Knowledge
IT glossary
Look up an IT term and get a short, precise explanation: from phishing and ransomware to NIS2 and Copilot. Written by the specialists behind the daily operations.
A
- Active DirectoryActive Directory manages users and permissions in Windows environments. Understand the difference between AD and Entra ID, and the typical hybrid setup.
- Artificial intelligence (AI)Artificial intelligence (AI) explained without buzzwords: what it is, how it works, and where it creates value in a Danish SMB today.
- Asymmetric encryptionAsymmetric encryption uses a key pair: a public and a private key. See how it enables secure communication with people you have never met.
B
- BackupBackup is your insurance against data loss, ransomware and mistakes. See what a professional backup solution includes, and why the 3-2-1 rule is the standard.
- Business Intelligence (BI)Business Intelligence turns company data into dashboards and decision support. Understand the BI stack, Power BI and the difference between BI and AI.
C
- Certificate Authority (CA)A CA is the trusted body that issues digital certificates. Understand the chain of trust, internal versus public CAs, and what a CA compromise means.
- Certificate pinningCertificate pinning binds an app to one specific certificate and protects against man-in-the-middle attacks. See when pinning makes sense.
- CipherA cipher is the encryption algorithm itself: the recipe that turns readable text into unreadable code. See the most important types, and where they are used.
- CiphertextCiphertext is data in encrypted form: unreadable without the right key. See why the concept is central to GDPR and protection against data breaches.
- CIS ControlsCIS Controls are 18 prioritised security controls that give you a concrete order of work for IT security. See how to get started.
- Cloud computingCloud computing means IT delivered over the internet: servers, storage and software on a pay-as-you-go basis. Understand public, private and hybrid cloud.
- Cloud hostingCloud hosting moves your servers and systems to the cloud. See the benefits, drawbacks and costs compared with your own servers and classic hosting.
- Code signingCode signing proves who published a piece of software and that it has not been altered. See why the keys must live in hardware, and how timestamping works.
- Cyber attackA cyber attack is an attempt to gain access to, damage or extort your IT systems. See the most common attack types and the defence against them.
- Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)The Cyber Resilience Act is the EU regulation on cybersecurity in products with digital elements. See who is covered, how it differs from NIS2 and the timeline.
- CybersecurityCybersecurity is about protecting data, systems and employees against attacks. Get an overview of threats, key concepts and the most important measures.
D
- Dark webThe dark web is the hidden part of the internet where stolen passwords and company data are traded. See how data ends up there, and how to detect it.
- Data processing agreementA data processing agreement is the GDPR contract between controller and processor. See what the agreement must contain, and who needs one.
- DDoS attackA DDoS attack overwhelms your systems with traffic from thousands of machines. See how the attacks work, and what to do before and during an attack.
- DeepfakeDeepfakes are AI-generated videos and voices that imitate real people and are used for executive fraud. See how to detect and prevent them.
- Digital certificatesA digital certificate binds a public key to an identity and is signed by a CA. See what certificates are used for, and why expiry is critical.
- Digital signatureA digital signature proves who signed and that nothing has changed since. See how the technology works, and what eIDAS means.
- Disaster recoveryDisaster recovery is the plan that gets your IT running again after an outage or attack. See what RTO/RPO mean, and what a good plan contains.
- DMARCSPF, DKIM and DMARC protect your domain against email spoofing. Understand the three layers, check your DMARC record, and get started safely in Microsoft 365.
- DNSDNS translates domain names into IP addresses and controls where your email and website live. See how it works, and why it must be secured.
- DNSSECDNSSEC cryptographically signs your DNS responses so forged lookups can be detected. See how the chain of trust works, and what it does not protect against.
- DORADORA sets EU requirements for digital resilience in the financial sector and reaches IT vendors too. See the 5 pillars, who is covered, and how it differs from NIS2.
- DPO (Data Protection Officer)A DPO is the company's data protection officer, the independent watchdog for GDPR. See when you need one, and whether it should be internal or external.
