Glossary of IT Services Terminology

Like many industries, IT services has its own jargon. While Getronics tries to focus on clear communication, there are inevitably times when you will encounter these acronyms and terms, so you should know what they mean. Some terms below are specific to Getronics, and are indicated as such.

Click here for some other comprehensive resources for technical terminology and abbreviations.

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+

A+ Certification is a skill-based designation that is typically required of helpdesk analysts

Abandon Rate

Percentage of help desk calls that are not answered before the customer disconnects

ACD

Acronym for Automatic Call Distribution (or Automatic Call Distributor, the system which does it), a means of automatically distributing an organization’s incoming calls among a number of answering positions (ACD agents). ACD is useful in operations where callers want a service rather than a specific person. Calls are serviced in the order they arrive and are distributed so that the workload at each answering position is approximately equal.

AD

Acronym for Application Development, which is the process of creating an app

Agent

A common term used to indicate a Helpdesk or Support Center employee whose primary job responsibility is responding to customer calls. These employees typically provide first-level or second-level support.

Analyst

Typically, a person who defines problems and develops procedures for resolving them. Often used interchangeably with Agent.

App

Abbreviation for application, which is any software program developed for custom or off-the-shelf use

ASA

Acronym for Average Speed to Answer, the average time required for an analyst or an appropriate automated response tool (such as an IVR) to respond to an incoming call. This may be a SLA on some contracts. Also see On-Hold Duration.

Asset

Any piece of computer equipment that is inventoried and tracked on behalf of a customer

Black Belt

An individual who supports the implementation and application of Six Sigma by way of participation on project teams who has earned a higher-level certification than Green Belt.

BofF

Acronym for Bank of the Future, relating to Getronics' conception of how financial institutions that adopt solutions such as Globalfs will operate in an advanced manner

BPR

Acronym for Business Process Re-engineering; a quality management methodology in which large increases in quality are achieved through a radical redesign of existing organizations, business processes, and operating methods.

C Class

Moniker for the various executive-level personnel at a company whose titles begin with Chief and end with Officer, such as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), etc.; also called CxOs. These individuals increasingly rely on outsourcing.

Call

A telephone call, email, fax or other help request that is logged and trackable via a trouble ticket

Call Center

An operation that provides information, products, and services by telephone or electronic means. Call centers may be inbound, outbound, or a combination of the two; also called Customer Service Center.

Call Management System

Also known by the acronym CMS, Software and other systems that work with automatic call distributors (ACDs) and related technologies to manage, track, and report on call volumes and other call statistics. Often confused with the term "problem-management system". See ACD.

Carrier

The entity that provides the Internet connection to a residence or business. Typically the carrier is a telephone company, but many others are getting into this business, such as cable companies.

CCNA

Acronym for Cisco Certified Networking Associate; a certification commonly needed by technical support personnel who work on Cisco equipment

CCNP

Acronym for Cisco Certified Networking Professional; a certification commonly needed by technical support personnel who work on Cisco equipment

CDN

Acronym for Controlled directory number, a special directory number that allows calls arriving at the switch to be queued when the CDN is controlled by an application such as Symposium Call Center Server. When a call arrives at this number, the switch notifies the application and waits for routing instructions, which are performed by scripts in Symposium Call Center Server.

Central Services

Getronics US's unit comprising finance, human resources, legal and other departments serving internal customer needs

Certification

The process of earning a designation indicating mastery of a specific body of technical or other knowledge, which typically involves specialized training and passing an examination. Some certifications developed by CompTIA are commonly needed by Getronics' helpdesk analysts; other certifications are manufacturer-specific and useful in order to work on various software and hardware products (e.g., Cisco's CCNA or Microsoft's MCSE certifications).

COE

Common Operating Environment, or the standard configuration for all computers/systems in a network to allow more efficient operation, upgrades, etc.

Cost Drivers

Elements such as 24-hour support or custom application development that raise contract support costs.

Cradle to Grave

The helpdesk's responsibility to follow each call through to closure; also see Total Call Ownership

CRM

Acronym for Customer Relationship Management; usually refers to the software applications used to manage the call center/customer interaction.

