NEXUSTEK
GLOSSARY
An explanation of industry terms that is a quick read, and knowledge base.
Agentic AI
Agentic AI is artificial intelligence (AI) able to take a goal or instructions from a person, gather information from different sources, decide what needs to happen next, and take action, all with limited human oversight. The ability to handle multiple steps on its own is a large part of the technology’s appeal, especially when it comes to repetitive, time-consuming work or work that involves coordinating across several systems.
AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is technology that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. It uses techniques such as machine learning (ML) and analytics to recognize patterns, make predictions, generate content, support decisions, and, in some cases, take action. AI includes many different AI technologies, including ML, natural language processing (NLP), computer vision, generative AI (GenAI), and agentic AI, each suited to different kinds of problems and levels of autonomy.
AI Agent
An AI agent is an autonomous software system that uses AI to complete specific tasks or work toward a defined goal. AI agents are typically narrower in scope than agentic AI, which describes the broader ability to coordinate multiple agents, systems, and actions toward an outcome. Think of agents as the individual workers within a larger agentic AI system.
AI Application
An AI application is software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide intelligent advice, automate decisions, generate content, or perform tasks traditionally handled by people. Common examples include virtual assistants, recommendation engines, fraud detection tools, and recruiting applications that screen and rank candidates.
AI Enablement
AI enablement is the process of preparing an organization’s systems, people, and technology to use AI effectively. It includes governance, employee training, system integration, compliance, data preparation, and building the technology foundation needed to support AI initiatives.
AI Governance
AI governance is a set of policies, processes, and controls an organization puts in place to guide how AI is selected, developed, deployed, and used responsibly.
AI Model
An AI model is a computer program trained on large amounts of data to recognize patterns, make predictions, or generate content without being explicitly programmed for every outcome. Well-known examples include large language models (LLMs) such as GPT and Gemini.
AI Operations
AI operations refer to the ongoing management of AI systems, models, agents, and applications once they are deployed. This can involve both people and automated tools performing tasks such as monitoring performance, addressing issues, managing model versions and rollbacks, and allocating GPU and compute resources.
AIOps
AIOps, or artificial intelligence for IT operations, uses AI and machine learning to automate and improve IT operations. It combines capabilities such as monitoring, observability, anomaly detection, event correlation, and predictive analytics to reduce manual work and help IT teams respond to problems faster.
Backup as a Service (BaaS)
Backup as a Service (BaaS) is a managed cloud-based service that creates and protects copies of an organization’s data so that data can be recovered even if the original data is lost, damaged, or compromised.
Business Continuity
Business continuity is an organization’s ability to keep essential business functions running during and after a disruption. It helps ensure that critical operations remain available and sensitive data stays protected during events such as natural disasters, system failures, or cyberattacks. Business continuity is closely connected to operational resilience and disaster recovery (DR).
CCPA
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), is a California privacy law that gives consumers certain rights over their personal information
Cloud Migration
Cloud migration is the process of moving an organization’s data, applications, and workloads from an on-premises infrastructure to a cloud environment. This can include moving to a public or private cloud, or moving workloads between cloud environments. Moving workloads from a public cloud back to private cloud or on-premises infrastructure is commonly known as cloud repatriation. Organizations often migrate to improve efficiency, control costs, modernize technology, and gain access to capabilities such as AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics.
Cloud Repatriation
Cloud repatriation is the process of moving applications, data, or workloads from a public cloud back to a private cloud, colocation facility, or an organization’s own data center.
CMMC 2.0
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 is a U.S. Department of War (DoW) program that sets cybersecurity requirements for contractors and subcontractors handling sensitive federal information within the defense supply chain.
Colocation
Colocation is a service that lets an organization place its own servers and IT equipment in a professionally managed data center instead of operating its own data center facility.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is the protection of technology, systems, networks, and data from threats, attacks, and vulnerabilities. It’s a crucial part of modern business operations and continues to become more challenging as cyber threats evolve. Organizations increasingly take a proactive approach by combining security practices with technologies such as zero trust, advanced threat detection and response, and AI-driven automation to identify and address risks faster.
Data Governance
Data governance is how an organization sets the rules for managing, protecting, and using its data.
Deploying AI
Deploying AI is the process of putting an AI model, AI agent, or application into a production environment where people or business systems can use it. It includes activating the technology, providing access to the necessary data, connecting it to other platforms, and configuring it for real-world use. AI deployment is also commonly referred to as implementing, provisioning, or configuring AI.
