Glossary Terms

Glossary of Terms

B

Backup - A data backup is when you copy or save files for the purpose of restoring them if ever you experience a corruption or loss of data.

Backup Policy - This is the process followed to make sure that sufficient and accurate backups are made. A good policy includes occasional testing of this process.

Backup Software - This is software designed for backing up files.

C

Cloud - Rather than storing your information to an on-site physical hard drive, this is an Internet based system of storing and accessing programs and data.

Cloud Backup - This is a service that utilizes the Internet or another network to transfer your files for storage at another location maintained by a third party.

Compliance -There are rules, policies, and laws pertaining to the process of data security. When a business adheres to such laws, they are said to be compliant.

Cloud Provider - These are businesses that enable other businesses or individuals the ability to transfer and store data by means of a network/Internet.

D

Differential Backup - This type of backup copies all the data that has changed from the last full backup.

E

Encryption - This is an electronic means of encoding computer data in a way that can only be read by authorized persons.

F

Full Backup - This type of backup is a complete copy of all selected data.

H

Hacker -This can be an individual or an organization that probes to find weaknesses in a computer network or system in order to exploit them.

Hot Backup -This is a backup of an active database that allows changes to be made while the backup is in progress.

I

Incremental Backup - This type of backup copies the data that has changed since the previous backup.

M

Multiplexing -This is when you have multiple streams of data that combine into one stream that can be written to one storage system at the same time.

P

Phishing - An electronic form of fishing, whereby, a scammer tries to bait an unsuspecting computer user into a trap by means of an authentic looking email, text, or website notification. The goal is to get the victim to give out personal information that can be used for criminal purposes.

R

Ransomware - This is a malicious program that secretly invades your computer system, begins encrypting your files, and then blocks your access to this data until you pay the criminal a sum of money.

Restore - This is when you use the data that you have backed up to repair a damaged system or to download saved data to a new system.

Retention Policy - These are the parameters that are set by those overseeing the system backups. This allows them to decide how long a backup file(s) is retained, how large those files can be, and how much storage space will be set aside for backup files.

S

Storage - This is where a systems data is saved in an electromagnetic format to be accessed for future use.

T

Tiered Storage - This is a multilevel approach to managing stored data. Active data is stored to a device with as much speed as possible and less utilized data is then stored using less expensive platforms, thus saving money and optimizing system speed for efficiency.

V

Virus - Much like a biological virus, this is a malicious computer program created to infect your computer and spread to others so as to damage or destroy critical operating systems.

W

Worm - This is a malicious code that enters your computer when you click on an attachment in an infected email. If part of a network, it will eventually infect all attached computers.