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C
A programming language created by Dennis Ritchie at the former Bell Laboratories in 1972. C provides very precise control of the computer's operation.
C++
An extension to the C language defined by Bjarne Stroustrop at Bell Laboratories in 1986. As a superset of C, it provides additional features for data abstraction and object-oriented programming. C++ can be used to develop programs for almost all computers. Together, C and C++ are the among the most common programming languages in use today.
C#
An object-oriented programming language from Microsoft based on C++. C# (pronounced "C sharp") has elements from Visual Basic and Java (e.g., automatic garbage collection), whereas C++ does not. C# supports Extensible Markup Language (XML) and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and has access to the .NET class library. See XML, SOAP and .NET.
CA (see certification authority)
CA (Computer Associates)
A business software vendor headquartered in Islandia, New York. (The full corporate name is "Computer Associates International, Inc.")
cable
An assembly of one or more conductors within a protective sheath.
cable modem
A device used for high-speed data access or Internet connectivity via a cable TV network. Fast cable modems can transfer a megabyte of information in less than one second.
cache
Used as a noun or a verb, this term refers to the temporary storage of instructions or data for quick access by a computer system. For example, data is often cached near a computer's central processing unit to replicate information from main memory or storage in a way that facilitates quicker access, using fewer resources than the original source. In an Internet context, cache refers to the storage of commonly accessed Web pages or graphics locally on a user's PC or a Web server. This helps to minimize download time and preserve bandwidth for frequently accessed Web sites, and to reduce the load on a Web server.
caching server
A server that efficiently stores frequently requested Internet or other network data, and can "prefetch" additional data at preset intervals. A network caching server can "listen" on the network and intercept data requests associated with known network ports. This alleviates the need to have the enterprise's browser configured to "know" where the server sits on the network.
CAD (computer-aided design)
High-speed systems that use specialized software and input devices (such as scanners) for architectural, electrical or mechanical design. With few exceptions, CAD systems rely extensively on graphics.
CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing)
A broad category of systems and software encompassing both computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) functionality. See CAD and CAM.
CAE (computer-aided engineering)
An area of automated manufacturing and design technology for product engineering that has its roots in finite-element methods, but today includes all types of performance systems (e.g., heat transfer, structural, electromagnetic, aeronautics and acoustic analysis). Major improvements have been to support the architectural, mechanical, electronic and electrical-engineering disciplines.
CAFM (computer-aided facilities management)
The category of applications used to manage the physical space and assets within buildings leased or owned by an enterprise. This includes tracking office space allocations, layouts and furnishings. Typically, CAFM applications interact with computer-aided design (CAD) systems to facilitate space planning, and the management of additions and changes to office arrangements. See CAD.
CAGR (compound annual growth rate)
Average yearly growth rate over a specified multiyear period.
CA-IDMS (Computer Associates Integrated Data Management System) — see IDMS
CAI (Common Air Interface)
A standard that defines technical parameters for control and information signals passed between a radio transmitter and receiver, so that communication may take place between equipment manufactured by different companies. It is often associated with Cordless Telephone 2 (CT2) wireless telephony. See CT2.
CAL (Client Access License)
A Microsoft software license program.
call
In networking, a call is any demand to set up a connection. In telecommunications, it is a unit of telephone traffic.
call accounting system
A system that records data on outgoing calls for tracking and reporting purposes.
call center
A group or department where employees receive and make high volumes of telephone calls. Call centers may serve internal customers (for example, help desks) or external customers (for example, customer service and support centers). These centers use a variety of technologies to improve the management and servicing of calls. A center that use both phone- and non-phone-based communication channels (such as e-mail or the Web) is known as a "contact center." See call center suite and contact center.
call center suite
A product that offers a suite of integrated components to support a call center (e.g., a help desk or a customer service and support center). In the past, integrating these components often required the services of an independent integrator; however, as call center functions move to open software platforms, many vendors now offer bundled suites of call center functionality.
An all-in-one call center suite provides a complete set of call center functions as a single platform, within the control of a single administrative view. Components include:
- An open computing platform (such as Windows or Unix)
- Telephone switch functionality and computer-telephony integration (CTI)
- Intelligent routing, based on business rules or agent skills
- Automatic call distribution (ACD), interactive voice response (IVR) and voice mail functions
- Outbound (e.g., predictive) dialing
- Application integration interfaces and tools
- "Cradle to grave" contact reporting, and component administration
A multifunction call center suite differs from an all-in-one suite in that it does not require switching integration. Instead, the switch functionality can be on a separate platform, controlled via CTI links and administered separately.
See call center, contact center and contact center suite.
call detail recording (see CDR)
caller ID
A telephone service that records the telephone numbers of incoming calls; it is a form of automatic number identification (ANI). Caller ID systems can be integrated with customer databases to streamline call management processes. This integration gives the agent receiving a call instantaneous access to relevant information about the caller. For example, when a customer calls, that customer's name immediately appears on the agent's computer screen. The screen might include information about the product a customer purchased and the purchase date. The system could also display the client's previous call history, information about other products the customer owns and price promotions on products that might also be appealing to that caller, based on a profile in the database.
CallPath
A call center application and technology platform, originally developed by IBM and purchased by Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, an Alcatel subsidiary, in 2001.
call processing
The sequence of operations performed by a switching system, from the acceptance of an incoming call through the final disposition of the call.
call record
All recorded data pertaining to a single call.
CALS (Continuous Acquisition and Life Cycle Support)
A joint project of industry and the U.S. Department of Defense to exchange technical-support information in digital form. (The acronym originally stood for "Computer-Aided Acquisition and Logistics Systems," and is now sometimes expanded as "Commerce at Light Speed.") It has become a common set of programs for integrating electronic commerce initiatives, intended to enhance the development of pro forma and de facto standards (particularly for graphics exchanges) and to drive new methods for concurrent manufacturing in the automotive, aerospace, electronics and heavy-equipment industries. CALS is a useful way for manufacturing enterprises to combine a number of productivity-enhancing initiatives under one umbrella.
CAM (computer-aided manufacturing)
The manufacturing of goods controlled and automated via computer and robot. Frequently used in conjunction with computer-aided design (CAD). See CAD/CAM.
CAMA (centralized automatic message accounting)
An automatic message-accounting system that is located at a single exchange and serves adjacent exchanges.
campaign management system (see CMS)
Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (see CRTC)
CAP (carrierless amplitude phase modulation)
A multilevel, multiphase encoding method for transmitting data over twisted pair lines. It is a superset of the legacy protocol used by analog modems. CAP is simple to implement in silicon, uses less power than the discrete multitone (DMT) method, and is in use in several Internet service providers' digital subscriber line (DSL) services. See DMT and DSL.
CAP (competitive access provider)
A U.S. provider of bypass services for telecommunications.
Capability Maturity Model (see CMM)
capacity requirements planning (see CRP)
Capacity Upgrade on Demand (see CUoD)
CAPE (concurrent art-to-product environment)
A design approach that brings together a variety of synergistic applications, including visualization, rapid prototyping, analysis, materials selection, machining and cost estimation. Key to CAPE are application frameworks, data management and product geometry exchanges, so that any person who is involved in product design and approval can participate in the process. Seven elements comprise the technological foundation of the CAPE system architecture:
- Enterprise pricing policies
Beyond these base elements, CAPE systems include technological components targeted to specific application areas. These application-specific elements are grouped into three markets — mechanical design, process plant design and electronics design — which account for the majority of industrial design activity.
CAR (committed access rate)
A metric used in network quality-of-service agreements to classify and limit customer traffic and manage excess traffic according to the network policy.
card
A removable board that carries the necessary circuits for a particular computer function. Cards are designed to fit expansion slots provided by computer manufacturers.
card cage
A frame for holding circuit cards in a computer system. Also referred to as a card chassis.
care delivery organization (see CDO)
CareEnhance Resource Management Software (see CRMS)
carrier
A communications term, used to refer to a wave that carries a signal, or to a provider of voice or data communications services.
carrier frequency
The frequency of a carrier wave, measured in cycles per second, or Hertz, that is modulated to transmit signals.
carrierless amplitude phase modulation (see CAP)
carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (see CSMA/CD)
cartridge
In data storage technology, an enclosure, generally of plastic, in which an storage medium (such as tape or an optical disk) is kept for protection; also called a "cassette." The medium may be permanently contained in the cartridge, or temporarily removed from it once inside the drive.
