Technology Glossary

Plain-language definitions for common MSP, MSSP, cloud, network, security, AI and smart-infrastructure terms.

Technical language is useful when it is precise. It is not useful when it makes a customer feel excluded from their own environment.

MSP: Managed Service Provider. A company that operates some or all day-to-day IT services such as help desk, endpoints, cloud, networks and infrastructure.
MSSP: Managed Security Service Provider. A provider focused on operating security controls, monitoring, security administration and risk-reduction activities.
MDR: Managed Detection and Response. A service that adds active security investigation and response to monitored security telemetry, according to the contracted authority.
EDR / XDR: Endpoint Detection and Response / Extended Detection and Response. Security tools that collect and analyze activity from endpoints and, in XDR, additional security sources.
SIEM: Security Information and Event Management. A platform for collecting and correlating security logs and alerts from multiple systems.
SOAR: Security Orchestration, Automation and Response. Tools that automate repeatable security workflows and response steps.
RMM: Remote Monitoring and Management. MSP tooling used to monitor, patch and remotely support endpoints or servers.
PSA: Professional Services Automation. The service-management system an MSP may use for tickets, agreements, time, billing and workflows.
BCDR: Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery. The combination of backup, recovery systems, procedures and priorities used to restore operations after disruption.
RTO: Recovery Time Objective. The target amount of time to restore a service after an outage.
RPO: Recovery Point Objective. The amount of data loss, measured in time, that a recovery design is intended to tolerate.
SASE: Secure Access Service Edge. A cloud-delivered model combining networking and security functions for users, branches and applications.
ZTNA: Zero Trust Network Access. Access to applications based on identity, device and policy rather than assuming a user is trusted simply because they are on a network.
NAC: Network Access Control. Technology that controls which users or devices can connect to wired or wireless networks and what access they receive.
VLAN: Virtual LAN. A logical network segment used to separate traffic such as staff, guests, voice, cameras or servers.
SD-WAN: Software-defined Wide Area Networking. Technology that manages traffic across multiple WAN or internet links and can improve resiliency or application routing.
IAM / PAM: Identity and Access Management / Privileged Access Management. Controls for normal identity access and for higher-risk administrator or privileged accounts.
DLP: Data Loss Prevention. Policies and technologies intended to reduce inappropriate sharing or movement of sensitive information.
CNAPP: Cloud-native Application Protection Platform. A category of security tools that combines cloud posture, workload, identity and other cloud-security capabilities.
RAG: Retrieval-Augmented Generation. An AI pattern that retrieves approved information and gives it to a model so answers can be grounded in a controlled knowledge source.
vCIO / vCISO: Virtual CIO / Virtual CISO. Advisory leadership services for technology strategy or security strategy without employing that executive role full time.
NVR / VMS: Network Video Recorder / Video Management System. Platforms used to record, manage and review IP camera video.
PoE: Power over Ethernet. A method of powering devices such as access points, cameras and phones through the network cable.

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