|
|
 |
 |
|
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
ANI: Automatic Number Identification. A service that provides the receiver of a telephone call with the number of the calling phone. more...
ARU: Audio Response Unit. A device that provides synthesized voice responses to touch-tone key presses by processing calls based on the caller's input, information received from a database, and information in the incoming call, such as the time of day. See also Interactive Voice Response (IVR).
'B'
Binary: A number system that has just two unique digits. Computer programs use the digits "0" and "1". Unique combinations of "0" and "1" represent characters. more...
'C'
Call Hunt: A feature that allows multiple business telephone lines to act as a single group (a hunt group). When the line called is busy, the call forwards to the next available line. Only if no lines in the group are open does the calling party get a busy signal.
Circuit-switched: A type of network in which a physical path is obtained for and dedicated to a single connection between two end-points in the network for the duration of the connection. Ordinary voice phone service is circuit-switched. The telephone company reserves a specific physical path to the number you are calling for the duration of your call. more...
Co-Location Site: A type of data center where multiple customers (Web commerce companies, major corporations, and telecommunications companies) locate their network, server and storage gear and interconnect to a variety of telecommunications and other network service providers with a minimum of cost and complexity.
Conference Bridge: A device used to connect multiple parties over the phone. A proctor or operator can man conference bridges or they can be supervised. There are standalone conference bridges and conference bridge functions built in to some PBXs (Private Branch Exchange).
Converged Communications: The Integration of voice (and telephony features), data applications and video solutions onto a single IP network. These separate technologies share resources and interact with each other.
Convergence: The combination of two or more different technologies in a single device. For example, taking pictures or surfing the Web with a cell phone. more...
CRM: Customer Relationship Management. The group of systems and practices (methodologies, strategies, software and web-based capabilities) that encompass a business's management of its customers. more...
CTI: Computer Telephony Integration. Technology that merges a telephone system with a computer or network. The classic CTI application is “screen popping", which uses Caller ID to identify the caller and display his/her database records on the screen before the call is answered. more...
'D'
Data Networks: Networks over which data is sent in multiple individual packets. The individual packets may take separate routes over different networks to the same location, allowing a more efficient use of the network. more...
DID: Direct Inward Dial. A service/number that, when called, will route to the subscriber's equipment, telephone system, PBX, etc. more...
Digital Telephony: The technology used to supply digital telephone services and systems. more...
DNS: Domain Name System. One of the core Internet protocols and mechanisms. DNS translates domain names (e.g. www.acredo.us) into the binary IP addresses that are actually used to move data packets around on the Internet. more...
Domain: A sphere of knowledge identified by a name. The knowledge is a collection of facts about some program entities or a number of network points or addresses. On the Internet, a domain consists of a set of network addresses.
Domain Name: The readable addresses used on the Internet (e.g., www.acredo.us). The Domain Name Service (DNS) translates these names into IP addresses which TCP/IP programs use directly. more...
DSL: Digital Subscriber Line. A technology that allows broadband access over copper lines. DSL is available in bandwidths up to 9 megabits per second, depending on the infrastructure and technology used. more...
'E'
ENUM: Electronic Number. A suite of protocols to unify the telephone system with the Internet. It provides a single number to replace the multiple numbers and addresses for an individual's home phone, business phone, fax, cell phone, and e-mail. more...
Ethernet: Ethernet is the most widely-installed local area network (LAN) technology. An Ethernet LAN typically uses coaxial cable or special grades of twisted pair wires. Ethernet is also used in wireless LANs. more...
'F'
'G'
Gateway: A computer or a network that controls access between different types of networks. A gateway serves as an entrance to another network. more...
'H'
Hosted VoIP: A service where the equipment providing the call control and PBX features is owned and operated by the service provider and is located on the service provider's premises. The business end users connect via IP to the provider for voice service. Synonymous with IP Centrex, VoIP Centrex and hosted telephony.
'I'
Internet: The Internet consists of the world's combined public IP-based packet-switched networks. The Internet is the chief communications backbone for the world wide web. more...
IP Address: An identifier for a computer or device on a network. The IP address consist of four sets of numbers divided by a period with up to three numbers in each set. (e.g. 64.139.27.165). The four numbers are used in different ways to identify a particular network and a host on that network. more...
IP Centrex: A service where the equipment providing the call control and PBX features is owned and operated by the service provider and is located on the service provider's premises. The business end users connect via IP to the provider for voice service. Synonymous with IP Centrex, hosted telephony, and hosted VoIP telephony. more...
IP-phone: A phone that sends traffic over a TCP/IP network. IP phones are generally used for VoIP applications. more...
IPBX: Intranet Private Branch eXchange. A telephony solution for a business where the primary means of exchanging voice internal to the system is by using VoIP.
ISP: Internet Service Provider. A business that provides subscriber-based access to the Internet. In addition to Internet access, they may provide a combination of services including Internet transit, domain name registration and hosting, web hosting, and co-location. more...
IVR: Interactive Voice Response. A computerized system that allows a telephone caller to select an option from a voice menu. The system plays pre-recorded voice prompts to which the caller presses a number on a telephone keypad to select the option chosen, or speaks simple answers such as "yes", "no", or numbers in answer to the voice prompts. more...
'J'
Java: A general purpose programming language with a number of features that make the language well suited for use on the World Wide Web. Java can be used to create complete applications that may run on a single computer or be distributed among servers and clients in a network. more...