Cascading Style Sheets (see CSS)
CASE (computer-aided software engineering)
An umbrella term for a collection of application development tools designed to increase programmer productivity. They include technologies such as application generators and PC-based workstations that provide graphics-oriented automation of the front end of the development process.
case-based reasoning (see CBR)
cash concentration and disbursement plus addenda (see CCD+)
CAT (Communications Authority of Thailand)
The exclusive operator of Thailand's international telecommunications services to the rest of the world. In addition to telecommunications services, it provides data communications, mobile and satellite services. It also has some regulatory and licensing powers and operates Thailand's postal service.
catalog content management
Processes, services and applications used to create and update electronic catalogs in an e-commerce environment.
Catalog Interchange Format (see CIF)
Category 3
One of five grades of unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling defined by the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) in their EIA/TIA-568 standard. Category 3 UTP cable is used in 10Base-T (Ethernet) networks. See 10Base-T and Ethernet.
Category 5
A series of five grades of unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling defined by the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) in their EIA/TIA-568 standard. Category 5 UTP cable, used in 100Base-T (Fast Ethernet) local-area networks, supports speeds of up to 100 megabits per second. See 100Base-T and Fast Ethernet.
See UTP and EIA/TIA.
cathode-ray tube (see CRT)
CATI (computer-aided telephone interviewing)
Technology used facilitate information gathering via phone interviews (for example, for survey purposes).
CATIA (Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application)
A computer-aided design and product life cycle management product from IBM and Dassault Systemes.
CATV (community antenna television)
1. Commonly known as "cable TV." Television signals are received at a selected site and retransmitted to subscribers via a cable network. Additional channels, not normally available in that area, can also be transmitted.
2. Data communications based on radio frequency transmission, generally using 75-ohm coaxial cable as the transmission medium. CATV offers multiple frequency-divided channels, allowing mixed transmissions to be carried simultaneously.
CAV (constant angular velocity)
One of two standards for rotating storage media, in which the disk spins at the same rate at all times. The other, constant linear velocity (CLV), spins the disk more slowly on the inside tracks where the circumference is smaller. See CLV.
C-band
The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, approximately 4 gigahertz (GHz) to 6 GHz, used primarily for satellite and microwave transmission.
CBC (cipher block chaining)
A Data Encryption Standard (DES) mode of operation. See DES.
CBD (component-based development)
A set of reuse-enabling technologies, tools and techniques that allow application development (AD) organizations to go through the entire AD process (i.e., analysis design, construction and assembly) or through any particular stage via the use of predefined component-enabling technologies (such as AD patterns, frameworks and design templates) and application building blocks.
CBDS (Connectionless Broadband Data Service)
A European metropolitan-area network (MAN) service, similar in many respects to Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS). See MAN and SMDS.
CBL (Common Business Language)
Commerce One's Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema development effort. See XML.
CBP (constraint-based planning)
A technique (also called "constraint-based programming") that seeks a workable solution by reducing the search space (that is, possibilities), through processing of the various conditions that need to be satisfied. Configuration engines, planning and scheduling systems are among its most successful applications.
CBR (case-based reasoning)
An artificial intelligence (AI) problem-solving technique that catalogs experience into "cases" and correlates the current problem to an experience. CBR is used in many areas, including pattern recognition, diagnosis, troubleshooting and planning. These systems are easy to maintain in comparison to rule-based expert systems. See AI.
CBR (constant bit rate)
An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) service category, defined by the ATM Forum, that guarantees a constant bandwidth with low delay, jitter and cell loss. Circuit emulation is a typical application. See ATM.
CBR (content-based retrieval)
A search methodology in which information is retrieved based on words or phrases in the text.
CBT (computer-based training)
A training method that uses a mixture of software, disks and manuals to convey information. Trainees work at their own pace, often over an extended period.
CC (competence center)
A permanent center of expertise in an enterprise that supports implementation, enhancement and maintenance of common business processes and systems built around SAP's R/3. (When they are not SAP-related, such organizations are more commonly referred to as "competency centers." See competency center.)
CCD (charge-coupled device)
A semiconductor device capable of both photo-detection and memory, which converts light to electronic impulses. CCD arrays are used in scanners to perform the first stage in converting an image into digital data. The signals received from each detector can be stepped across the array in response to a clock signal, permitting each scan line to be read through a single electrical connection.
CCD+ (Cash Concentration and Disbursement plus addenda)
One of the primary message formats necessary for enterprise-initiated payments to traverse the U.S. national banks' clearinghouse system. The format is limited to a single addendum record (one invoice, one payment), and many banks can process it.
CCIR (Comite Consultatif International des Radio Communications)
Abbreviation of the French name for the International Radio Communications Consultative Committee, now part of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). See ITU.
CCIS (common channel interoffice signaling)
An electronic means of signaling between any two switching systems independent of the voice path.
CCITT (Comite Consultatif International Telegraphique et Telephonique)
Abbreviation of the French name for the International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee. In March 1993, the name was changed to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunications Standards Sector. See ITU.
CCITT Group 3
Also now called ITU Group 3, this is the original standard for compression and decompression of facsimile transmissions.
CCITT Group 4
Also now called ITU Group 4, this is an optimized standard for the transmission of black-and-white office documents. Neither Group 3 nor Group 4 handles color. Both are required to reduce bandwidth and storage demand.
CCMS (Computing Center Management System)
A management framework developed by SAP that provides an event console, a set of management services and sets of application programming interfaces to be integrated with third-party management tools.
ccNUMA (cache-coherent nonuniform memory access)
A category of high-performance computing (HPC) systems. See HPC.
c-commerce (collaborative commerce)
Collaborative, electronically enabled business interactions among an enterprise's internal personnel, business partners and customers throughout a trading community. The trading community could be an industry, industry segment, supply chain or supply chain segment.
CCOW (Clinical Context Object Workgroup)
A group that defines standards for collaboration among applications on clinical workstations. Originally an independent consortium, CCOW is now technical committee of the Health Level Seven (HL7) standards organization. See HL7.
CCS (hundred call seconds)
A metric used in calculating call center enquiry volume or efficiency.
CCTA (Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency)
A U.K. government agency, which became part of the Office of Government and Commerce in April 2001.
CD (compact disc)
The trademarked name for the laser-read digital audio disc, 12 centimeters in diameter, developed jointly by Philips and Sony.
CDBS (Connectionless Broadband Data Service)
A European high-speed, packet switched wide-area networking standard, similar to Switched Multimegabit Data Service (see SMDS).
CDDI (Copper Distributed Data Interface)
An American National Standards Institute specification for transmitting Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) signals over copper media. CDDI runs on both shielded and unshielded twisted-pair cabling. See FDDI.
CDE (Common Desktop Environment)
The first user interface specification (based on Motif) from the now-defunct Common Open Software Environment (COSE) group, a consortium of major vendors that was dedicated to standardizing Unix. CDE later became a specification of the Open Group.
CDF (Channel Definition Format)
A format introduced by Microsoft in 1997 in an effort at standardizing the marketplace for "push" delivery of Web content.
CDG (CDMA Development Group)
An international consortium of companies that focuses on the adoption and evolution of code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless systems. See CDMA.
CDI (customer data integration)
The combination of technology, software, processes and services needed to achieve a single, accurate and complete view of the customer across multiple sources of customer data, databases and business lines. Bringing together the core data functions of data hygiene, linking (i.e., matching records), grouping (i.e., viewing records based on business rules) and customer recognition, CDI can reduce operational and marketing costs and enhance revenue-generating opportunities through increased customer satisfaction and the identification of new customers.
CDM (Common Data Model)
A metadata rendering of the data elements used within i2 Technologies' products.
CDMA (code division multiple access)
A digital wireless technology used in radio communication for transmission between a mobile phone and a radio base station. CDMA was developed by Qualcomm, and commercially introduced in 1995. It enables the simultaneous transmission and reception of several messages, each of which has a coded identity to distinguish it from the other messages.
CDMA2000
An updated version of CDMA technology, developed by Qualcomm. It doubles the voice capacity of cdmaOne systems and also supports high-speed data services. See cdmaOne.
cdmaOne
A standard based on code division multiple access (CDMA), offering increased voice capacity over analog systems and data speeds from 14.4 kilobits per second (Kbps) to 64 Kbps. cdmaOne was developed by Qualcomm and endorsed by the International Standards Organization (IS-95A/B). See CDMA.
CDO (care delivery organization)
A category of enterprises that use healthcare information systems. CDOs are organizations, such as hospitals and physician practices, whose primary mission is to deliver healthcare-related services.
CDPD (cellular digital packet data)
An IP-based network technology that allows cellular providers to offer remote and mobile computing by transmitting digital data over their networks. In early deployments, packet data moved at 19.2 kilobits per second over ever-changing unused intervals in the voice channels. Modern deployments use dedicated data channels.
