50 Terms Key to Understanding Digital Operations

Below is a list of tech scholar generated terminology to help improve your literacy in digital operations.

1. Amazon Web Services: A suite of cloud computing services that make an extensive cloud platform offered by Amazon.com. Amazon Web Services provides over three dozen cloud services spanning the IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS models of cloud computing, and is the most popular cloud service provider.
2. Application Programming Interface (API): An interface that allows a developer to access information from another service and integrate this service into their own application.
3. Artificial Intelligence (AI): The concept of developing and utilizing machines to perform tasks with a human thought process. Some examples of AI include: self-driving cars or voice recognition services like Siri. 
4. Assemble-to-Order (ATO): A business production strategy where customized products are produced rapidly.
5. Azure: Microsoft Azure, formerly known as Windows Azure, is Microsoft’s cloud computing platform. Azure offers both PaaS and IaaS services.
6. Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS): A model of cloud computing in which developers are given web and mobile application tools and services to create a cloud backend for their applications.
7. BASE (basic availability, soft state, eventual consistency): A data system principle that prioritizes accessibility over consistency across applications. 
8. Big Data: Used to desibrict any unconventional data sets which are too complex to be organized through traditional data processing, 
9. Business Intelligence: A set of tools that uses analytics to create reports, pivot tables, dashboards and other tools. These tools are then distributed to executives, managers and analysts to help them make better business decisions.
10. C.H.A.M.P. : Stands for Challenges, Authority, Money, and Prioritization. It is a more up-to-date way to qualify prospects by honing in on the four essential qualification areas for salespeople to focus on. 
11. Cloud Computing: The delivery of information technology services, such as data and software, over a network. The five main characteristics of cloud computing include on-demand self-service provisioning of resources, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service. The three main types of cloud computing are Software as a Service, Infrastructure as a Service, and Platform as a Service.

12. Cloud migration: The process of transferring a company’s data and services from on-premise to the cloud.
13. Cloud sourcing: The process of replacing dated IT infrastructure with lower-cost, outsourced cloud services.
14. Cloud: Refers to servers that are available on the Internet, and the software that operates on those servers. 
15. Customer Relationship Management (CRM): A system that manages an entire company’s relationships and interactions with current customers and prospects.
16.  Customer Self Service (CSS): Tools provided by a business that allow customers to deal with different aspects of the business on their own. Examples include bill processing, account management, and information requests. 
17. Customer Valuation: a CRM’s approach to identify the best contacts for a business’ campaign utilizing analytics to qualify leads, prospects, and customers.
18. Devops: An abbreviation of “development and operations.” This term can be used to describe the combination of tasks performed by the design and systems operations team. 
19. Elasticity: The ability of an infrastructure to rapidly expand or pool various services without negatively affecting the infrastructure’s stability and performance.
20. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) : Allows a business or organization to manage and integrate all aspects of an organization into software that can collect, manage, and store data on a large span of business activities. 
21. Hybrid Cloud: A cloud computing environment that consists of two or more types of cloud infrastructures (private cloud, public cloud, or on-premises solution). In a hybrid cloud, the two or more clouds remain separate from each other but are bound together by technology that enables data and application portability between them. 
22. Indemnify and hold : A legal term in a contract between CRM providers and users that protects the provider from liability in the occurrence of any loss of informational or technical mistake. 
23. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): A model of cloud computing in which the vendor provides virtualized computing resources, along with network and storage resources, to the consumer as a service via the internet. 
24. Intellectual Property Rights: This can be in relation to any process or system owned by the software company, including HTML codes, software design, logos, etc.
25. Key Performance Indicator (KPI) : A measurable value that measures, on a scale of effectiveness, how well a company is in reaching its key business goals.
26. Lead Time: The total time that it takes to order materials, have them delivered, and make them available for use. 
27. Lead: A potential sales opportunity. This can be a result of marketing or can qualify as any person who shows interest in utilizing a business’ services. 
28. Material Requirements Planning: A standard supply planning system to help businesses stay in line with inventory requirements while balancing supply and demand. This system guarantees that there are enough materials available for production and enough final products available for delivery to consumers.
29. Microservices: A way of creating applications in which complex applications are designed from a suite of small, independent services.
30. Multi-Cloud Strategy: The combination of various cloud services for different infrastructure and software needs. 
31. Multi-Tenancy: A mode of operation for software where several instances of one or many applications operate in a shared environment.
32. On-Premise Technology: software that is run on computers inside of the building where the organization runs the software. An example of on-premise technology is Microsoft Office Suite as it is only accessible on the computer that runs it. 
33. Open Source: A development model in which a product’s source code is made publicly accessible.
34. Pipeline: A business’ summary of all sales opportunities are in every part of the sales process. The four main stages of the sales pipeline include lead, prospect, opportunity, and customer. 
35. Platform as a Service (PaaS): A model of cloud computing in which a vendor provides the hardware and software tools to create, deploy and manage applications to the consumer as a service via the internet.
36. Private Cloud: a cloud infrastructure that is equipped for exclusive use by a single organization of multiple users.
37. Sales Force Automation (SFA): A type of CRM software that can automate tasks in sales such as order processing, information sharing, and performance analysis.
38. Sales Optimization: Refers to ways to maximize profits throughout the entire cycle of a contract. CRMs assist with this through providing salespeople with important information to help them close sales and preserve customer relationships. 
39. Sales Performance Management: An approach to monitor and guide salespeople in order to improve their sales and end results. The main purpose of this practice is to educate and motivate personnel to meet their targets and customer needs. 
40. Sales Performance Management: The practice of monitoring, training and guiding salespeople and their procedures in order to improve their sales and people skills, tracking and organization of customer data, and overall end results. 
41. Sandbox: An approach to testing various versions of existing CRM software without affecting the current network of the database. This allows you to examine updates and new features before releasing them to the public. 
42. Scalability: The ability of a process or structure to handle an ever changing workload. In other words, a scalable system is able to adjust to increasing demands.
43. Shared Resources: IT resources that can be accessed remotely by multiple hosts through a network, such as a Local Area Network (LAN) or the internet.
44. Software as a Service (SaaS): A model of cloud computing in which applications are hosted by a provider to a consumer as a service. SaaS applications are distributed on a subscription basis and are made available to users over a network, typically the internet.
45. Supply Chain: The series of processes that a product moves through between initial supplier and final consumers. 
46. Third-party integration: The ability to connect other business solutions to the CRM software to add more features and increase functionality.
47. User Experience: Every interaction a user has with a system.
48. User Interface: The CRM software’s end result for the customer, including the design layout and navigation system. 
49. Vender Lock-in: When a consumer feels “stuck” with their current cloud service provider, as it is difficult moving data across cloud service providers.
50. Workflow: A series of steps (tasks, events, interactions, activities) necessary to complete a business work process.