Disaster Recovery
Disaster recovery (or DR) is part of a broader business continuity strategy, and refers to the processes and policies organizations use to restore IT systems and resume operations after a disruption. Events can include power outages, cyberattacks, hardware failures, or natural disasters. If infrastructure is damaged or unavailable, applications and data can be recovered from backups or replicated environments at another location.
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) is security software that protects endpoints in the IT environment. EDR continuously monitors activity on laptops, desktops, and servers to detect suspicious behavior, investigate what’s happening, and respond to threats that get past traditional protection. Unlike MDR [link], EDR is a security tool rather than a managed service.
GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a comprehensive European Union data privacy law that serves as a framework governing the collection, processing, storage, and protection of personal data.
Generative AI (GenAI)
Generative AI (GenAI) is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that can create new content, including text, images, video, audio, and software code, in response to prompts. Its ability to understand natural language and generate useful content has made it one of the most widely adopted forms of AI.
Graphics Processing Unit and Compute Infrastructure
A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized processor that can perfom many calculations at the same time, making it especially useful for demanding workloads such as AI and machine learning (ML) workloads. Compute infrastructure is the broader collection of processing power, servers, memory, storage, and networking needed to run those workloads.
Help Desk (Service Desk)
A help desk, or service desk, is a centralized place employees can go for help with everyday technology problems, questions, and requests.
HIPAA
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a U.S. federal law that sets requirements for protecting the privacy and security of certain health information.
Hybrid Cloud
A hybrid cloud is a cloud operating model that combines public cloud, private cloud, and on-premises infrastructure, giving organizations flexibility to run and move applications and data across different environments. Organizations can place workloads where they make the most sense based on factors such as performance, cost, security, and compliance, while adding capacity when needed.
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Identity and access management (IAM) refers to the policies and technologies used to manage digital identities and control who can access an organization’s systems, applications, and data. With offsite and hybrid work becoming more common and more endpoints in IT environments, IAM is more important than ever.
Incident Response
Incident response is the structured process and technologies an organization follows to detect and respond to cyber threats, security breaches, or cyberattacks. The goal is to respond quickly to an incident, recover from any damage it caused, and learn ways to minimize risk in the future.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing model that provides virtualized computing resources such as servers, storage, and networking without requiring an organization to buy and maintain the underlying physical hardware.
IT Roadmap
An IT roadmap is a strategic view of how an organization’s technology needs may change over time based on where the business is going.
Knowledge Base
A knowledge base organizes information so it can be efficiently searched, retrieved, and applied. In AI systems, knowledge bases are often used with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), where an AI model retrieves relevant information from the knowledge base to help inform and ground the response. Common content types include FAQs, installation guides, glossaries, policies, and workflows.
Large Language Model
A large language model (LLM) is an advanced type of AI model trained on enormous amounts of data to understand and generate human-like language. LLMs can answer questions, summarize information, create content, analyze text, and assist with many other language-based tasks. ChatGPT and Gemini are well-known examples.
Machine Learning (ML)
Machine learning (ML) is a type of AI that allows computers to learn from data and improve on tasks without being told exactly what to do every time.
Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is a cybersecurity service that combines human expertise with advanced technology to protect organizations from cyber threats. MDR services monitor your environment for threats, investigate, and respond to any suspicious activity. Unlike EDR [link], MDR is a managed service with analysts monitoring and responding to threats instead of a security tool.
Managed Intelligence
Managed intelligence refers to services that continuously manage and improve AI-driven business workflows, including AI agents, applications, and models. It extends traditional managed services by focusing on the performance, reliability, compliance, and ongoing refinement of AI systems after deployment.
Managed Services Provider (MSP)
A managed services provider (MSP) is a company that helps organizations manage and support some or all of their IT environment.
Multi-Cloud
Multi-cloud refers to using cloud services from more than one cloud provider. A multi-cloud strategy gives organizations the flexibility to choose the environment that best fits each workload based on factors such as performance, cost, capabilities, security, and location. That flexibility can bring additional complexity, making visibility and consistent management across cloud environments important.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security method that requires users to verify their identity in more than one way before they can access an account, application, or system. It adds another layer of security for organizations beyond the traditional username and password.
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Natural language processing (NLP) is a technology that enables computers to understand, interpret, and generate human language, whether it’s written or spoken.
Network Operations Center (NOC)
A Network Operations Center (NOC) is a centralized location where IT professionals monitor, manage, and maintain an organization's network and IT infrastructure. The NOC helps to keep systems available, reliable, and performing as expected.
NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF)
The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) is a framework that can help organizations to understand and manage cybersecurity risk.
PCI DSS
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of mandatory security rules focused on digital payments. To protect consumers, PCI DSS helps ensure that companies are storing, processing, and sending credit card information safely and securely.
Penetration Testing
Penetration testing, or pen testing, is a security test that simulates a real attack on an organization’s systems, networks, or applications.
Phishing and Social Engineering
Phishing and social engineering are cyberattack techniques that target and manipulate people into revealing sensitive information, sending money, opening malicious files, or giving attackers access to systems. Phishing is a type of social engineering attack. Phishing might include the use of fraudulent emails, texts, or websites. In general, social engineering attacks focus on exploiting human trust.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model that gives developers a ready-to-use cloud environment for building, running, and managing applications without having to manage all the technology behind it.
Private Cloud
Private cloud is cloud infrastructure dedicated exclusively to a single organization, unlike the multi-tenant environment of public cloud. Private clouds provide many of the same benefits as public cloud while offering greater control over infrastructure, security, and data.
Proactive Monitoring
Proactive monitoring means keeping a continuous eye on an organization’s IT systems, networks, applications, and infrastructure so potential problems are caught and handled earlier.
Prompt Engineering
Prompt engineering is the practice of writing, refining, and optimizing input text or commands that encourage generative AI (GenAI) [Link] models to achieve a desired result: relevant, accurate, and useful output.
Public Cloud
A public cloud provides computing resources and services on demand over the internet. A cloud provider owns and operates the underlying infrastructure, including servers, storage, and networking, and makes those resources available to multiple customers. Services can range from basic infrastructure to complete software and applications. In addition to public clouds, customers choose a private cloud typically hosted on the customer’s infrastructure, as well as a hybrid cloud connected to an on-premises environment, or a multi-cloud strategy that may combine several clouds.
RAG
Retrieval augmented generation (RAG) is an AI approach that combines information retrieval with generative AI (GenAI). Instead of relying only on what an AI model learned during training, a RAG system retrieves relevant information from an external source, such as a database, search index, or knowledge base, and uses that information to generate its response.
SaaS (Software as a Service)
Software as a service (SaaS) is a cloud-based model in which users access software applications over the internet, typically through a subscription or pay-as-you-go rather than a perpetual license. Instead of installing and managing software on their own devices or infrastructure, customers rely on the provider to host, maintain, secure, and update the application.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (pronounced “sim”) is digital security software that assembles activity logs in one place so teams can spot threats and detect unusual behavior early.
Security Operations Center (SOC)
A Security Operations Center (SOC) (pronounced “sock”) is a team of IT experts who monitor an organization’s computer systems and network 24/7/365 so they can detect and stop cyber threats. It works like a command center to coordinate cybersecurity operations and technologies as it monitors threats and investigates any suspicious activity.
Shadow AI
Shadow AI is the unauthorized use of AI tools or applications within an organization. When AI is used without the knowledge, approval, or oversight of IT, security, or other responsible teams, it can lead to risks such as data leakage, compliance violations, and security blind spots.
SOC 2
System and Organization Controls 2 (SOC 2) is a security framework and compliance certification developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). An industry standard for service organizations, SOC 2 evaluates how a service organization controls and protects customer data.
Vector Database
A vector database is a specialized system designed to store, manage, and index high-dimensional numerical representations of information called vectors or embeddings. It is the type of database used for retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), which adds relevant context to AI model interactions.
Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO)
A virtual chief information officer (vCIO) is an experienced cybersecurity expert who can provide executive-level guidance in strategic planning, risk management, and compliance. vCIOs work on a contract or part-time basis.
Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO)
A virtual chief information security officer (vCISO) is an experienced security leader who provides CISO-level guidance on a part-time or outsourced basis, helping organizations manage cybersecurity risk and build a security strategy.
Vulnerability Management
Vulnerability management is the process of managing security flaws in an IT infrastructure. It is an ongoing effort through which teams identify, evaluate, prioritize, and address security weaknesses.
Workflow
A workflow is a defined sequence of tasks or processes used to complete a specific business or technical objective. Workflows can involve people, software, automation, or AI working together to move a process from one step to the next.
Zero Trust
Zero trust is a cybersecurity approach based on the principle of “never trust, always verify,” Instead of assuming a user or device can be trusted because it’s inside a company network, zero trust requires access to be continually verified. It also assumes a breach could already have occurred, limiting access to reduce the potential damage.