CDR (call detail recording)
A means of capturing telephone system information on calls made for processing into management reports (also known as "station message detail recording," or SMDR). Captured information includes who made the call, where it went and what time of day it was made. With such information, it is easier to spot exceptions to regular calling patterns such as out-of-hours calling, international calls, significant variances from previous reporting periods and call destinations that do not reflect normal calling patterns for the enterprise.
CDR (clinical data repository)
A database for storage of clinical information in a computer-based patient record (see CPR).
CD-R (compact disc recordable)
A standard and technology that enables systems to record data on a compact disc (CD). Unlike CD rewritable (CD-RW) discs, CD-R discs can be recorded only once. See CD and CD-RW.
CD-ROM (compact disc read-only memory)
A version of the standard compact disc (CD) intended to store general-purpose digital data. CD-ROMs can store a wide variety of data, such as music, video and graphics. They are often used by software companies to deliver programs like word processing or spreadsheet applications, because they store significantly more data (650 megabytes) than a typical floppy disk. See CD.
CD-RW (compact disc rewritable)
A standard and technology that enables a system to write, erase or rewrite data to a compact disc (CD). Unlike CD recordable (CD-R) discs, CD-RW discs can be written to multiple times. See CD and CD-R.
CDS (cell directory service)
A core Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) server component provided for applications to locate resources. It functions primarily as a naming service, which provides a mapping between a logical name and a physical address. See DCE.
CDSS (clinical decision support system)
An application that enhances decision making by caregivers by providing context-sensitive advice relating to clinical situations.
CDV (cell delay variation)
One of three negotiated quality of service (QOS) parameters for asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), defined by the ATM Forum. See ATM and QOS.
CE (see Windows CE)
CEA (Consumer Electronics Association)
A U.S. trade group representing the consumer electronics industry, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
CEC (central electronics complex)
A term generically used to refer to a central processing unit, including the power unit, service units, console and other units, but not any peripherals. Within a sysplex or coupled complex it is any serial-numbered processor (which may be made up of multiple engines). Within a Parallel Sysplex complex, it is a single parallel processor that can house multiple engines. (Today this is an uncommon configuration.)
CEFACT (Center for Facilitation of Procedures and Practices for Administration, Commerce and Transport)
A body that operates under the auspices of the United Nations' (UN's) Economic Commission for Europe, and that is responsible for the UN's rules for Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport (see EDIFACT).
cell
1. In data transmission, a fixed number of bytes of data sent together. Unlike a frame, a cell has a fixed, rather than variable, length. Cells are the fundamental building blocks of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks. See ATM and cell relay.
2. The area covered by a single fixed transceiver in a cellular radio network. A cell may vary in radius from less than one kilometer to 50 kilometers, depending on the technology, capacity and power. See cellular radio.
3. The storage position of one unit of information, such as a character, bit or word.
4. The location in an electronic spreadsheet where specific row and column coordinates intersect.
cell controller
A supervisory computer used to sequence and coordinate multiple machines and operations.
cell delay variation (see CDV)
cell directory service (see CDS)
cell loss ratio (see CLR)
cell of origin
A type of wireless location service that requires no modification to the handset or the cellular network. This method is fast (about three seconds), but its accuracy depends on the radius of cells — which can range from 100 meters in urban areas to several kilometers in rural ones. See location service.
cell relay
A transmission mode that utilizes fixed-length cells as the bearer mechanism, as with asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), which uses 48 bytes of payload plus five overhead bytes as the standard cell size. See ATM.
cell transfer delay (see CTD)
cellular
A general term used to refer to wireless voice and data communications using cellular radio transmission. See cellular radio.
cellular digital packet data (see CDPD)
Cellular MultiProcessing (see CMP)
cellular radio
Technology employing low-power radio transmission as an alternative to local loops for accessing the switched telephone network. It differs from older forms of mobile telephony in that service is provided through a large number of areas or cells that are served by a low-power transmitter in each cell, rather than through a single high-power transmitter for the entire region. Because any given frequency can be reused in each cell, the number of subscribers that can be served is multiplied dramatically.
CEM (contract equipment manufacturer)
A company that manufactures electronics components on a contract basis (also known as a "contract electronics manufacturer.") When such firms provide services beyond manufacturing, they are more commonly known as electronics manufacturing service (EMS) providers (see EMS).
CEN (Comite Europeen de Normalisation)
French name of the European Committee for Standardization, a Brussels-based standards body.
Center for Facilitation of Procedures and Practices for Administration, Commerce and Transport (see CEFACT)
center of excellence
A central clearinghouse for knowledge capital that is used across all business transformation projects.
central electronics complex (see CEC)
centralized automatic message accounting(see CAMA)
central office (see CO)
central processing unit (see CPU)
Centrex
Switching equipment that enables subscribers to access facilities normally provided by a separate private branch exchange (PBX). It can be located in a central office (CO) or on a large customer's premises. See PBX and CO.
CEPS (Common Electronic Purse Standard)
A standard endorsed by Visa and American Express for electronic purse (e-purse) or stored-value applications on smart cards. See e-purse.
CEPT (Conference Europeenne des Administration des Postes et des Telecommunications)
French name of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations. Formed in 1959, CEPT underwent a major reform during the early 1990s. CEPT's involvement in standardization and operational activities has been transferred to other bodies, leaving CEPT to deal solely with the regulatory issues affecting postal and telecommunications sectors across Europe.
CERN (Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire)
The original, French name of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. CERN scientists developed the original World Wide Web, as a means of sharing scientific papers with other scientists around the world. See Internet and Web.
CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team)
A group formed in 1998 by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency — and coordinated through Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute (SEI) — to research and report on Internet-related security problems. SEI's CERT Coordination Center publishes security information and advisory bulletins through its Web site at www.cert.org.
CERT (computer emergency response team) — see CIRT (computer incident response team)
certificate (see digital certificate)
certificate authority (see certification authority)
certificate management system (see CMS)
certificate revocation list (see CRL)
certification authority
Also known as a "certificate authority," this is an internal or third-party entity that creates, signs and revokes digital certificates that bind public keys to user identities. A repository or directory stores digital certificates and certificate revocation lists (CRLs) to allow users to obtain the public keys of other users and determine revocation status. Typically, the repository is a traditional X.500 directory or a database that supports Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). See CRL, digital certificate, X.500 and LDAP.
certification practice statement (see CPS)
CES (Consumer Electronics Show)
An annual trade show sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association.
CF (coupling facility)
The hardware element that provides high-speed caching, list processing and locking functions in a system using Parallel Sysplex (IBM's mainframe clustering technology).
CFCC (Coupling Facility Control Code)
The operating system that runs on the coupling facility (CF) in an IBM Parallel Sysplex system. See CF.
CFML (ColdFusion Markup Language)
The server-side declarative script used in Macromedia's (formerly Allaire's) ColdFusion Web development product.
CFO (chief financial officer)
The top financial executive in a corporation. The position usually reports directly to the president or chief executive officer.
CGA (Color Graphics Adapter)
An early color video format for computer display monitors, introduced by IBM in 1981. CGA is limited to 16 colors and has a maximum resolution of 640x200.
CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
A data-passing specification used when a Web server must send or receive data from an application such as a database. A CGI script passes the request from the Web server to a database, obtains the output and returns it to the Web client.
Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (see CHAP)
change management
A set of management disciplines and best practices used to ensure a smooth transition and minimal disruption when system or process changes are introduced in an organization. In a traditional software development context, the term "change management" is sometimes used to refer to software version control or configuration management (see software change management). In a broader business context, however, the term applies to the activities necessary to introduce change of all types to an organization. These includes not only development activities, but also broader concerns such as process re-engineering and the impact of change on people, including:
- Ensuring that employee communication and needs are met
- Reassuring people concerning the career impact the change (both for those whose jobs have changed, and for those who will be forced into new jobs inside or outside of the organization)
- Persuading key stakeholders to accept and embrace the change
channel
1. A route through which products, services or marketing messages reach consumer or business customers. Beyond traditional retail, sales or distribution channels, such routes also include newer electronic channels (e-channels) such as the Web. See e-channel.
2. An electronic path or frequency band dedicated to the transmission of a signal — whether an electronic signal (for example, in circuitry) or a broadcast signal (for example, in wireless communications).
channel analytics
A superset of Web analytics (see separate entry), channel analytics are not restricted to Web channels, but include direct mail, the customer contact center, mass media, store or branch locations, and all other distribution or customer-contact channels. The different elements of business — for example, payment and shipment processes, and customer support and authentication — need to be measured and analyzed. Channel analytics examine costs, usage, efficiency, integrity, integration with other systems and the value of each channel, separately and in relation to each other.
channel assembly
A sales channel initiative aimed at offloading much of the system assembly task from the initial manufacturers to an intermediate dealer or distributor. The reseller or distributor then assembles the system to the buyer's specifications.
channel bank
Equipment used in a telephone central office that to multiplex lower-speed, digital channels into a higher-speed, composite one. The channel bank also detects and transmits signaling information for each channel, and transmits framing information so that time slots allocated to each channel can be identified by the receiver.
