decoupled from the data processing
element. This makes for more maintainable software. Struts, Stripes and
Tapestry are equivalent frameworks.
|
Spyware
|
Software that is inadvertently downloaded onto the
company by the user. Usually it is created to spy on the user. Often used to
observe the web searching habits of users but more maliciously used to
harvest usernames and passwords for the purposes of fraud.
|
SQL
|
Structured Query Language. Not a programming language, as such. It provides the means for entering and extracting data to/from
a relational database. See RDBMS.
|
SQL Server
|
This is the name of Microsoft’s popular database
offering.
|
Steganography
|
An e-security technology, which rather than encrypting
messages, prior to sending them across a network, hides the message in some
unlikely format, eg. a graphic.
|
Stickiness
|
Characteristic of a web portal. The degree to which
users “stick around”. Companies endeavour to make their websites sticky.
|
STP
|
Straight Through Processing. A term used to describe
transactions that do not involve any human intervention and so rely heavily
on IT.
|
Stratus
|
A provider of fault tolerant computers. Old school.
|
Stripes
|
Stripes is an open source framework (ie both a model
and a set of technologies) used in the development of Java applications. Seen
as a successor to Struts. It is attractive to application developers because
it enables them to keep the user interface element of web applications
decoupled from the data processing element. This makes for more maintainable
software. Struts, Stripes and Tapestry are equivalent frameworks.
|
Struts
|
Struts is an open source framework (ie both a model and
a set of technologies) used in the development of Java applications. Formally
known as Jakarta Struts, today it is more formally known as Apache Struts. It
is attractive to application developers because it enables them to keep the
user interface element of web applications decoupled from the data processing
element. This makes for more maintainable software. Spring, Stripes and
Tapestry are equivalent frameworks.
|
Sun Microsystems
|
US vendor of Unix based products. They developed the
SPARC family of processors. Also created the Java programming language.
|
Sunos
|
An older version of Solaris.
|
Super server
|
Is a reference to a server that has large storage and
processing capacity. The vendors of such computers in the past referred to
them as mainframes.
|
Swing
|
A set of Java components, which enables the production
of graphical interfaces for Java applications. It thus enables Java
developers to create user-friendly applications.
|
Switch
|
A networking device, which acts as a kind of junction
box. The switch will determine which
line the data should be sent down based on the destination address. This is analogous to the points on a
railway line.
|
Sybase
|
Both a reference to a US company and its flagship
product. Sybase specialises in database products.
|
System administrator
|
A person who is responsible for keeping the servers
available to users. These folk are specialists
in the associated hardware and operating system of the platforms
concerned. Hence 2003 and Linux
system administrators.
|
System Integration
|
The process of making disparate hardware and software
interoperate together. E.g. Making Oracle run on an ICL box and then
making the box accessible to PCs sprinkled across a wide area network.
It is a high-risk business and so end user
organisations often hand the problem over to software/system houses. The term
middleware comes up a lot in respect of system integration.
|
Systems Analyst
|
This person is involved during the development of an IT
system. Their specific responsibility
relates to defining what the system will do.
|
Systems Programmer
|
This person is involved in producing software, which
will be used by the IT department, as opposed to business users.
|
Systems Programming
|
The writing of software, which will be used by the IT
department as opposed to business users.
|
