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Appendix:
Glossary
Bandwidth
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The maximum amount of data that a network cable can carry.
Data
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The smallest meaningful piece of information in a transaction.
Digital
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Data that has been created, transmitted or stored as a string of signals coded as "1" (on) or "0" (off).
Digital divide
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A term that refers to the division of the world into people who have access to technology and people who don't have access—and the capability to use—modern information technology.
Disintermediation
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The process of giving users direct access to information that would otherwise require a mediator (middleman).
e-Government
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The use of technology by government to interact with citizens, improve services and streamline operations.
e-Procurement
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The use of technology to link buyers and sellers and streamline manual procurement processes into real time online systems.
Hardware
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The physical components of information technology, including computers, peripheral devices such as printers or scanners, and cables and switches that link digital networks.
Information
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Stimuli that has meaning in some context for its receiver.
Information technology
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A term that encompasses all forms of technology used to create, store, exchange and use information.
Infrastructure
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When applied to technology, refers to the capacities and standards for digital communication and data processing that support the flow of information.
Interoperability
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The ability of software and hardware on different machines from different vendors to share data.
Internet
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The global network of computers, switches, and connections that enables the world's computers to communicate with each other.
Mass customization
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The ability to personalize information distributed to large groups.
Narrowcasting
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The process of sending data to a specific list of recipients (as opposed to broadcasting, where signals are transmitted everywhere and to everyone).
Network
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A set of communication paths and the points they connect.
Portal
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An electronic gateway or starting point that helps users organize the Web based on their interests. (Usually includes a range of resources and services, such as e-mail, forums, search engines, and online shopping malls.)
Real-time
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A level of computer responsiveness that the user senses as sufficiently immediate.
Scalability
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The ability of a hardware or software system to adapt to increasing demands. (A scalable network system is one that can start with just a few nodes but can easily expand to thousands of nodes.)
Software
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A catch-all term for the sets of instructions (programs) used to operate computer hardware.
Standard
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A definition or format that has been approved by an organization or is accepted as a criterion by the industry.
Supply chain management
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The process of optimizing delivery of goods, services, and information from supplier to customer.
Web
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The vast network of information and resources that is most widely used to communicate and trade via the Internet.
Web site
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A collection of files accessed through a Web address, covering a particular subject and managed by a particular person or organization.
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