Channel Definition Format (see CDF)
channel integration
Strategies aimed at consolidating — either physically or logically — customer information and its use to provide an all-encompassing view of the customer.
channel service unit (see CSU)
CHAP (Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol)
A security protocol used by a server to grant or deny system access based on a client-supplied password, which — unlike the method used in Password Authentication Protocol (PAP) — is encrypted prior to transmission. In the CHAP authentication procedure, the server sends the client a random token, which is used by the client to encrypt and send back the user's password. If the server recognizes the password, an acknowledgment is sent; if not, the connection is terminated. See PAP.
chargeback
An IT cost recovery model, in which business units' use of IT resources is tracked in detail through job-accounting and other resource consumption mechanisms. The internal cost of this resource usage is then "charged back" to the business units for internal financial-accounting purposes. The goals of the practice include encouraging IS organization cost-efficiency, obtaining accurate IT usage data and providing a pricing mechanism by which to discourage unbridled resource consumption.
charge-coupled device (see CCD)
chat
A real-time, text-based conference between two or more network-connected users. See IRC (Internet Relay Chat) and instant messaging.
chat room
The "location" in which an interactive keyboard discussion takes place over a network (usually the Internet). Chat rooms can be accessed via Web sites or the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) system (the Internet's traditional means of conferencing by computer). See IRC.
check digit
A number appended to string of digits (such as a piece of binary code or a numeric identifier). By applying a mathematical formula, the check digit can be used to detect errors. See parity bit.
checksum
A value calculated from a block of data, used to detect errors in transmitted data.
chemical vapor deposition (see CVD)
chief financial officer (see CFO)
chief information officer (see CIO)
chief information security officer (see CISO)
chief knowledge officer (see CKO)
chief sourcing officer (see CSO)
chief technology officer (see CTO)
CHIME (College of Healthcare Information Management Executives)
An organization formed in 1992 to advocate more effective use of information management in healthcare, and to meet the professional-development needs of healthcare CIOs.
CHIN (community health information network)
A generic term describing any community-based information network open to all healthcare organizations.
chip
An integrated circuit housed on a small base wafer (usually composed of silicon). Chips are at the foundation of modern computing and electronics. They hold the logic circuitry that processes the basic instructions that run all types of computers, and are also used in a variety of electronics systems and consumer devices, such as watches and calculators.
chip card
A general category that includes smart cards and memory cards. A smart card includes embedded microcontroller silicon. A memory card includes embedded silicon memory and possibly other functions, such as cryptography, but no microprocessor.
CHIPCo (Clearing House Interbank Payments Company)
A private company responsible for the Clearing House Interbank Payments System (CHIPS). See CHIPS.
CHIPS (Clearing House Interbank Payments System)
A clearing system that processes very large payments (valued at an average of $1.4 trillion a day) in more than 27 countries.
chip scale package (see CSP)
CHRP (Common Hardware Reference Platform)
An effort launched in the 1990s (and subsequently abandoned) by Apple Computer, IBM and others to establish a multivendor system architecture for the PowerPC processor.
cHTML (Compact Hypertext Markup Language)
A proprietary version of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) adopted by NTT DoCoMo for i-mode. See i-mode and HTML.
CI (see competitive intelligence)
CICS (Customer Information Control System)
IBM's online transaction processing (OLTP) platform. A general-purpose subsystem for implementing transaction-processing applications, CICS invokes customer-written application programs in response to transactions entered at client terminals, and provides the services needed by those applications to retrieve and update data in files and respond to the terminal that invoked them. See OLTP.
CIF (Catalog Interchange Format)
A lightweight specification from Ariba used to communicate catalog information between selling and buying organizations. CIF is a public-domain specification used by corporations to exchange contract information about product and service offerings.
CIF (Common Intermediate Format)
A video specification designed to accommodate both the North American National Television System Committee (NTSC) and European Phase Alternate Line (PAL) protocols. The accommodation is accomplished by using the NTSC frame rate and the PAL resolution in a compromise ("intermediate") format, of which there are two versions: Full CIF (FCIF) and Quarter CIF (QCIF, providing a picture resolution one-quarter that of FCIF). See FCIF and QCIF.
CIF (customer information file)
A system that consolidates customer account information and combines it with basic demographic information to create a current snapshot of a customer relationship. CIFs are often a central component of integrated banking application packages, and are primarily used to support operational activities with both current and historical customer data. When designed specifically to support marketing, rather than operational, activities, CIFs are often known as a marketing customer information files (MCIFs). See MCIF.
CIFS (Common Internet File System)
A remote file system access protocol that allows groups of users to work together and share documents via the Internet or their corporate intranets. CIFS is an open, cross-platform technology based on the native file-sharing protocols built into Microsoft Windows and other operating systems, and is supported on numerous platforms, including Unix. Microsoft submitted a preliminary draft of the CIFS 1.0 protocol specification to the Internet Engineering Task Force in 1997.
CIH (customer interaction hub)
The next evolution of the contact center. The creation of an integrated CIH will provide a real-time (and thorough) view of the customer across channels, to all relevant customer-facing employees. This framework will include:
- A segmented, analytical evaluation of the specific customer
- A determination of the service resources to apply to the customer, based on the customer's profile
A customer interaction hub involves many components; it takes advantage of knowledge management applications, natural-language processing (NLP) tools and knowledge repositories to create information once and use it throughout the enterprise. See contact center, knowledge management and NLP.
CIM (Common Information Model)
A modeling schema that describes managed system, hardware, software and storage objects. CIM is part of the Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) standard, originally introduced by Microsoft, Intel, Cisco and other vendors in 1996 and now controlled by the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF). CIM and WBEM were both used as part of the Bluefin specification, launched in 2002 in an effort to improve storage management system interoperability. See WBEM, DMTF and Bluefin.
CIM (computer-integrated manufacturing)
The integration of information technology with manufacturing systems and processes, with the goal of manufacturing products more efficiently and effectively.
CIM (customer information management)
The systematic support of business strategy through customer knowledge.
CIMA (customer information management and application)
A six-step process, starting with a business plan for managing customer information and following with a technology plan for applying it in support of the business strategy. The six steps are:
- Information compilation, storage and maintenance
CIO (chief information officer)
The top executive in charge of information technology (IT) in an enterprise. CIOs typically oversee development of the enterprise IT strategy and architecture, alignment of IT with the business strategy; internal and external IT sourcing; and the development of an IT governance framework that defines the working relationships and sharing of IT components among various IT groups within the enterprise.
cipher block chaining (see CBC)
CIR (committed information rate)
The average data rate that a carrier commits to support over a given virtual circuit between two end-user sites. The commitment is over a specified period of time, typically one month. Carriers often have various service plans that peg the CIR at different levels in relation to the overall access rate (for example, 50 percent).
circuit
1. A continuous electrical connection between any two points.
2. A group of electronic components connected to perform a specific function. See integrated circuit.
3. A voice or data communications channel between two or more points. See circuit switching and virtual circuit.
circuit board
An insulated panel containing interconnected circuits and electronic components.
circuit-switched
A descriptive term denoting a network or communications technology that employs circuit switching as the method of establishing a temporary connection. See circuit switching.
circuit switching
Temporary direct connection of one or more channels between two or more points to provide the user with exclusive use of an open channel with which to exchange information. A discrete circuit path is set up for the communications session, in contrast to packet-switching, in which no such physical path is established. See packet switching.
CIRT (cyberincident response team)
Also known as a "computer incident response team," this group is responsible for responding to security breaches, viruses and other potentially catastrophic incidents in enterprises that face significant security risks. In addition to technical specialists capable of dealing with specific threats, it should include experts who can guide enterprise executives on appropriate communication in the wake of such incidents. The CIRT normally operates in conjunction with other enterprise groups, such as site security, public-relations and disaster recovery teams. See cyberincident.
CIS (clinical information system)
A system used by physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists and other caregivers to develop patient care plans, document care and interventions, monitor and record patient vital signs, manage orders and results, document medication administration, and measure patient outcomes. CISs have evolved from basic nursing documentation and orders/results applications to sophisticated, multidisciplinary information systems used in a variety of care environments.
