IT phrases & words - big list for beginners

1. Algorithm

An algorithm is a recipe that tells how to do something. Algorithms in the context of programming are basic building blocks that allow software to perform tasks in a structured and efficient way. Algorithms are often mentioned in connection with artificial intelligence (AI), but they are two completely different things. Among other things, the difference is that algorithms have a fixed and often simpler procedure, while AI learns and adapts based on experience.

AI techniques often contain multiple algorithms to perform advanced tasks. Algorithms are also often mentioned in connection with marketing and social media. Algorithms are used, for example, in search engines and social media to control the results of what you see first. The aim is to bring out the most relevant points of view.

2. Coding and programming

Coding is part of the programming process. Coding is the instructions that the developer enters to perform an action on a technical device. Coding and programming are often used interchangeably, but it is important to distinguish between the two. Coding is only one part of programming, and the term programming encompasses more. Programming is also about planning, troubleshooting, correcting errors, and collaborating.

Programming involves setting up a series of instructions that control the machine. Analyzing the task that you want the program to perform (requirements specification), breaking the task down into smaller tasks, developing logic to solve the tasks, writing instructions in a programming language, error correction (debugging), and documentation are all part of programming.

3. Programming language

Programming language is a language that allows humans to communicate with computers. The grammar of the language, the "syntax", must be followed carefully or the machine will make mistakes. A distinction is made between high-level and low-level languages.

Low-level languages ​​are closer to the computer's machine language and high-level languages ​​are more general and related to the functions and variables to be used. Low-level languages ​​are practically unreadable to us humans. Examples of low-level languages ​​are machine code and assembly language. Coding in high-level languages ​​is more readable. Examples of high-level languages ​​are Java, Python, C++ 

4. Architecture

IT architecture refers to the overall structure and organization of information technology systems and resources in an organization. It involves designing and planning how different IT components such as software, hardware, networks, and databases will work together to meet the needs and goals of the business. IT architecture takes into account technical requirements, business goals, security, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. An IT architect works to develop, implement, and maintain this architecture to ensure that IT systems work seamlessly together.

5. Server

Server, network server and server mean the same thing. A server is a large and powerful computer. The server's job is to serve the users who are connected to the server with one or more services over a network.

6. Network

A network is a system for communication between computers.

7. BI

BI stands for Business Intelligence and is a collective term for the use of data in decision-making processes. It is a decision support system that extracts the right data from large data sets. Good business intelligence is when all users of data are presented with the information they want in a format that suits their role or their preferred way of receiving information.

8. Cloud services

Cloud computing is a collective term for everything from data processing and data storage to software on servers that are accessible from external server parks connected to the internet. The server parks are characterized by being designed for dynamic scaling. This allows the computing power to be adapted to capacity needs and the customer can pay for what he actually uses. It is common to divide cloud services into service models. The most common are.

• Software as a service (SaaS)
• Platform as a service (PaaS)
• Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) Cloud services can also be divided into delivery models such as:
  • Public cloud, cloud services are available to everyone
  • Private cloud, only available to the companies to which the cloud service will apply
  • Hybrid cloud, a mixture of the two above

9. Azure

Azure is one of the market-leading cloud services in the world and is owned by Microsoft. This is a public cloud.

10. On prem

On premises, often abbreviated "on-prem" or "on-premise", means that the software is installed and run locally in the company's own IT environment. This is the opposite of using a cloud service, where external server parks are used.

11. Database

A database is a collection of information stored as data on a computer system, such as the inventory of goods in a store. Databases are used to store and organize data. We distinguish between relational and non-relational databases. Relational databases understand SQL. Non-relational databases are called NoSQL, because they often do not use SQL.

12. SQL

Simply put, SQL is a language used to talk to the database, a kind of coding language. SQL has different dialects. A rule to remember might be that SQL is a robot language with different robot dialects. A more precise definition would be that SQL stands for Structured Query Language.

13. Data warehouse

A data warehouse is a digital storage system. The system stores data from many different sources. A data warehouse is the foundation of a BI or analytics application. Simply put, you can think of a data warehouse as a warehouse or archive building where all your data is collected and organized in such a way that it is easier to use and analyze. It gives you the ability to extract valuable insights, discover trends and patterns, and make informed decisions based on your data.

14. Data center

A data center is a dedicated area that contains computers for processing, distributing and storing data. The data center mainly consists of IT equipment such as servers, routers, switches and storage systems. The data center organizes this with server racks. Cooling and ventilation systems, additional power supplies, security systems, fire protection and monitoring are also included in the data center. Data centers produce a lot of heat and more and more people are thinking about sustainability and using this excess heat for other purposes, e.g. for use in a district heating system (green technology).

15. Redundancy

Redundancy is the duplication of critical parts or functions in a system. If one function fails, you have another equivalent as a backup. For example, redundancy is important in a data center, so you always have a backup system in case something happens.

16. Encryption

Encryption means that something cannot be read by unauthorized people. Encryption is a mathematical method that ensures confidentiality and is important for data security.

17. UI and UX

UI stands for User Interface, or user interface in Swedish. UX stands for User Experience. UI is a small part of UX. UX is the entire experience for the user from start to finish, while UI is a step in this experience. The user interface is what the user uses to perform actions. For example, you use the app or website of a store that you want to shop online from. It is important that the app looks good, is user-friendly and that the payment works. If what you ordered is not shipped on time, or if you receive the wrong item, the overall user experience (UX) will be negatively affected. In other words, UX is how the user experiences the shopping experience as a whole, from the time you become aware that the online store exists until you have paid and received the item.