'K'
'L'
LAN: A computer network covering a small geographic area, like a home, office, or group of buildings. more...
Linux: An operating system that was designed to provide personal computer users a free or very low-cost operating system. Linux systems are used as an alternative to proprietary operating systems, such as, Microsoft. more...
'M'
MAC: Media Access Control. Provides addressing and channel access control mechanisms that makes it possible for several terminals to communicate within a LAN. more...
MAC Address: In a network, the MAC address is your computer's unique hardware number. When you're connected to the Internet from your computer, a correspondence table relates your IP address to your computer's physical (MAC) address on the network. more...
Malware: Software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's consent. more...
Messaging: The creation, storage, exchange, and management of text, images, voice, fax, e-mail and paging over a communications network. Also referred to as electronic messaging. more...
'N'
NOC: Network Operations Center. One or more locations from which control is exercised over a computer or telecommunications network. The location housing for the NOC may also contain many or all of the primary servers and other equipment essential to running the network. more...
'O'
Off-net: Refers to calls that must be carried on another network (usually PSTN) external to the VoIP network.
On-net: Refers to calls carried on the customer's network.
'P'
Packet: The unit of data that is routed between an origin and a destination on the Internet or any other packet-switched network. more...
Packet-switched: In a packet-switched network, such as a VoIP network, data is broken down into packets. The packets are then transmitted to the receiving end, where they are converted back to the original data format. It's the opposite of circuit switching that is used in public telephone networks. more...
PBX: Private Branch eXchange. A telephone exchange that serves a particular business or office, as opposed to one a carrier or telephone company operates for many businesses or for the general public. more...
POTS: Plain Old Telephone Service. more...
Presence: A feature of VoIP services that indicates a person's availability. If the presence indicator is on, the person is available on the network. more...
PSTN: Public Switched Telephone Network. The network of the world's public circuit-switched telephone networks, in much the same way that the Internet is the network of the world's public IP-based packet-switched networks. more...
'Q'
'R'
Ring Group: Allows phones to share a telephone number. That shared number rings simultaneously until the incoming call is answered by one of the phones in the group. Once the call is answered the rest of the phones stop ringing.
'S'
Service Provider: A company that provides services to Internet, telephone, and mobile phone users.
SIP: Session Initiation Protocol. A signaling protocol for Internet conferencing, telephony, presence, events notification and instant messaging. more...
SIP-ID: A unique number used to call you from another SIP phone. It works much like a regular phone number.
Softphone: A software for making telephone calls over the Internet using a computer. A softphone is typically used with a headset connected to the sound card of the PC, or with a USB phone. more...
'T'
TCP: Transmission Control Protocol. A set of protocols used along with the Internet Protocol (IP) to send data in the form of message units between computers over the Internet. TCP keeps track of the individual units of data (or packets) that a message is divided into for efficient routing through the Internet. more...
TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The basic communication language or protocol of the Internet. The higher layer, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), manages the assembling of a message into smaller packets that are transmitted over the Internet and received by a TCP layer that reassembles the packets into the original message. The lower layer, Internet Protocol (IP), handles the address part of each packet so that it gets to the right destination. more...
Toll Bypass: A term used to describe how VoIP telephony services “bypasses” the regulated, circuit-switched PSTN by transporting voice media over packet-switched networks to avoid the per-minute charges associated with metered usage of traditional long-distance service.
Transport: The technology protocols that carry voice and data over the physical network.
Transport Layer: Ensures the reliable arrival of messages and provides error checking mechanisms and data flow controls. In VoIP telephony, the transport layer ensures the reconstruction of packets into a complete message at the other end of a transmission. more...
'U'
Unified Communications: Provides integrated messages in a single in-box (voice, fax, email, images and video). more...
Unified Messaging: A service that provides a single, integrated in-box for multiple kinds of messages (for example, voicemail, e-mail, fax, video clips). The user can access the in-box via multiple devices (mobile phone, PC) and multiple communications technologies. more...
User Interface: Everything designed into an information device with which a person may interact -- including display screen, keyboard, mouse, the appearance of a desktop, illuminated characters, help messages, and how an application program or a Web site invites interaction and responds to it. more...
'V'
Vemail: A network feature with VoIP telephony that enables a user to either hear their email or print a hard copy of their voicemail. more...
Virtual Office: A computer network system that allows users to log in from any location and access their e-mail, documents, and other stored files. more...
Voice Grade: Refers to the bandwidth required to transmit human voice, which is about four thousand Hertz (4 kHz). The term generally refers to analog lines.
Voicemail: A computerized system for answering and routing telephone calls. Telephone messages can be recorded and stored and relayed. Calls are diverted to voicemail when the called party is unavailable or has the phone powered off. more...
VoIP: Voice Over Internet Protocol. A method for taking analog audio signals and turning them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet or any broadband connection. Transmission of voice traffic over an Internet protocol network that is either public (the Internet, for example) or private. more...
VPN: Virtual Private Networks. A corporate network based on Internet protocol that uses shared or public network facilities. Security software ensures the service is "virtually" private, even though the company does not have its own dedicated network. more...
'W'
WAN: Wide Area Network. A computer network that covers a broad area which uses routers and public communications links. The Internet is the largest and most well-known example of a WAN. WANs are used to connect (LANs) and other types of networks together, so that users and computers in different location can communicate. more...
'X'
'Y'
'Z'
|
|
|
|
|