CIS (customer information system)
An operational data store (ODS) that brings customer information into a single, rapidly accessible profile. CISs contain transactional information necessary to support customer inquiries, and can be made accessible to customer-facing staff to help provide a consistent customer experience, regardless of the point of contact. Many CISs are designed not just to store information generated from customer interactions with the enterprise, but also to store third-party data, such as demographic information. See ODS.
CISC (complex instruction set computer)
An processing architecture for mainframe computing, in which individual instructions may perform many operations and take many cycles to execute, in contrast to the reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architecture. Examples include IBM's S/370 and Hewlett-Packard's (originally Digital Equipment's) VAX. See RISC.
CISO (chief information security officer)
The chief executive responsible for information security in an enterprise. The CISO's responsibilities often bridge the gap between technical security measures and security-related business practices and policies.
CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)
A certification program administered by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, or (ISC)2. See (ISC)2.
CKO (chief knowledge officer)
The enterprise position responsible for articulating and championing an enterprise's knowledge management (KM) vision, and for providing enterprise level leadership for implementing and managing the KM program. See KM.
CLA (Corporate License Agreement)
A licensing agreement option under Novell's "Customer Connections" program. It offers an alternative for midsize organizations that cannot qualify for Novell's Master License Agreement.
cladding
In fiber-optic cable, a colored, low refractive index material that surrounds the core, providing optical insulation and protection.
clamshell
A computer system that weighs less than 3 pounds and opens lengthwise to expose a keyboard and screen.
class
A specification that defines the operations and the data attributes for a set of data objects.
CLASS (Custom Local Area Signaling Services)
A bundle of telephone features introduced by U.S. telephone companies in the late 1980s to offer users more control over incoming calls. CLASS features include caller ID, anonymous call rejection, automatic callback, automatic recall, caller ID blocking, distinctive ringing, call waiting, selective call rejection, call trace, selective call acceptance and selective call forwarding.
Classical IP over ATM
A specification for running Internet Protocol (IP) over asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks, defined in 1993 in request for comment (RFC) 1577 from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Classical IP, as defined by IETF, does not include Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), which uses broadcasts to learn remote addresses. RFC 1577 was later obsoleted by RFC 2225, "Classical IP and ARP over ATM," which provides specifications for both types of IP-over-ATM networking. See ARP, ATM and IP.
class of service (see COS)
Clearing House Interbank Payments Company (see CHIPCo)
Clearing House Interbank Payments System (see CHIPS)
clear text
Text that has not been encrypted or formatted; also known as "plain text."
CLEC (competitive local-exchange carrier)
A carrier that provides competition in the local telephone services market. CLECs include local-services resellers or aggregators, which buy local services in volume at wholesale prices and resells them to the market, as well as "hybrid" resellers — carriers that build portions of the local network band and buy the remaining service components.
CLI (command line interface)
A user interface to an operating system or application in which the user types instructions at "command line" prompt displayed on the screen.
CLI (Common Language Infrastructure)
A platform-independent development system from Microsoft that enables programs written in different programming languages to run on different types of hardware. CLI is part of Microsoft's .NET platform and was approved by the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) as an ECMA standard in December 2001. No matter which programming language they are written in, CLI applications are compiled into Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL), which is further compiled into the target machine language by the Common Language Runtime (CLR) software. See .NET, CLR and MSIL.
click and mortar
Slang term used to describe a hybrid between an e-business and "brick and mortar" business. This might take the form of a traditional business that has responded to Internet threats by creating a Web front end with links to back-end systems — or, alternatively, a dot-com (i.e., a virtual company) that is creating traditional infrastructure (such as a warehouse and logistics system) to meet customer expectations. See brick and mortar.
clicks and bricks
The combining of e-business channels and network-based processes with selective investment in physical locations to control local markets, distribution channels and critical labor accessibility.
clickstream analysis
A form of Web analytics, clickstream analysis is the tracking and analysis of visits to Web sites. Although there are other ways to collect this data, clickstream analysis typically uses the Web server log files to monitor and measure Web site activity. This analysis can be used to report user behavior on a specific Web site, such as routing, stickiness (a user's tendency to remain at the Web site), where users come from and where they go from the site. It can also be used for more aggregate measurements, such as the number of hits (visits), page views, and unique and repeat visitors, which are of value in understanding how the Web site operates from a technical, user experience and business perspective. See Web analytics.
click-through
Term applied to the act of clicking with a mouse button on a Web page advertisement, which brings the user to the advertiser's site. See CTR (click-through rate).
click-through rate (see CTR)
click-wrapped
License terms for downloaded software that are accepted by the user by clicking the mouse on a button labeled "I accept" or similar words. See shrink-wrapped.
client
A system or a program that requests the activity of one or more other systems or programs, called servers, to accomplish specific tasks. In a client/server environment, the workstation is usually the client. See server and client/server.
client appliance
A type of computing appliance that provides end-user access to applications. Examples include network computers and certain handheld computers. See computing appliance.
client/server
The splitting of an application into tasks performed on separate, network-connected computers, at least one of which is a programmable workstation such as PC. In most cases, the "client" is a desktop computing device (e.g., a PC) or a program "served" by another networked computing device (i.e., the "server").
Clinical Context Object Workgroup (see CCOW)
clinical data repository (see CDR)
clinical decision support system (see CDSS)
clinical information system (see CIS)
clock
An electronics term, used as a noun or verb (as in "clocking") to describe repetitive, regularly timed signals used to control synchronous processes. See clock speed.
clocking (see clock)
clock speed
The number of processing cycles (or "clock cycles") a microprocessor performs per second. Until recently, the fastest desktop processors had clock speeds measured in thousands of cycles per second (megahertz), but the latest, high-speed chips have clock speeds topping the million-cycle (gigahertz) level. See clock.
closed user group (see CUG)
CLR (cell loss ratio)
One of three quality of service (QOS) parameters (along with cell delay variation and cell transfer delay) defined by the Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) Forum. See ATM and QOS.
CLR (Common Language Runtime)
The runtime engine for the .NET Web services platform. Part of Microsoft's Common Language Infrastructure (CLI), the CLR executes Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL) code or compiles it into machine language, and contains object-oriented and security services that all .NET applications can utilize. See CLI, MSIL and .NET.
cluster
Used as a noun or verb (as in "clustered" or "clustering"), this term refers to the loose coupling of multiple systems (such as mainframe or midrange servers) for improved availability and scalability. Clusters (also known as "clustered systems") consist of interconnected nodes (i.e., systems), each running its own copy of the operating system and usually sharing common disk storage. Cluster software coordinates communication between nodes. Clusters are possible in all types of architectures, but are most common in symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) systems. See SMP.
clustered system (see cluster)
clustering (see cluster)
CLV (constant linear velocity)
One of two standards for rotating storage media, in which the disk spins at a higher speed on the outside tracks than on the inside tracks (where the circumference is smaller), so that all data moves past the head at the same rate. The other standard is constant angular velocity (CAV), in which the disk spins at the same rate at all times. See CAV.
CM (see configuration management)
CM (see content management)
CMIP (Common Management Information Protocol)
The protocol for the exchange of network management information defined in the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) network reference model. Network products completely implementing CMIP have not become widely available, owing in part to the slow development of the standard. An additional contributor to the slow uptake of CMIP has been the overwhelming success of Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), which, while less sophisticated than CMIP, is also less complex and expensive to implement. See OSI and SNMP.
CMM (Capability Maturity Model)
A model from the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) used to assess the maturity of an organization's application development (AD) capabilities and processes, and to provide a road map for improvement. The CMM is a highly popular approach to AD process management and improvement. Five levels are defined in the model:
- Level 1: Ad Hoc — No development methodology and few, if any, controls are in place. Progress, if attainable, may not be recognized due to lack of measurement.
- Level 2: Repeatable — A set of tasks and processes has been defined well enough to forecast project results with reasonable accuracy. However, no method for forecasting improvements or making trade-offs has been implemented.
- Level 3: Defined — The development process is implemented and understood. Measurements are taken, and the process is predictable enough to forecast the effect of implementing new technologies.
- Level 4: Managed — Significant quantitative and qualitative improvements are possible because the process is managed and evolutionary. Each technology implementation is part of an overall architecture.
- Level 5: Optimized — A theoretical level in the development organization where the environment drives the process. Effort can be channeled into improving the process rather than executing it.
CMMS (computerized maintenance management system)
Application software used to provide for work and materials management of maintenance activities in a manufacturing organization. See EAM (enterprise asset management).
CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor)
A semiconductor technology that uses less power and generates less heat (enabling higher circuit density) than bipolar semiconductor technologies, but is typically slower as well. See bipolar.
CMP (Cellular MultiProcessing)
A heterogeneous server technology from Unisys that can run any combination of operating systems.