CSR

Acronym for Customer Service Representative; these people usually interface between the help desk and third-party vendors to help resolve calls.

Customer

Any person who comes in contact with a Helpdesk or Support Center employee in person, over the phone, via e-mail, or by other communication channels. Customers may be internal (employees of the company) or external (people outside the company who request information or help). Also referred to as clients.

Customer Service Center

Synonym for Helpdesk; a staffed center which provides support and customer service through telephony and computer applications; also called Call Center.

CxO

See C Class.

DFM

Acronym for Device Fault Manager, a CiscoWorks tool that ensures a sound management foundation by providing continuous analysis of the general health and well being of the underlying data network upon which the IP telephony traffic flows. DFM simplifies management by providing 24/7 vigilance with out-of-the-box correlation functionality that offers insight and understanding of over 100 conditions and environments known to create service-impacting problems.

Directory Services

Repositories for information about network-based entities, such as applications, files, printers, and people.=bodylinkbold href="#is">IS.

DSL

Acronym for Digital Subscriber Line service; it's the telephone companies' equivalent to the broadband service offered by cable companies that allow for fast Internet access, voice calling and enhanced phone services all on one line.

EBIDTA

Acronym for the accounting term meaning Earnings Before Interest, Depreciation, Tax and Amortization

EAC

Acronym for Getronics employee activity committee. Besides internal activities, they also foster Getronics employees helping in their external community.

ECM

Acronym for Enterprise Content Management; IT tools and methods that help capture, manage, store, preserve and deliver content in support of business processes.

Employee referral program

An incentive program for existing employees to refer outside candidates to Getronics for hiring

EN (status)

Acronym for electronically new; the status given when a ticket is first created in the system as the result of a call, but before any action is taken on it.

Entitlement

Verification process that the caller is eligible for support on a particular contract

ERP

Acronym for Enterprise Resource Planning; a compilation of a company's information systems designed to bind more closely a variety of company functions including human resources, inventories and financials while simultaneously linking the company to customers and vendors

ESC

Acronym for Enterprise Service Center; a Managed Service Desk. Single point of focus and accountability for all customer requests

Escalate

to forward a call to a higher level of support; usually done when the technician does not have sufficient expertise to resolve the incident

ETA

Acronym for Estimated Time of Arrival. It's also a verb in a Getronics context: FSRs setting their estimated time of arrival for each day's on-site calls (or a CSR setting an ETA for another technician's arrival), which is vital information to the customer as well as internal tracking.

ETR

Acronym for Estimated Time of Repair. It's also a verb in a Getronics context: the FSR or CSR estimates when the equipment will be back in service.

€ (Euro)

The symbol for Euro, which is the European currency equivalent to the American dollar. With our worldwide headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Getronics' financial statements are reported in Euros.

FBS

Acronym for Getronics US's Financial Business Services unit

FCAPS

Acronym for Fault, configuration, accounting, performance, and security; FCAPS management is vital in a NOC

First Call Resolution

Percentage of help desk calls that are resolved upon first contact with the customer

FSR

Acronym for Field Service Representative; the technicians who handle on-site IT service calls for customers. Also an acronym for Field Service Report, which is submitted periodically by field technicians.

FTS

Acronym for Getronics US's Field Technology Services unit, which provides on-site services to customers

Globalfs

One of Getronics' solutions for banks and related financial institutions, run under FBS. Also see BofF.

Green Belt

An individual who supports the implementation and application of Six Sigma by way of participation on project teams. Also see Black Belt.

Greenfield

A new, soft-switched network, often built to replace an existing circuit-switched network (e.g., converting a PBX system to VoIP)

GVU

Acronym for Getronics Virtual University, the internal e-learning system with over 3,000 free courses as well as many books, etc., geared to the technical and business learning needs of our aspiring employees

Helpdesk

The SPOC for customers placing a service request for technical support and may result in dispatch to FTS or a Third-Party Vendor

Hybrid support

Technical support for a customer combining customized On-Site and Remote aspects.

