Information Technology Terminology

Clear communication is the essence of any working environment in the words of Peter Drucker – “The most important thing in communication is to hear what is being said.

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This may sound like common sense, yet many of us fall victim to miscommunication which can lead to time and effort being lost at a drastic scale on both parties. Even the simplest message can be misinterpreted by using the wrong tone, body language or medium of communication. Some of these types of miscommunication are unavoidable but as a way to improve a more collective understanding as a company it’s necessary to build and make use of accurate terminology.

Acronyms are one of the simplest forms of efficient communication. HTML, FTP, CMSIP, TCP/IP, UDP, are some good examples of acronyms for someone with IT related experience. If we were to use these acronyms with fellow colleges they would work very well in effective communication, on the other hand communicating with clients who are not quiet as knowledgeable in Information Technology.

Just as acronyms can be lost in communications to those who are not accustomed to using them so can anything else being communicated just as easily lost in translation. Imagine someone who has never seen a car before describing what it looked like to someone else? It would take them forever to communicate what is summed up into one word due to their lack of knowledge.

Although this sounds one sided, the person communicating to the other can be at just as much fault. The first step to all communication is laying out a means on which to communicate. Understanding the recipient’s limitations and choosing the right terminology to use. Without ensuring both parties are on the same understanding we might as well be speaking a whole different language.

At BEARs we are constantly finding terminology and acronyms that are used in the field to ensure we are educated in all forms of communications.

Below is just a few the BEAR’s team use effectively daily.
UNC – Universal Naming Convention

SMB/ CIFS – Simple Message Block / Common Internet File System

BIOS  - Basic Input/Output System

TCP/IP – Transmission Control Protocol

SQL – Structured Query Language

QBE – Query By Example

ODBC – Open Database Connectivity

ARP – Address Resolution Protocol

POTS – Plain Old Telephone Service

CSMA/CD – Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Detect

VPN – Virtual Private Network

MSTSC – Microsoft Terminal Services Client