IT Operations Glossary
123 terms defined for Indian SMEs. From AMC to ZTA — everything you need to know about helpdesks, asset management, and compliance.
A
Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
A policy that defines what employees can and cannot do with company IT resources.
Access Control
The practice of restricting who can access systems, data, or physical locations based on their role and need.
Active Directory
A Microsoft directory service that stores user accounts, devices, and permissions for a Windows network.
Aging Report
A report that groups open items — tickets, invoices, or stock — by how long they have been outstanding, to surface what is overdue.
AMC (Annual Maintenance Contract)
A yearly contract with a vendor to maintain and repair equipment, typically covering parts and labour for a fixed fee.
API (Application Programming Interface)
A set of protocols that allows different software systems to communicate with each other.
Asset Audit
A physical verification exercise that checks recorded assets against what actually exists on the ground, flagging missing or untracked items.
Asset Lifecycle Management
The process of managing an IT asset from procurement through usage to disposal.
Asset Register
A master list of every asset an organisation owns, with details like location, owner, value, and status.
Asset Tag
A unique identifier (barcode, QR code, or RFID) attached to a physical asset for tracking purposes.
Asset Utilisation
A measure of how much an asset is actually used versus its capacity, used to spot idle or over-stretched equipment.
Audit Trail
A chronological record of all actions taken on a system, including who did what and when.
Availability
The proportion of time a system or asset is operational and usable, often expressed as a percentage or in "nines" (e.g. 99.9%).
B
Backup
A copy of data stored separately from the original to enable recovery in case of data loss.
Bandwidth
The maximum rate of data transfer across a network connection, measured in bits per second.
Barcode
A machine-readable label of parallel lines encoding an identifier, scanned to look up or update an asset or item.
Break-Fix
A reactive support model where issues are fixed only after equipment breaks, as opposed to scheduled preventive maintenance.
Business Continuity Plan
A plan to ensure critical business functions can continue during and after a disruptive event.
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
A policy that allows employees to use personal devices for work purposes, subject to security requirements.
C
CAB (Change Advisory Board)
A group that reviews and approves significant IT changes to balance their benefit against the risk of disruption.
CapEx (Capital Expenditure)
Spending on long-lived assets such as servers, laptops, or machinery, capitalised and depreciated over time rather than expensed at once.
Change Management
A process to ensure IT changes are planned, tested, and implemented in a controlled manner to minimise disruptions.
CMDB (Configuration Management Database)
A repository of IT assets (configuration items) and the relationships between them, used to understand the impact of changes.
CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management System)
Software that helps organisations manage maintenance activities, track assets, and schedule preventive maintenance.
Cold Site
A backup location with space and power but no ready systems, requiring setup before operations can resume after a disaster.
Compliance
Adherence to laws, regulations, standards, and policies relevant to the organisation.
Configuration Item (CI)
Any component — hardware, software, or service — tracked in a CMDB because it must be managed to deliver an IT service.
Consumables
Low-cost items used up in operations — cables, toner, batteries — tracked by quantity rather than as individual assets.
Cost Centre
A department or unit to which costs are attributed, used to allocate IT and asset spend across the business.
CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score)
A metric measuring how satisfied users are with the support they received, typically on a 1-5 scale.
D
Data Classification
The practice of categorising data based on its sensitivity and criticality to determine appropriate security controls.
Data Retention
The policy defining how long different types of data are kept before being securely deleted.
Decommissioning
The controlled retirement of an asset from service, including data wiping, deregistration, and disposal or resale.
Disaster Recovery (DR)
The process of restoring IT systems and data after a catastrophic event like a natural disaster, cyberattack, or hardware failure.
Downtime
A period when a system, server, or application is unavailable or non-operational.
DPDP Act
Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 — India's comprehensive data protection law governing how personal data is collected, stored, and processed.
E
E-Waste
Electronic waste — discarded electrical or electronic devices that must be disposed of through certified recyclers in India.
Encryption
The process of converting data into a coded format that can only be read with the correct decryption key.