E
- EDR and XDREDR monitors behaviour on PCs and servers and stops attacks that antivirus misses. Understand the difference between EDR, XDR and antivirus, and where to start.
- EncryptionEncryption protects your data from prying eyes, both at rest and in transit. See how end-to-end encryption and certificates work.
F
- FederationFederation lets users log in across organisations and systems with one identity. See how trust relationships, SAML and OIDC fit together.
- FirewallA firewall is the company's first line of defence against external attacks. See the difference between hardware, software and next-generation firewalls.
G
H
- Harvest now, decrypt laterAttackers intercept encrypted data today to decrypt it once quantum computers can break the encryption. See who is at risk, and what to do about it.
- HashingHashing turns data into a unique digital fingerprint that cannot be reversed. See how it is used for passwords, integrity and signatures.
- HelpdeskA helpdesk is the users' gateway to IT help, with a ticketing system, priorities and response times. See how it differs from a service desk.
- High availabilityHigh availability is about designing IT systems that keep running when components fail. See what the nines mean, and what they cost.
- HSM (Hardware Security Module)An HSM is a physical device that protects cryptographic keys and performs encryption in secured hardware. See when an HSM is required, e.g. under eIDAS.
- HypervisorA hypervisor lets multiple virtual machines share one physical server. See the difference between type 1 and 2, and VMware vs. Hyper-V.
I
- ISO 27001ISO 27001 is the standard for information security. See what certification requires, who needs it, and how to meet the requirements.
- IT complianceIT compliance means being able to document that your IT meets legislation and standards. Get an overview of GDPR, NIS2 and ISO 27001 in one place.
- IT infrastructureIT infrastructure is the foundation under your systems: network, servers, cloud and security. See what it consists of, and when it should be modernised.
- IT risk assessmentAn IT risk assessment maps the threats to your systems and data and prioritises the effort. See the method step by step, with a likelihood × impact template.
- IT supportIT support is the help that keeps employees working when technology acts up. See the difference between support levels, IT operations and what IT support costs.
- IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)IaaS is rented IT infrastructure in the cloud: servers, storage and networking as consumption. See the difference between IaaS, PaaS and SaaS.
K
- Key ceremonyA key ceremony is the formal, supervised procedure in which critical encryption keys are created. See why no single person may ever hold the key alone.
- Key exchangeKey exchange is the art of agreeing on a secret key over an open connection. See how Diffie-Hellman and the TLS handshake work.
M
- MalwareMalware is malicious software such as viruses, trojans and spyware. See the 6 types, learn to spot an infection, and avoid the classic removal mistakes.
- MD5MD5 was for years the world's most used hash algorithm, but has been broken since 2004. See what it may still be used for, and what should replace it.
- MFAMFA (multi-factor authentication) stops the vast majority of automated attacks. See how it works, and why Microsoft is making it mandatory.
- Microsoft 365 CopilotMicrosoft 365 Copilot is the AI assistant in Word, Outlook and Teams. See what Copilot can do in practice, what it requires, and whether it is worth the money.
- Microsoft AzureMicrosoft Azure is Microsoft's cloud platform for servers, data and apps. See what Azure can do, how the pricing model works, and when it is the right choice.
- Microsoft DefenderMicrosoft Defender comes in many editions, from free antivirus to Defender for Business. Get an overview of the differences and what you should use.
- Microsoft Entra IDMicrosoft Entra ID is the successor to Azure Active Directory. See what it means for sign-in, security and licensing in your Microsoft environment.
- Microsoft IntuneMicrosoft Intune manages and secures your company's PCs and mobile devices from the cloud. See what Intune can do, what it requires, and when it makes sense.
- Microsoft PurviewMicrosoft Purview protects and classifies your company's data across Microsoft 365. See what Purview can do, and who needs it.
- Microsoft SentinelMicrosoft Sentinel collects logs and detects attacks across your systems. See what a cloud SIEM can do, and when it is relevant for SMBs.
