Industry Acronyms: A Glossary Guide
All industries have their own jargon, but the IT Channel can certainly seem full of it for those navigating it for the first time. Here we lay out some of the most common industry acronyms with easy-to-understand explanations for your reference.
ADISA – Asset Disposal & Information Security Alliance
Launched in 2010, the ADISA Industry Standards for companies who participate in IT asset recovery now extend into the world of leasing, logistics, and repair centers as well as the now well-established IT Asset Disposal Standard. If your business wants to have confidence that their partners operate to the highest industry standards which reflect current best practice for handling data carrying assets look for ADISA Certification to give you reassurance.
BP – Business Partner
A commercial entity with which another commercial entity has some form of alliance. This relationship may be a contractual, exclusive bond in which both entities commit not to ally with third parties. Alternatively, it may be a very loose arrangement designed largely to impress customers and competitors with the size of the network the business partners belong to.
BPO – Business Process Outsourcing
A subset of outsourcing that involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of specific business functions (or processes) to a third-party service provider. Initially, this was associated with manufacturing firms, such as Coca Cola that outsourced large segments of its supply chain.
CESG – Communications-Electronic Security Group
The UK Government’s National Technical Authority for Information Assurance. They protect the vital interests of the UK by providing policy and assistance on the security of communications and electronic data, working in partnership with industry and academia.
DIPCOG – Defence Infosec Product Co-Operation Group
A UK Ministry of Defence forum run by a committee composed of representatives primarily from the MoD and CESG. DIPCOG approves products and services as being suitable for use specifically by the MoD.
EOSL – End Of Service Life
The end of the manufacturer’s warranty; the point at which the manufacturer will no longer provide support.
HMG IAS No.5 – His Majesties Government Information Assurance Security
Formerly Her Majesties’. The standard for data erasure written and published by CESG; 1 or 3 pass.
ICO – Information Commissioners Office
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is an independent authority in the UK that promotes the openness of official information and the protection of private information. According to its Web site, the ICO does this “by promoting good practice, ruling on eligible complaints, providing information to individuals and organizations, and taking appropriate action when the law is broken.”
The ICO oversees:
- The Data Protection Act.
- The Freedom of Information Act.
- The Environmental Information Regulations.
- The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.
IMAC – Install, Moves, Adds, Changes
All day-to-day activities associated with the scheduling and installation of hardware and software changes to the configuration, de-installation, and relocation of equipment, including connectivity testing, data transfer, and user orientation. Sometimes called IMACD, where the “D” stands for deletion or disposition.
ISP – Internet Service Provider
An organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet; such as AOL, AT&T, Verizon, and BT.
ITAD – IT Asset Disposal/Disposition
End of life hardware services such as collection, data erasure, shredding, resale, and recycling. Many ITAD providers send their processed equipment to landfill but Procurri operates on a zero-to-landfill basis.
ITAM – IT Asset Management
The overarching process of ensuring an organization’s IT assets are all accounted for, deployed, maintained, upgraded and disposed of when the time requires: providing oversight of IT hardware, its software, functionality and capacity.
ITIL – Information Technology Infrastructure Library
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a globally recognized collection of best practices for information technology service management. The United Kingdom’s Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) created ITIL in response to the growing dependence on information technology for meeting business needs and goals. ITIL provides businesses with a customizable framework of best practices to achieve quality service and overcome difficulties associated with the growth of IT systems. This has now become an industry standard for SMEs to large corporate enterprises.
ITO – IT Outsourcing
The use of external service providers to effectively deliver IT-enabled business processes, application services, and infrastructure solutions for business users.
LOI – Letter of Intent
A document that is signed by senior people in an organization who have been involved in negotiating a commercial deal. It will be issued as a precursor to a formal contract as evidence of the intention of a customer to engage with a supplier for their goods and services at the rates that have been tendered.
MBO – Management BuyOut
A transaction where a company’s management team purchases the assets and operations of the business they manage.
MSP – Managed Service Provider
Usually, an information technology (IT) services provider that manages and assumes responsibility for providing a defined set of services to its clients either proactively or as the MSP (not the client) determines that services are needed.
NBD – Next Business Day
Usually, in reference to a delivery date for a product or service, this refers to the next day in which the business is open and operating as standard.
NIST – (United States) National Institute of Standards and Technology
A non-regulatory federal agency under the Department of Commerce headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland. A NIST certification is important because it supports and develops measurement standards for a particular service or product. NIST 800-88 gives guidance on data destruction.
NOC – Network Operation Center
A centralized location where computer, telecommunications, or satellite networks systems are monitored and managed 24-7.
OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer
The original manufacturer of hardware. For Procurri, this most often refers to data center hardware manufacturers such as Dell, Hewlett Packard, Hitachi and Oracle.
PRINCE2 – PRojects IN Controlled Environments
An acronym for PRojects IN Controlled Environments; a de facto process-based method for effective project management. Individuals can train to become PRINCE2 accredited professionally.
RFI/RFQ/RFP – Request for Information/Quotation/Pricing
An acronym used to inform suppliers that an organization is looking to procure and encourages them to make their best effort. Requires the company to specify what it proposes to purchase. If the requirements analysis has been prepared properly, it can be incorporated quite easily into the Request document. Alerts suppliers that the selection process is competitive. Allows for wide distribution and response. Ensures that suppliers respond factually to the identified requirements. Is generally expected to follow a structured evaluation and selection procedure, so that an organization can demonstrate impartiality.
SI – Systems Integrator
An individual or business that builds computing systems for clients by combining hardware and software products from multiple vendors.
SLA – Service Level Agreement
A part of a service contract where a service is formally defined. In practice, the term SLA is sometimes used to refer to the contracted delivery time (of the service or performance).
SOW – Statement/Scope of Work
A formal document that captures and defines the work activities, deliverables, and timeline a vendor must execute in the performance of specified work for a client.
TPM – Third Party Maintenance
The provision of multi-vendor, multi-platform hardware maintenance from a business other than the OEM, typically once the warranty or OEM service has expired.
TUPE – Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment)
The TUPE Regulations preserve employees’ terms and conditions when a business or undertaking, or part of one, is transferred to a new employer. It will also apply when a contract to supply either goods or services is transferred from one supplier to another.
US DoD 5220.22-m
United States Department of Defence standard for data erasure; 3 or 7 pass.
VAR – Value Added Reseller
Aligned to the OEMs to sell hardware and services and to add value to the supply chain, much like car dealerships, Value Added Resellers will supply maintenance, IMACs, project management, service desk, etc.