Endpoint
Any end-user device that connects to a network — laptop, desktop, phone, or tablet.
EOL (End of Life)
The point at which a vendor stops selling or developing a product; it may still work but no longer receives new features.
EOSL (End of Service Life)
The point at which a vendor stops supporting a product, including security patches — a strong signal to replace it.
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
Software that integrates core business processes — finance, inventory, procurement, HR — into one system, such as SAP or Oracle.
Escalation
The process of routing a ticket to a higher-level support team when the current team cannot resolve it within the required time.
Escalation Matrix
A predefined chart of who a ticket moves to, and within what time, when it cannot be resolved at the current level.
F
Failover
Automatic switching to a standby system or component when the primary one fails, to keep a service running.
FCR (First Contact Resolution)
The percentage of tickets resolved on the first interaction without requiring follow-up or escalation.
FRT (First Response Time)
The time between ticket creation and the first human response from the support team.
G
Golden Image
A standard, pre-configured system image cloned onto new devices so every machine starts from the same known-good setup.
GRN (Goods Receipt Note)
A document confirming the receipt of goods against a purchase order, noting quantity and condition.
GSTIN
GST Identification Number — a 15-digit unique identifier assigned to every registered business under India's GST regime.
GSTR-3B
A monthly summary GST return that Indian businesses must file, detailing taxable sales and purchases.
H
Hardware Refresh
The process of replacing aging IT equipment with newer models to maintain performance and reliability.
Helpdesk
A centralised system for managing and resolving IT support requests from employees.
Hot Site
A fully equipped, ready-to-run backup location that can take over operations almost immediately after a disaster.
HSN Code
Harmonised System of Nomenclature — a 4-8 digit code used to classify goods for GST purposes in India.
Hypervisor
Software that creates and runs virtual machines, letting several operating systems share one physical server.
I
IMAC (Install, Move, Add, Change)
The routine deskside activities of installing, moving, adding, or changing IT equipment and user setups.
Incident Management
The process of identifying, analysing, and resolving IT incidents to restore normal service as quickly as possible.
ISO 27001
An international standard for information security management systems (ISMS).
IT Act 2000
India's primary law governing electronic commerce, digital records, and cybercrime.
ITIL
A widely used framework of best practices for IT service management, covering incidents, changes, problems, and service delivery.
ITSM (IT Service Management)
A set of policies and processes for managing IT service delivery to users.
K
KEDB (Known Error Database)
A record of known problems and their workarounds, so recurring issues can be resolved quickly without re-investigation.
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
A measurable value that indicates how effectively a team or process is achieving its objectives.
Knowledge Base
A self-service library of articles and documentation that helps users resolve common issues without contacting support.
M
Maintenance Window
A scheduled period during which systems may be taken offline for updates or repairs with minimal business impact.
Major Incident
A high-impact incident — such as a critical outage — that triggers an accelerated response and senior communication.
MDM (Mobile Device Management)
Software to enrol, configure, secure, and remotely manage phones, tablets, and laptops across an organisation.
MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)
A security method requiring two or more verification factors to gain access to an account.
Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
The predictable revenue a company expects to receive every month from subscriptions.
MSP (Managed Service Provider)
A company that remotely manages a client's IT — helpdesk, devices, networks — usually for a recurring fee.
MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)
The average time between equipment failures, used to measure reliability.
MTTR (Mean Time To Resolution)
The average time to resolve a ticket from creation to closure.
N
NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)
A legal agreement requiring parties to keep confidential information private.
NIST
National Institute of Standards and Technology — a US agency whose cybersecurity frameworks are widely adopted globally.
NOC (Network Operations Centre)
A team or facility that monitors networks and systems around the clock to detect and respond to issues.
O
Offboarding
The process of removing an employee from the organisation, including access revocation, asset return, and knowledge transfer.
OLA (Operational Level Agreement)
An internal agreement between teams that defines the support each provides, underpinning the customer-facing SLA.
