Even if your position is not in IT, there are some technical terms you should be familiar with. Every time technology doubles, it can feel like tech-related terms quadruple and be challenging to keep up with the latest innovations. Knowing some key phrases will help you be less confused about the technical aspects of your work and home life and help you better articulate any tech issues you may experience.

Containerization

Containerization is an operating-system virtualization that allows users to run applications in self-sufficient and fully-contained computing environments called containers. This type of virtualization allows applications to run on almost any machine. Managing these containers can be difficult for companies with many devices, applications and users, so orchestration tools are used.

Kubernetes

Sometimes called K8s, Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration tool for automating container deployment, management, scaling and networking. Developers and programmers will use Kubernetes deployment objects to update containerized applications.

Server Hosting

There are two types of server hosting: dedicated and shared. Servers are the hardware responsible for supporting your company's computer and internet networks, host all associated data, and can be located on-site or at remote sites. Dedicated hosting means your company has a server for exclusive use. It is more expensive than other types of hosting and may require more in-house IT knowledge to ensure security. It also allows for the complete resources of that server to be available any time you need them. With shared hosting, several companies share space on a server, with secure separations between the assigned portions. Shared hosting is less expensive as the host is responsible for security and maintenance. Still, if one of your server neighbors puts a high demand on the unit, you can experience slower access times.

Tech Stack

A technology or tech stack describes the ordered layering of network components like security and navigation. A common acronym for website technology stack is LAMP, which stands for Linus, Apache, MySQL and PHP; this stack includes an operating system, web server, database and programming language in order. Developers can work on the front end, back end or full stack. The front end is the part of the website that the user interacts with. The back end is everything else, such as servers and databases. The full stack includes both the user interface and the website architecture.

The Cloud

The cloud is a way to securely collaborate and store data over the internet instead of running everything from your computer. Your data is divided among shared server farms, giving you more space than your computer has and acting as a backup for your data. Software as a Service, or SaaS, is subscription-based solutions packages that are available online and do not necessarily need anything to be downloaded to your computer. Platform as a Service, or PaaS, is a cloud-based platform subscription. Computing, hosting,

Minimum Viable Product

This product development term refers to a product that meets the least number of requirements necessary to function before it is made available to the public to collect data from early adopters for changes to enhancements. This is sometimes used with A/B testing, in which users are given two versions of the same thing and asked to evaluate the user experience or UX.

Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication uses two or more types of authentication to sign into computers, websites or networks. These establish that you are who you say you are and have access to the data in question. For example, you can use a password on your computer for one factor and a biometric on your phone for another.

Knowing some essential technical terms can help you keep up with the latest innovations in business and tech-related fields. Understanding some of these terms can also help you increase your business and personal data security. For instance, knowing that two-factor authentication is more secure than just a password can inspire you to set it up on all your accounts.