IT Training Keywords

IT – Information Technology.   

CIO – Chief Information Officer.  A person at a high executive level in a company responsible for IT in the company.  System Administrators and System Managers usually work under the CIO if a CIO position exists.   

OS – Operating System. The most important program that runs on a computer. Every general purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs. An OS performs basic tasks such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files on the disk and controlling devices connected the computer such as disk drives and printers.  

For large systems, the operating system has even greater duties.  It makes sure that different programs and users running at the same time do not interfere with each other. It is also responsible for security such as ensuring unauthorized users do not access the system.  

OSes provide a software platform on top of which other programs called application programs can run. Application programs must be written to run on top of a particular OS.  

Users normally interact with OS through a set of commands. Windows allows you to enter commands by pointing and clicking at objects that appear on the screen. 

Unix – a multi-user OS developed at Bell Labs in the 1970s. Many different versions of Unix exist today.  

Linux – a Unix-based operating system developed by Linus Torvalds. Because it is free and can be run on many different platforms including PCs, Linux has become an extremely popular alternative to proprietary OSes such as Windows.  Some vendors have packaged Linux with various features and offer support for their version.  Red Hat Linux is the most popular version of Linux offered by the company of the same name – Red Hat.  

Online Training (OLT) – training courses done via the Internet.  TCI sells online training in the IT industry.  

Computer Based Training (CBT) – refers to training courses done on a computer.  It can be courses installed on a person’s computer or online training, but with the advent of online training CBT now usually refers to courses installed on a computer. Online training has taken on its own class of training.  A major advantage of OLT and CBT is course materials can be updated and made available to students usually at no additional cost to the student.  OLT requires no downloading and the course materials can immediately be made available to students, whereas CBT would require a download or getting a new CD and reinstalling the course.  

Classroom training – computer training referred to usually as training done at a school, in many cases at a local community college.  Classes are held with a teacher who may or may not be very knowledgeable in what they are teaching.  Students must adhere to the class schedule.  Online training has the benefit of flexibility of scheduling as the student can do the course any time. Our online training is usually more affordable as well.  Some people like the hands-on approach that classroom training can offer.  Our courses have hands-on labs as well where the student must do the actual tasks being taught. 

Instructor Led Training (ILT) 

Boot camp training – intense training done in a short period of time.  The term is taken from boot camp training for new military recruits.  

CompTIA – Computing Technology Industry Association.  The leading association representing the international technology community.  Its goal is to provide a unified voice, global advocacy and leadership, and to advance industry growth through standards, professional competence, education and business solutions.  CompTIA has developed certification programs that are recognized industry standards for IT skills in key technology areas.   

ISC(2) – International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium.  An organization who establishes a common framework of information security terms and principles which allows information security professionals worldwide to discuss, debate, and resolve matters pertaining to the profession with a common understanding. They also offer, among other things, certifications in computer security, one of which is the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) for which we offer a prep course. 

Network – a series of points or connection points (such as computers and network routers) interconnected by communication paths.  Networks can connect with other networks and contain sub-networks (a network within a network). 

LAN – Local Area Network. A computer network that spans a relatively small area mostly confined to a single building or a group of buildings.  The network allows users to share devices like printers and to share information on computers within the network.  

WAN – Wide Area Network.  A computer network that spans a relatively large geographical area.  It typically consists of 2 or more LANs.  The largest WAN is the Internet.  

Server –  a computer or device on a network that manages network resources.  For example, a file server is a computer and storage device dedicated to storing files. Any user on the network can store files on the server.  A print server is a computer that manages one or more printers and a network server is a computer that manages network traffic.  A database server is a computer that processes database queries. 

Client –  the client part of a client-server architecture.  A client is an application that runs on a personal computer or workstation and relies on a server to perform some operations.  For example, an email client is an application that enables you to send and receive email. 

Router – a device that forwards data packets along networks.  A router is connected to at least 2 networks.   

Cisco – the recognized leader in networking hardware and software.  Cisco has their own certification programs.  

MCSE – Microsoft Certified System Engineer. The highest level of certification given by Microsoft to individuals who work on the Microsoft Windows operating systems. It consists of obtaining 7 MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) certificates.