CMS (campaign management system)
An application used by marketers to design multichannel marketing campaigns and track the effect of those campaigns, by customer segment, over time.
CMS (certificate management system)
A system that manages digital certificates in a public-key infrastructure (PKI) security implementation. See digital certificate and PKI.
CMS (Conversational Monitor System)
A single-user, interactive operating system that was implemented for, and together with, IBM's Virtual Machine (VM) environment. See VM.
CMS (course management system)
A platform for delivering distributed-learning courseware. See distributed learning and courseware.
CMV (controlled medical vocabulary)
An approved list of medical terms coded in a fashion that facilitates the use of the computer. In technical terms, a CMV is a standard code set and an associated semantic network that represents the information within a major domain of medicine. Each concept in the code set should have a preferred (or canonical) code and may have any number of additional synonyms. The CMV should be as comprehensive as possible within its target clinical domain. CMVs are essential if clinical applications are to function as intended. Widely used systems include Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine (SNOMED). See CPT, ICD and SNOMED.
CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black)
An abbreviation denoting the traditional four-color printing process; the name derives from the four ink colors used. The majority of printed color paper and photographic documents incorporate the CMYK process.
CNS (converged network services)
The delivery of voice, data, video and other forms of network services with the following characteristics:
- Services are usually provided from a customer-premises-based access concentrator, owned by a network service provider, that converts traffic to an asynchronous transfer mode or Internet Protocol stream.
- Services are delivered via one means of access and transmitted via one facility, with one switching infrastructure.
CO (central office)
The telephone company's centralized switching facility, where subscriber loops terminate. The CO handles a specific geographic area (known as a local exchange), identified in the United States by the first three digits of the local telephone number. See exchange.
coaxial cable
Cable consisting of an outer conductor surrounding an inner conductor, with a layer of insulating material in between. Such cable can carry a much higher bandwidth than a wire pair.
COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology)
An auditing standard developed by the Information Security Audit and Control Association for assessing information security risk.
COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language)
One of the earliest high-level programming languages, invented in the late 1950s and first standardized by the American National Standards Institute a decade later. COBOL compiles code written using English-language words to machine language.
codec
1. Short for "compressor/decompressor," an algorithm, program or device used to convert a digital bit stream from its original format to a compressed one — for example, from QuickTime to Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) format — and also to perform the reverse, decompression procedure. See MPEG.
2. Short for "coder/decoder," a communications device used to convert analog signals to digital form for transmission over a digital medium, and back again to the original analog form. One is required at each end of the channel.
code division multiple access (see CDMA)
coder/decoder (see codec)
COLD (computer output to laserdisc)
A microfiche replacement system. COLD systems offer economies as a replacement medium when rapid or frequent access to archived documents is necessary. Typically, a 12-inch optical-disc platter holds approximately 1.4 million pages of information, equal to 7,000 fiche masters.
ColdFusion
A Web development tool from Macromedia (which acquired the product's originator, Allaire, in 2001).
ColdFusion Markup Language (see CFML)
collaborative commerce (see c-commerce)
collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment (see CPFR)
collaborative product commerce (see CPC)
College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (see CHIME)
collision
A communications term for overlapping transmissions that interfere with one another. This occurs when two or more devices attempt to transmit at or about the same time.
Color Graphics Adapter (see CGA)
COM (communications port)
A port that allows an application to access a modem.
COM (Component Object Model)
Microsoft's component software model, introduced in 1993. A distributed version of COM, the Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM), enables the development of applications in which components are distributed over several computers (for example, a client and one or more servers). See DCOM.
COM (computer output to microfiche)
A system (also called "computer output to microfilm") in which digital data is converted into an image on dry-processed microfilm.
COM+
A successor to Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM), introduced in 1998. COM+ is essentially an extension of Microsoft's application server — the Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) — enhanced with advanced features (called "COM+ Services") such as thread isolation, security, memory management and system management. Microsoft initially intended COM+ to be a new programming model, enhancing and extending COM for server applications. While COM+ fulfilled this goal to a certain extent, the scope of these original plans was reduced over time. See COM and MTS.
Comdex
A computer industry trade show — held biannually in the United States and annually in other international locations — produced by Key3 Media Group.
Comite Consultatif International de Radio Communications (see CCIR)
Comite Consultatif International Telegraphique et Telephonique (see CCITT)
Comite Europeen de Normalisation (see CEN)
command line interface (see CLI)
Commerce One
An e-marketplace software company based in Pleasanton, California. Originally founded in 1994 as DistriVision, the company changed its name to Commerce One in 1997 and went public in 1999. Commerce One's e-marketplace technology uses an XML-centric transactional infrastructure, based on the XML Common Business Library (xCBL) specification. See xCBL.
commerce service provider (see CSP)
Commerce XML (see cXML)
commercial off-the-shelf (see COTS)
committed access rate (see CAR)
committed information rate (see CIR)
Common Air Interface (see CAI)
Common Business Oriented Language (see COBOL)
common carrier
An organization in the business of providing regulated telephone, data or other communications services.
common channel interoffice signaling (see CCIS)
Common Data Model (see CDM)
Common Desktop Environment (see CDE)
Common Electronic Purse Standard (see CEPS)
Common Gateway Interface (see CGI)
Common Hardware Reference Platform (see CHRP)
Common Information Model (see CIM)
Common Intermediate Format (see CIF)
Common Internet File System (see CIFS)
Common Language Infrastructure (see CLI)
Common Language Runtime (see CLR)
Common Management Information Protocol (see CMIP)
Common Object Request Broker Architecture (see CORBA)
Common Open Software Environment (see COSE)
Common Programming Interface for Communications (see CPI-C)
communication controller
A dedicated computer with special processing capabilities for organizing and checking data and handling information traffic to and from remote terminals or computers, including functions such as message switching.
communication protocol
The exchange of a special sequence of control characters between a computer and a remote terminal to establish synchronous communications.
communication satellite
An satellite designed to act as a telecommunications radio relay. A communication satellite is usually positioned in geosynchronous orbit above the equator so that it appears from earth to be stationary in space.
Communications Authority of Thailand (see CAT)
community antenna television (see CATV)
community health information network (see CHIN)
community of practice
People associated and interlinked in a communication or knowledge network because of their shared interest or shared responsibility for a subject area. Examples are people who hold similar job functions (such as project managers, department managers, team leaders or customer service agents); all the people on a project team; and people interested in specific technologies (such as e-commerce or network management). Communities continually emerge and dissolve, and their membership, processes and knowledge continually change and evolve.
compact disc (see CD)
compact disc read-only memory (see CD-ROM)
Compact Hypertext Markup Language (see cHTML)
COMPARE Operational Readiness Evaluation (see CORE)
compatibility
The characteristic of computer hardware or software by which one machine or program may accept and process data prepared by another without conversion or code modification.
competence center (see CC)
competency center
An organizational structure used to coordinate an enterprise's expertise in a given IT or business discipline. Competency centers typically provide expertise for project or program support, acting both as repositories of knowledge and resource pools for multiple business areas. Skills-based competency centers, the most common type in an IS organization, are used for skill areas such as programming languages, data management, Internet development and network design. Repository-based competency centers act exclusively as sources of information. Outside the IS organization, it is increasingly common to find competency centers (or shared services) for travel, finance and human resources.
competitive access provider (see CAP)
competitive intelligence
Analysis of an enterprise's marketplace to understand what is happening, what will happen and what it means to the enterprise. Competitive-intelligence business goals may be offensive (to position the company in the marketplace, plot a course for the future and allocate resources) or defensive (to react to unfolding or potential market developments).
competitive local-exchange carrier (see CLEC)
complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (see CMOS)
complex instruction set computer (see CISC)
Compliance Progress and Readiness (see COMPARE)
component
Technically, a dynamically bindable package of functionality that is managed as a unit and accessed through documented interfaces that can be discovered at runtime. Pragmatically, components tend to fall into two major groups: technical components, which perform a technology-specific task that is application-independent (e.g., a graphical user interface control), and business components, which encapsulate a piece of business functionality.
component-based development (see CBD)
Component Broker
An IBM object request broker technology aimed at solving application integration issues. The product never fully matured and was used by only a handful of clients. It was eventually withdrawn from the market and replaced by WebSphere for z/OS.
Component Object Model (see COM)
component and supplier management (see CSM)
composite application
An emerging application architecture in which functionality and data from multiple applications are exploited to present an integrated user interface. A composite application has the appearance of a single application (from the perspective of the end user) but is, in fact, composed of multiple, independently designed applications. The enabling technology required for composite applications includes a hub or integration broker for connections between back-end (often legacy) systems and systems designed to interact with end users, such as Windows clients and Web servers.
compound document
Any document containing more than one data type, which may include rich text, vector graphics and raster images.