ICT

Acronym for Information & Communication Technology, which includes software, hardware, data communications services, telecommunications services and devices, and other technology-based services; though ICT is Getronics' preferred term, in the US and some other countries, it is simply called IT.

ICT Infrastructure

The combination of networks, computers and generic services, such as e-mail

IMAC

Acronym for Install/Move/Add/Change, which are four common functions performed in an IT services contract; sometimes referenced without Install (see MAC).

Incident

Synonym for Call

Intranet

A private Internet site used by an organization for internal communication

Integrated Voice and Data Network

A network designed to carry voice, video and data, thereby eliminating the need for separate dedicated networks

IP

Acronym for Internet Protocol; the standards by which data is sent from one computer to another via the Internet

IP fabric

Another name for the data network, especially vis-a-vis IP telephony. The fabric usually contains many devices and components, creating a complex environment that becomes difficult for enterprises to monitor effectively without special tools.

IPS

Acronym for Information Processes and Systems, which is how Getronics refers to its own IT department. The different IPS teams develop and manage the process tools and systems Getronics uses to do business, as well as some development related to external customer projects.

IPT

Acronym for Internet Protocol Telephony; using the Internet as the medium for telephone services (an IP Telephone is a phone designed to plug into the Internet). Also see VoIP.

IS

Acronym for Information Systems; also see IT.

ISDN

Acronym for Integrated Services Digital Network, developed by Bell Labs in the mid-1980s, which was the first digital switching system used by telephone companies. It laid the groundwork for the great increases in capacity and enhanced services we enjoy today.

ISP

Acronym for Internet Service Provider; any organization providing Internet services

ISS

Acronym for Getronics US's IT Sourcing Services business unit

IT

Information Technology, a synonym for ICT.

IVR

Acronym for Interactive Voice Response unit, see VRU.

KEWA

Acronym for the knowledge base used by Getronics' help desk analysts to find answers to customer problems and accessible to Getronics customers via a user self-assistance website.

KIWI

A navigation tree for KEWA with hyperlinks directly to answers in KEWA for the most common issues, in order to save time on help desk analysts' calls.

LAN

Acronym for Local Area Network; also see WLAN.

Leveraging

Utilizing current support staff to handle some or all of a new contract; helps reduce both costs and ramp-up period.

MAC

Acronym for Move/Add/Change; see IMAC.

MCSE

Acronym for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer; a certification commonly needed by technical support personnel who work on Microsoft-based servers/systems

Messaging Services

The services needed to manage e-mail

Middleware

Software that converts or translates between applications

Migration

Moving from one hardware/software/network environment to another; in a migration, IMAC services are needed

MIP

The Management Incentive Program is a performance-based bonus compensation plan open to some Getronics personnel

MPLS

Acronym for multiprotocol label switching, which tunnels paths through networks for specific purposes, steers incoming traffic into an appropriate tunnel, and then relies on a label that it slaps on the data packet to transmit it through the network. As a result, traffic can usually run at the faster switching level (layer 2) instead of the routing level (layer 3). Large carriers now design the core of their networks around MPLS, but the true benefits of MPLS depend on pushing the technology all the way out to the customer, which only recently became possible with the pseudo-wire emulation end-to-end (PWE3) standard that enables MPLS to carry multiple forms of traffic.

MSP

Acronym for Management Service Provider; a vendor providing turnkey solutions for an organization's IT function

Multi-Channel

Operating across the different channels used by an organization to do business with customers, such as branches, telephones and web sites

NAS

Acronym for network-attached storage; refers to hard disk storage set up with its own network address. Taking storage access and its management off the department server allows applications and files to be served faster because they don't compete for the same processor resources.

.NET

Pronounced "Dot Net", a set of software technologies designed by Microsoft to connect information, people, systems and devices over the Web

NOC

Acronym for network operations center

OAM&P

Acronym for operations, administration, maintenance, and provisioning; the traditional model for PBX telephony system deployment, which is what today’s management approaches to the modern IP telephony counterpart are trending towards.