18. Front-end, back-end and full-stack

The front-end is the part of the software that is closest to the user. It is the code that shapes what you visually see on the screen, and what happens when you click around. UX is often linked to the front-end. The front-end is often designed by an interaction or graphic designer and programmed by a developer. The back-end is the part of the software that is closest to the database where data is stored. The back-end is the processes on the "back" that make the systems work together. By "back" we mean everything behind the user interface and what the user cannot see. The back-end and the front-end communicate via an API, as these are often written in different code and can have different programming languages. A full-stack developer is versatile and works with both front-end and back-end solutions.

19. API (Application Programming Interface)

An API is a kind of "middleman" that allows an application to request specific data or perform specific actions from another application, without having to know the details of how the other application is implemented. In short, an API is a way for different software systems to communicate with each other. For example, travel companies can get information about the weather at a desired destination through an API to a weather service

20. Malware

Malware is malicious software, or malicious software, that is intended to cause harm, such as stealing sensitive information or sending out spam. You can get malware if, for example, you download an unknown program or click on a link in an email message that has bad intentions.

21. Cookies

A Cookie is an information capsule. A cookie is a small text file that is downloaded and stored on the user's computer when a website is visited and clicked on. When you visit various websites, a window usually appears asking you to accept cookies. When you accept cookies, you agree that the website can store login details, record where you move around the website or remember your shopping cart in online stores.

22. Java

Java is a programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. Java is the most popular programming language for software developers. Java is object-oriented, which means that it organizes its code around classes and objects, rather than functions and commands. Most programming languages ​​are object-oriented (e.g. C++, C#, Python and Ruby). A major advantage of Java is that it can be easily ported from one platform to another, e.g. from Windows to a mobile phone, without being completely rewritten. As long as you have a "Java Interpreter" installed on your operating system, also called a Java Virtual Machine (JVM), Java can run. Java is used in everything from mobile apps (e.g. Spotify), web apps (e.g. Linkedin and Twitter), business software, games (e.g. Minecraft) and IoT applications (e.g. smart TVs. Java can be easily ported to different platforms within IoT).

23. Python

Python is one of the world's most popular programming languages. It is logically structured, easy to read, and easier to learn than many other programming languages. Python is a high-level object-oriented programming language. Programs created in Python can run on all popular operating systems. With Python, you can, for example, control machines, robots, electronics, create websites, and perform advanced machine learning.

24. Machine Learning

Machine learning is a specialization within artificial intelligence. Machine learning uses statistical methods to allow computers to find patterns in large amounts of data. Instead of being programmed, we say that the machine "learns". Machine learning is used, for example, in language recognition, self-driving cars, email filtering and image recognition.

25. AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a system that performs actions, physically or digitally, based on the interpretation and processing of structured or unstructured data, with the intention of achieving a given goal.

26. AGI

AGI stands for Artificial general intelligence. AGI is one of the most challenging areas of AI research, as the goal is to develop an AI that is similar to humans, and that can learn to adapt to new situations and challenges. AGI is different from other types of AI, because AI focuses on solving specific tasks or subject areas. Work is ongoing to develop AGI, and no one has yet come up with a complete solution.

27. ChatGPT

ChatGPT stands for "Generative Pre-Trained Transformer" and is developed by OpenAI. It is an advanced text generation model, in other words a chatbot user can have a conversation with. ChatGPT is very fast growing mtp. number of users. It is important to note that ChatGPT is very persuasive and does not necessarily provide accurate information in all cases, as it is based on the data it is "trained" on.

28. Quantum computer

This is called the super machine of the future. Simply and briefly explained, quantum computers are under development and are much stronger in calculations than a regular computer. The reason why quantum computers are stronger than a regular computer is qubits (quantum bits). A regular PC uses bits (1 or 0). In quantum data, "bit" is replaced by "qubit", which increases the computing power enormously and provides many new possibilities beyond today's machines.

29. IoT (Internet of Things)

IoT, or the Internet of Things, means that the things around us can be connected to the Internet and communicate over the Internet. This allows us to remotely control devices and collect data, which was not possible before. For example, you can control the stove from the couch, turn on the heat in the cabin before leaving home, or create a workout program on an app that you can send to your smartwatch.

30. Industrial IoT (IIoT)

This is IoT in an industrial context. It refers to the network that connects industrial devices. IIoT are systems that can monitor operations and collect, exchange and analyze industrial data. With new insights, the company is equipped to make better data-driven decisions. For example, machines in a facility can be connected to IoT.

31. Big Data

Big data is huge amounts of digital data that undergo extensive analysis. This can be used for many good and socially beneficial purposes if used correctly, but at the same time presents a challenge in terms of integrity. For example, Big Data helped to gain more knowledge about the course of infection and geographical areas of infection during the corona pandemic.

32. VPN (Virtual Private Network)

In short, a VPN allows you to surf and interact online without any additional security. No one else can see who you are, what you are doing, or what information you are sending over the internet, as your internet traffic is routed through an external network. There are different types of VPNs and different ways to connect.

33. Agile

Agile means flexible. It is common to work according to agile methods in projects in many technology companies. An agile method is a project management process that divides projects into smaller tasks and steps. It is common to divide the work into short development phases, also called sprints. The advantage of working in sprints is that you can continuously get feedback from stakeholders and adjust the work along the way, instead of waiting until the project is complete. Agile methods are known for pace, flexibility, teamwork and being close to the user's needs.

34. CMS

CMS stands for Content Management System and is a publishing solution for websites. CMS is at the "bottom" of websites that are programmed by developers, allowing website owners to add content they want without knowing how to code. Common CMS systems are Sanity and Craft. 

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