Compressed Serial Link Internet Protocol (see CSLIP)
compression
The application of any of several techniques that reduce the number of bits required to represent information in data transmission or storage, therefore reducing bandwidth or storage requirements.
Computer-Aided Acquisition and Logistics Systems (see CALS)
computer-aided design (see CAD)
computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (see CAD/CAM)
computer-aided engineering (see CAE)
computer-aided facilities management (see CAFM)
computer-aided manufacturing (see CAM)
computer-aided software engineering (see CASE)
Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application (see CATIA)
computer-based patient record (see CPR)
computer-based training (see CBT)
Computer Emergency Response Team (see CERT)
computer incident response team (see CIRT)
computer-integrated manufacturing (see CIM)
computerized maintenance management system (see CMMS)
computer network
An interconnection of two or more computer systems, terminals or communications facilities.
computer output to laserdisc (see COLD)
computer output to microfiche or microfilm (see COM)
computer output to microfiche replacement (see COM-R)
Computer Sciences Corp. (see CSC)
Computer Supported Telecommunications Applications (see CSTA)
Computer Task Group (see CTG)
computer-telephony integration (see CTI)
Computing Center Management System (see CCMS)
COM-R (computer output to microfiche replacement)
Alternative technologies to computer output to microfiche (COM) for creating and storing images of digital output. COM-R technologies include computer output to laserdisc (COLD). See COM and COLD.
concentrator
A device that merges many low-speed asynchronous channels into one or more high-speed synchronous channels to achieve economies of data transmission.
concurrent art-to-product environment (see CAPE)
concurrent backup and restore
A system-level facility that allows a database or disk file to be backed up to, or restored from, disk or tape storage while the database or file is still open for application access.
concurrent engineering
A collaborative, team-based approach to product design that combines multiple departments and disciplines into a project team.
concurrent use
A way to measure the usage of software licenses. Rather than limiting usage based on the number of people who are entitled to use the software, a concurrent-use license places a limit on the number of people who may do so simultaneously.
conductor
Any medium, such as a wire or cable, that can carry an electric current.
Conference Europeenne des Administration des Postes et des Telecommunications (see CEPT)
configuration management
The process of managing the configuration of enterprise software or system components (such as PCs, networks or applications) to achieve benefits such as increased efficiency or interoperability. Historically, maintaining configuration consistency across an infrastructure has largely been a process-driven endeavor using point tools to automate change across the silos of the infrastructure. Configuration management products oriented to desktop PCs, mobile devices and servers have added an important technology component to facilitate just-in-time configuration.
connectionless
An interconnection model in which communication takes place without first establishing a connection — that is, an end-to-end communication path set up through mutually recognized protocols. Unlike a connection-oriented service, a connectionless service does not establish a fixed path between sender and recipient. Every unit of data exchanged contains all the necessary control and address information to ensure correct delivery. See connection-oriented.
Connectionless Broadband Data Service (see CBDS)
connection-oriented
A communication service in which a connection (real or virtual) is set up and maintained for the duration of the communication. See connectionless and circuit switching.
connect time
The amount of time that a circuit, typically in a circuit-switched environment, is in use. See holding time.
Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire (see CERN)
console
An interface or piece of equipment used to control, monitor or communicate with a system. Consoles may be hardware-based (for example, the control panels used to operate machinery and some early computer systems) or software-based (for example, the administrative consoles provided with some system or network management applications).
consolidated security administration — see EUA (enterprise user administration)
consolidated service desk (see CSD)
consolidated user administration — see EUA (enterprise user administration)
constant angular velocity (see CAV)
constant bit rate (see CBR)
constant linear velocity (see CLV)
constraint-based planning or programming (see CBP)
consulting
Third-party advice and guidance on enterprise management or IT issues. Three categories of consulting services:
- Management consulting, which includes assistance with the development or execution of corporate business strategy, business processes or change management.
- IS consulting, which includes system architecture design or development, and IS organizational planning.
- Application or technical consulting, which includes application project management and development, technology assessment, and product tuning.
Consumer Electronics Association (see CEA)
Consumer Electronics Show (see CES)
consumer packaged goods (see CPG)
contact center
Also called a "customer contact center," this includes all customer contact channels, including telephone, interactive voice response (IVR), speech recognition, e-mail, Web and fax. This is an inbound and outbound service-based environment in which customer service representatives handle all types of contacts regarding sales, customer service and support (CSS), marketing and other functions. See IVR, CSS and contact center suite.
contact center suite
This contains all the components of a call center suite (see separate entry) with additional functions to support non-phone-based inquiry channels such as Web and e-mail communication. This added functionality includes:
- Web contact functions (e.g., Web chat and collaborative browsing)
- E-mail response management system (ERMS) functions
- Tools for integration with front- and back-office applications, or with applications that support customer relationship management (CRM) strategies
In this definition, the CRM applications that support marketing, sales, customer service and support, or field service and dispatch are not considered part of the suite. However, contact center suite functionality is often included with CRM applications and sold as a bundled CRM suite.
See call center, contact center, ERMS and CRM.
contact card
A type of smart card that contains a contact chip, and that must be inserted into a reader to conduct transactions or pass information from the card to the reader. See smart card, contact chip and contactless card.
contact chip
An integrated circuit — used in a type of smart card known as a contact card — which must come in contact with a reader to conduct transactions or exchange information — unlike a contactless chip, which can perform these functions by being passed near a reader. See smart card, contact card and contactless chip.
contact database
A database containing names, addresses and other information on sales contacts, used for contact-tracking and management purposes.
contactless card
A smart card that uses radio frequencies to exchange information. Unlike a contact card, it needs no physical contact to be read by readers or terminals. Containing an embedded integrated circuit known as a "contactless chip," the card needs only to be waved near a reader to record transactions or to identify the user. Contactless-card systems are either passive, with the readers generating the frequency, or active, in which the card activates the reader. See smart card, contact card and contactless chip.
contactless chip
The type of integrated circuit contained in a contactless smart card. Contactless chips, which can exchange information by being passed near a reader, are often preferred for use in applications where speed is essential. See contactless card and smart card.
content
In commercial publishing, content refers to graphic or textual information contained in documents, or to amalgamations of documents that have been combined to produce larger articles or complete publications. On the Internet, the term refers to the content of Web sites.
content aggregation
The presentation of content from multiple sources at a single Web location for review by the customer.
content-based retrieval (see CBR)
content filtering (see filtering)
content management
A broad term referring to applications and processes for managing Web, document and e-commerce-focused content.
content provider
An enterprise with information-based products that can be used to supply content for Web sites. Such providers may also offer services to access and manage the content.
contention
A method of line control in which a terminal sends out a request to transmit information over the network. If the channel is free, transmission proceeds; if not, the terminal must wait until it becomes free.
Content Vectoring Protocol (see CVP)
Continuous Acquisition and Life Cycle Support (see CALS)
continuous improvement
An iterative methodology for product, process or system development, whereby operational or customer feedback provides input into continuous enhancements made to improve quality, performance or efficiency.
continuous operations
The characteristics of a system that reduce or eliminate the need for planned downtime, such as scheduled maintenance.
continuous process improvement (see CPI)
continuous production
A production system in which the productive units are organized and sequenced according to the steps to produce the product. The routing of the jobs is fixed, and setups are seldom changed.
continuous quality improvement (see CQI)
continuous speech recognition (see CSR)
contract equipment (or electronics) manufacturer (see CEM)
control character
A character inserted into a data stream as a signal to the receiving station to perform a function or to identify the structure of the message. Newer protocols are moving away from character-oriented control procedures toward bit-oriented ones.
control code
A multibit code reserved for controlling hardware, such as printers.
controlled authoring
Methods for limiting the vocabulary and complexity of text. Controlled authoring is usually used to help with machine translation, but can also be used anytime writers must be compelled to use simple sentences and a limited vocabulary. It is impractical and counterproductive to impose controlled-authoring methods on most business users. It is most widely used for producing complex technical documents.
controlled medical vocabulary (see CMV)
Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (see COBIT)
Control Program for Microcomputers (see CP/M)
converged network services (see CNS)
Conversational Monitor System (see CMS)
cookie
A file placed on a computer's hard drive by a Web site that the computer user has visited. A code in this file uniquely identifies, or "registers," that user and can be accessed for a number of marketing and site-tracking purposes.