On-Premise
Software or infrastructure hosted on your own servers and premises, rather than in a cloud provider's data centre.
Onboarding
The process of integrating a new employee into the organisation, including IT setup, access provisioning, and training.
OpEx (Operating Expenditure)
Day-to-day running costs such as subscriptions, utilities, and maintenance, expensed in the period they are incurred.
P
PAN (Permanent Account Number)
A 10-character alphanumeric identifier issued by the Indian Income Tax Department, required for TDS compliance.
Patch Management
The process of acquiring, testing, and deploying software updates to fix vulnerabilities and bugs.
Preventive Maintenance
Scheduled maintenance activities performed to prevent equipment failures before they occur.
Procurement
The end-to-end process of sourcing, ordering, and acquiring goods and services for the organisation.
Provisioning
Setting up and granting a user or device the accounts, access, and equipment needed to start work.
Purchase Order (PO)
A formal document issued to a vendor to buy goods or services, specifying items, quantities, and agreed prices.
R
RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)
A method of regulating access to systems based on a user's role within the organisation.
RCA (Root Cause Analysis)
A structured investigation to find the underlying cause of an incident so it can be permanently prevented.
Reorder Point
The stock level at which a new order should be placed to avoid running out before replenishment arrives.
RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification)
A tagging technology that identifies and tracks assets wirelessly using radio waves, without line-of-sight scanning.
RPO (Recovery Point Objective)
The maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time — how far back in time you can recover.
RTO (Recovery Time Objective)
The maximum acceptable time to restore a system after a failure — how quickly you need to be back online.
Runbook
A documented set of step-by-step procedures for carrying out a routine or emergency operational task.
S
SaaS (Software as a Service)
A software delivery model where applications are hosted centrally and accessed via the internet on a subscription basis.
SAM (Software Asset Management)
Managing software licences and usage to stay compliant and avoid paying for more (or fewer) licences than needed.
Service Catalogue
A published list of the IT services available to users, with what each includes and how to request it.
Service Desk
The single point of contact between users and IT, handling requests, incidents, and communications.
Shadow IT
Hardware or software used within an organisation without the IT department's knowledge or approval.
Single Sign-On (SSO)
An authentication method allowing users to log in once and access multiple applications without re-entering credentials.
SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)
A unique code identifying a specific product or item for inventory tracking and reordering.
SLA (Service Level Agreement)
A commitment between a service provider and customer defining the expected level of service, including response and resolution times.
SOC 2
A security framework for service organisations that manage customer data, based on five trust principles.
Spare Parts
Components kept in stock to repair or replace failed parts of equipment quickly, reducing downtime.
T
TAT (Turnaround Time)
The total time taken to complete a request or repair from the moment it is raised to the moment it is closed.
TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)
The complete cost of an asset over its lifecycle, including purchase, maintenance, operation, and disposal.
TDS (Tax Deducted at Source)
An Indian tax mechanism where the payer deducts tax before making certain payments and remits it to the government.
Ticketing System
Software that logs, assigns, tracks, and resolves support requests as individual tickets with a full history.
Triage
Quickly assessing incoming tickets to set priority and route them to the right person or queue.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
A login method requiring a second proof of identity — such as an OTP — in addition to a password.
U
V
Vendor Management
The process of selecting, onboarding, managing, and optimising relationships with third-party suppliers.
Virtualisation
Running multiple virtual machines or environments on a single physical machine to use hardware more efficiently.
VPN (Virtual Private Network)
A secure connection over the internet that encrypts data between a user's device and the company network.
Vulnerability
A weakness in a system that could be exploited by a threat to compromise security.
W
Warm Site
A partially equipped backup location that needs some setup before it can take over, between a hot and cold site.
Warranty
A manufacturer or vendor commitment to repair or replace a product within a set period at no cost.
Work Order
An authorised instruction to carry out a specific maintenance or repair job, tracked from creation to completion.
Workplace Management
The practice of optimising the use of physical workspace, equipment, and resources.
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