- MSP (Managed Service Provider)An MSP is a permanent IT partner that operates, monitors and supports your IT at an agreed price. See what is included, and how to choose the right one.
N
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P
- Penetration testingA penetration test reveals the holes in your IT security before attackers find them. See what the test covers, and what a typical engagement looks like.
- PGPPGP encrypts and signs email and files using key pairs. See how the OpenPGP standard works, and when it is the right choice today.
- PhishingPhishing is fake emails and messages that steal passwords and money. Learn to recognise phishing, and see how to protect your business.
- PKI (Public Key Infrastructure)PKI is the infrastructure of certificates and keys that proves digital identity: the foundation of secure communication between people and systems.
- Power AppsWith Microsoft Power Apps you build business apps without developers. See what Power Apps can do, what it requires, and when it is the right solution.
- Power AutomatePower Automate is Microsoft's tool for automating workflows with flows, entirely without code. See what you can automate and what is included in M365.
- Power BIPower BI is Microsoft's tool for dashboards and data analysis. See what Power BI can do, what it costs (Free/Pro/Premium), and how it works with M365.
- PaaS (Platform as a Service)PaaS is a cloud model where the provider runs the platform and you focus on applications and data. Understand the difference between IaaS, PaaS and SaaS.
Q
R
- RansomwareRansomware locks your data and demands a ransom. See how the attacks start, what to do in the acute phase, and how to avoid paying.
- Remote DesktopRemote Desktop provides remote access to a PC or server via RDP. Learn how to use remote desktop securely, and why open RDP ports are dangerous.
- RPA (Robotic Process Automation)RPA is software robots that perform repetitive tasks in your systems: clicking, typing and lookups. See which processes are suitable, and where AI fits in.
- RSARSA is the world's best-known asymmetric encryption algorithm and has protected the internet for decades. See how it works, and why it is being phased out.
S
- SCADASCADA systems monitor and control industrial processes. See why OT security demands a different approach than IT, and what NIS2 requires.
- SIEMSIEM collects log data from your entire IT environment and raises the alarm on suspicious activity. Understand how a SIEM works, and when it makes sense.
- SLA (Service Level Agreement)An SLA defines response times, uptime and responsibilities between you and your IT provider. See what a good SLA should contain, with concrete examples.
- Smart cardA smart card is a chip card carrying a digital certificate for secure login: phishing-resistant and well known from the healthcare sector. See how it works.
- SOCA SOC monitors your IT security around the clock and responds to attacks. Learn the difference between SOC, SIEM and MDR, and whether an SMB needs one.
- SpoofingSpoofing is forging the sender of an email, phone call or website. Learn to recognise spoofing, and see what to do if your number is being misused.
- SSL certificateAn SSL certificate puts the padlock and HTTPS on your website. Technically it is called TLS today. See the certificate types, and what happens when one expires.
- SSOSingle Sign-On gives employees one secure login for all systems. See how SSO works, and what it means for security and the working day.
- Symmetric encryptionSymmetric encryption uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt. See why AES protects almost all your data, and where the pitfall lies.
- SaaSSaaS means software as a subscription in the cloud. See the difference between SaaS, PaaS and IaaS, and what it means for cost, operations and security.
T
- The ACME protocolACME automates the issuance and renewal of TLS certificates, known from Let's Encrypt. See how the protocol works, and why it is becoming a requirement.
- TLSTLS is the protocol behind the padlock in the browser: it encrypts traffic and proves who you are talking to. See how the handshake works.
- TLS certificate lifecycleFrom CSR and issuance to renewal and revocation: See the 6 phases of the TLS certificate lifecycle, and why shorter lifetimes demand automation.
V
- VDIVDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) delivers virtual desktops from central servers. See when a VDI solution makes sense for your business.
- Vishing and quishingVishing is phishing over the phone, quishing via fake QR codes. See how the attacks work, and how employees respond correctly.
- VPN (Virtual Private Network)A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between a device and the company network, so employees can work securely from home and on the move.
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