COOL (C++ Object Oriented Language)
A Microsoft application development tool initiative and language; a predecessor to C#. See C++ and C#.
cooperative processing
The splitting of an application into tasks performed on separate computers. If one or more of these computers is a programmable workstation, cooperative processing is commonly referred to as client/server computing (see client/server). Physical connectivity can occur via a direct channel connection, a local-area network, a peer-to-peer communication link or a master/slave link. The application software can exist in a distributed processing environment, but this is not a requirement.
COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act)
Legislation passed by the U.S. Congress in 1998 prohibiting the use of unfair or deceptive practices to gather personal information about individuals under the age of 13.
Copper Distributed Data Interface (see CDDI)
COPS (Common Open Policy Service)
A protocol developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to provide a common way for policy servers to communicate with devices that apply priority to traffic. The COPS protocol is described in IETF request for comment 2748, issued in January 2000.
CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture)
A set of standards specified by the Object Management Group. It defines a distributed computing architecture based on the notion of objects invoking each other through formal protocols and interfaces. CORBA products enable enterprises to implement very large, business-critical distributed applications by incorporating legacy systems. Adoption of CORBA products had been limited, because their high cost and complexity narrow their use to the most demanding, systematic projects.
Cordless Telephone 2 (see CT2)
core banking system
A back-end banking system that processes daily transactions and posts updates to accounts and other financial records. Core banking systems typically include account, loan and credit processing capabilities, interfaces to general-ledger systems, and reporting tools.
Corporate License Agreement (see CLA)
corporate portal (see enterprise portal)
COS (class of service)
A network or Internet service provider offering that prioritizes which traffic is delivered before other traffic. When a service provider's network is not congested, all traffic is treated equally. When the network is congested, however, traffic that has been designated as a higher priority will be delivered first, while lower priority traffic will be held in a queue until the higher-class traffic has been transmitted.
COSE (Common Open Software Environment)
A now-defunct vendor consortium, which was formed to promote interoperability and portability across Unix platforms. The group's first project was the Common Desktop Environment (CDE) specification. See CDE.
cost per thousand (see CPM)
COTS (commercial off-the-shelf)
Descriptive term for software that can be purchased from an external supplier, as opposed to that which is developed within the enterprise.
country code
In direct distance dialing, a code characterizing a particular country. Codes corresponding to the world numbering plan start with a single digit that identifies a particular geographical area. This can be followed by one or two extra digits.
coupling facility (see CF)
Coupling Facility Control Code (see CFCC)
coupling link
Specialized hardware providing high-speed communication between each node in a Parallel Sysplex and the coupling facility (CF). See Parallel Sysplex and CF.
course management system (see CMS)
courseware
Technology-enabled content for an education or training course. Courseware technology includes the content and functionality required to view and navigate a learning session. Related functionality, such as course registration and student or course tracking, is not included in courseware. These related functions are provided by learning management systems (LMSs) and other courseware administration technology. See LMS.
CPC (collaborative product commerce)
An e-business strategy for exploiting Web-based commerce opportunities across product development and product life cycle processes. These include both business-to-business and business-to-consumer commerce opportunities such as collaborative product development, customer-driven design, collaborative product and component sourcing, supply chain collaboration, and product maintenance self-service portals.
CPE (customer premises equipment)
Any telephone apparatus — including telephone handsets, private branch exchange (PBX) switching equipment, key and hybrid telephone systems, and add-on devices — that is physically located on a customer's property, as opposed to being housed in the telephone company's central office (CO) or elsewhere in the network. See PBX and CO.
CPFR (collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment)
A collection of business practices that leverage the Internet and electronic data interchange to reduce inventories and expenses while improving customer service. CPFR is a cross between continuous replenishment and vendor-managed inventory.
CPG (consumer packaged goods)
The industry segment comprising businesses that manufacture or sell packaged goods for individual (as opposed to commercial) consumption.
CPI (continuous process improvement)
An iterative methodology for improving production, driven by formal metrics and measurement programs.
CPI-C (Common Programming Interface for Communications)
A IBM communications technology that provides a high-level interface to Advanced Program-to-Program Communication (APPC). See APPC.
CPM (cost per thousand)
A marketing metric which refers to the cost to reach every thousand people with an advertising message. In Internet advertising, CPM is commonly used to measure the cost per thousand "impressions" (i.e., views) of an advertiser's message.
CPM (critical-path method)
A dependency analysis technique used to predict the duration of a project or process by analyzing the sequence of activities that do not have built-in slack time. Any task in the critical path that takes longer than expected lengthens the total time of the project.
CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers)
The first major operating system for personal computers, introduced by Digital Research in the late 1970s. In 1981, it was largely supplanted by PC-DOS from IBM, licensed from Microsoft.
CPR (computer-based patient record)
A system that contains electronically maintained information about an individual's health status and care. It focuses on tasks directly related to patient care, unlike other healthcare information systems that support providers' and payers' operational processes (which may, however, serve as source or feeder systems for the CPR). The CPR completely replaces the paper medical chart and thus must meet all clinical, legal and administrative requirements.
cps (characters per second)
A measure of the speed of hard-copy output devices, such as line printers.
CPS (certification practice statement)
A document defining all the operational practices that will be used to maintain the required level of public-key infrastructure (PKI) security. To prove that issued certificates are valid, an enterprise must demonstrate (usually through an audit) adherence to its CPS. The Internet Engineering Task Force's request for comment 2527 contains draft guidelines for the format and content of a CPS. See PKI.
CPT (Current Procedural Terminology)
A widely used controlled medical vocabulary (CMV) authored by the American Medical Association, originally created in 1966. The latest version — CPT, Fourth Edition (CPT-4) — describes medical and surgical procedures in a hierarchical format with six major sections and more than 8,000 codes. A series of two-digit modifiers are used to increase specificity, allowing the reporting of a procedure under specific circumstances. See CMV.
CPT-4 (Current Procedural Terminology, Fourth Edition) — see CPT
CPU (central processing unit)
The component of a computer system that controls the interpretation and execution of instructions. The CPU of a PC consists of a single microprocessor, while the CPU of a more powerful mainframe consists of multiple processing devices, and in some cases, hundreds of them. The term "processor" is often used to refer to a CPU.
CQI (continuous quality improvement)
A methodology for continuous improvement of the quality of an enterprise's products, services or internal processes.
CRC (cyclic redundancy check)
An error detection technique that uses a series of two eight-bit block check characters to represent an entire block of data. These block check characters are incorporated into the transmission frame and then checked at the receiving end.
critical path
The sequence of activities in a process that do not have built-in slack time, and for which any delays will therefore cause commensurate delays in the overall process.
critical-path method (see CPM)
critical-path scheduling
A project planning and monitoring method. It is used to schedule and track events and milestones associated with a project's critical-path activities. See critical path.
critical success factor (see CSF)
CRL (certificate revocation list)
A "hot list" that identifies digital certificates that have been withdrawn, canceled or compromised, or that should not be trusted because of other identified reasons. CRLs should be replicated to all subscribing servers to a specific root certification authority. See digital certificate and certification authority.
CRM (customer relationship management)
A business strategy designed to optimize profitability, revenue and customer satisfaction by organizing the enterprise around customer segments, fostering customer-centric behavior and implementing customer-centric processes. The application domains of CRM include technology-enabled selling (TES), customer service and support (CSS), and technology-enabled marketing (TEM). CRM optimized through Web channels is known as e-channel CRM (e-CRM). See TES, CSS, TEM and e-CRM.
CRM analytics
A set of analyses that support customer relationship management (CRM) on both an individual-customer and an aggregate level, including the real-time monitoring of day-to-day operations. A significant aspect of performing true CRM analytics (as opposed to product or channel analytics) is the capability to integrate data and analyses across various distribution channels and business units, creating a holistic understanding of relationships.
CRMS (CareEnhance Resource Management Software)
An integrated suite of care delivery decision support tools, once a product of HBO & Company's (HBOC's) Payor Solutions Group (which called it "Clinical Resource Management System") and now a product of McKesson (which acquired HBOC in 1999). The CRMS suite merges clinical and financial data for reporting on costs, quality, accreditation, regulatory compliance and other healthcare management issues.
CRM technologies
Technologies that support customer relationship management (CRM) by enabling:
- Increased customer access
- More effective interactions
- Integration throughout customer channels and back-office enterprise functions
CRO (customer relationship optimization)
Applying customer insight to plan the execution of customer interactions. CRO tools and strategies focus on determining what an enterprise's strategy should be during each customer interaction. These interactions fall into three categories: outbound campaigns, event-triggered interactions and inbound interactions.
crossbar switch
A switch with multiple vertical and horizontal paths, and relays enabling any of the vertical paths to be connected to any of the horizontal ones.
cross-certification
A process by which two enterprises can recognize and trust each other's digital cer | 