On-Hold Duration

Average length of time that a customer is kept on hold before a help desk representative first answers the call; also see Average Speed to Answer

On-Site

Technical support provided to a customer at their location

Outsourcing

Contracting out all or part of an organization's support around service desk, networking, break fix, telecom, desktop support, security and solutions to help achieve success in business.

OWA

Outlook Web Access. When a Getronics employee needs to connect remotely, this is how s/he views email messages.

PAL

UUNET PAL is a dial-up ISP account that allows U.S. Getronics employees direct access to the Internet for the purpose of establishing a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection to the Getronics internal network. PAL allows business travelers and home office users, including those employees traveling in international locations, the ability to select a local phone number for connecting to the Internet. This is a more cost-effective means of providing access to Getronics resources on the internal network than Getronics owned and maintained RAS facilities. More details or call the PAL Help Desk at 1-800-231-9264.

PBX

Acronym for Private Branch Exchange; the traditional telephony system increasingly being replaced by VoIP solutions because of lower maintenance costs, since it’s not its own separate system that requires independent management

PDA

Acronym for Personal Digital Assistant; used by many mobile workers and supported, for example, by Getronics SFA solutions. It is a small mobile hand-held device that provides computing and information storage and retrieval capabilities for personal or business use, often for keeping schedule calendars and address book information handy. Example functions of a PDA include: upload/download email and calendaring information to Exchange, note taking, contact information, upload/download documents and voice memos.

Per Call Pricing

Basing an IT services contract's pricing on the number of calls received (typically per month).

Per Seat Pricing

Basing an IT services contract's pricing on the number of technicians needed to fulfill the SLAs.

Per User Pricing

Basing an IT services contract's pricing on the number of customer personnel who are permitted to request tech support.

Platform

Technical environment or operating system on which a network or computer runs

PMP

The Performance Management Program is a Getronics system to foster professional development of its employees More details

Price Points

Key elements figured into IT services contract pricing, such as the applications to be supported, call duration and expected volume, technician skill level and reporting required, amount of support hours, custom application development, etc., from which SLAs are also determined.

Portal

A web site specifically designed to provide access to other sites and services

Provisioning

Defining telephony services for individual subscribers; the last step in the OAM&P model

Proxy

Proxy services are based upon Microsoft Internet Security & Acceleration (ISA) product. A proxy server is used between a browser client and web servers on the Internet as a means of improving browser performance as well as to reduce bandwidth utilization of our Internet connections. To access functionality on some internal and external websites (e.g., web-based software), you may need to add the appropriate proxy script to your web browser's configuration settings. More details

PSTN

Acronym for public switch telephone network, featuring standard telephones and switches on a TDM backbone

QoS

Acronym for Quality of service; end-to-end QoS with a minimum of delay or loss is a requirement to consider when converting from a PSTN to VoIP network.

RACI

The list of personnel who are Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed in relation to a given project. Also see RASCI.

RAID

Acronym for redundant array of independent discs; typically used to enhance data storage capabilities (more details)

RAS

Remote Access Services, which allows dial-up access to the Getronics network, but is more limited than VPN access. More details

RASCI

The list of personnel who: are Responsible (takes initiative and responsibility to make the work happen), Approve (who must sign off on work before it is effective), Support (must be committed because they provide resources and/or play a role in implementation), Consult (has information and/or capability necessary to complete the work), and Inform (must be notified of results, but need not be consulted) in relation to a given project. Also see RACI.

Remote

Technical support provided to a customer by a vendor at a secondary location.

RFI

Acronym for Request for Information; a potential customer's formal request for a vendor to supply detailed information regarding its capabilities to meet the client's stated need(s). RFIs typically do not include pricing. Also see RFP.

RFID

Acronym for Radio Frequency Identification; technology that incorporates electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the radio frequency (RF) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to uniquely identify an object, animal, or person. RFID is increasingly used in industry as an alternative to the bar code. The advantage of RFID is that it does not require direct contact or line-of-sight scanning.

RFP

Acronym for Request for Proposal; a potential customer's formal request for a vendor to supply a detailed proposal regarding its services and capabilities to meet client requirements and the pricing for these services. Also see RFI.

S&LG

Acronym for State and Local Government, a key customer segment for Getronics' IT outsourcing services and solutions.

SAN

Acronym for Storage Area Network, a network of shared data storage space; also an acronym for Secure Area Network.

SASU

Acronym for Software Application Support+Upgrades; an important service tier for NOCs.

SFA

Acronym for Sales Force Automation; this is a customer business function that benefits greatly from Getronics' remote workforce IT solutions and services.

Six Sigma

A quality improvement and business strategy created at Motorola in the 1980s for which people can now earn certification. More details

Skills-Based Routing

A way to direct calls to a particular help desk or technician that is most similar to the customer's needs

SLA

Acronym for Service Level Agreement, a contract between a service provider and a customer that specifies what measurable service levels must be achieved. Some common SLA targets include average time on hold, customer satisfaction, and first call resolution percentage.

SLO

Acronym for Service-Level Objective, which are similar to SLAs but vendors are not penalized if target objectives are not achieved.

Solver

Term used by some Getronics customers for advanced technical support people on their own staff who know their proprietary applications best, and work with Getronics' help desk staff primarily by resolving trouble tickets outside Getronics' knowledge base.

SOW

Acronym for Statement of Work

SPOC

Acronym for Single Point of Contact, usually one toll-free telephone number through which any help desk personnel can be reached.

Spokane

Nickname for Getronics' facility in Liberty Lake, WA. Refers to the nearest large city where the airport is. More details

Support Center

Synonym for Call Center, Customer Service Center or Helpdesk

SWIFT

An industry standard for communication among financial service providers

SWOT analysis

Acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats; a corporate strategic analysis often done in a financial/business context

Tad

Assigning codes to a trouble ticket so that it is properly logged and routed to facilitate resolution.

TDM

Acronym for time division multiplexing; this digital multiplexing derives two or more apparently simultaneous channels from one bit stream by interleaving pulses representing bits from different channels, such as multiple voice channels from a T1 pipe in a VoIP system. An asset of TDM is its flexibility, allowing for a varying number of signals being sent along the line, constantly adjusting the time intervals to make optimum use of the available bandwidth.

Tewks

Nickname for Getronics' facility in Tewksbury, MA. More details

Third-Party Vendor

Outside organization whose products/services can be contracted in order to fulfill customer requirements

Total Call Ownership

Help desk's responsibility to insure an incident is resolved within the SLA and/or escalated as appropriate; also see Cradle to Grave.

Trouble Ticket

Also known simply as "ticket," it's the logging of a help request (see Incident) with a unique, alphanumeric identification code in a Call Management System so that it is trackable.

Vendor-Independent

Having no vested interest in proposing the products of any given supplier, other than their suitability for the designated task; a concept to which Getronics adheres

VML

Acronym for vertical market leader; the person who runs the sales force for a Getronics key customer industry vertical

VoIP

Acronym for Voice over Internet Protocol, sometimes known as IPT; the most common application is voice communications via Internet connection

VPN

Acronym for Virtual Private Network, a private data network that uses the public telecommunication infrastructure, i.e., the Internet.

VRU

Acronym for voice response unit, also known as IVR; a prompting device that routes calls to a particular help desk group or level, and can also pull information from databases to deliver account balances, etc., in an automated voice.

WAN

Acronym for Wide Area Network; also see WLAN.

Whiteboard

A master trouble ticket created to cover a sudden and/or large-scale problem (e.g., server outage) which is the source of many unresolvable help desk calls, because a specific method of resolution has yet to be documented. Without a Whiteboard, analysts wouldn't know what's wrong and wouldn't know where to assign the trouble ticket.

WLAN

Acronym for Wireless Local Area Network; also see LAN.

Wrap-around

After-hours technical support; usually complements an in-house team by providing coverage after hours from a remote location.

Any other special links you'd like to recommend for this page? If so, email us at any time.