IT acronyms, decoded

AD

Active Directory: Microsoft’s directory of users, computers and groups.

DHCP

Hands out IP addresses automatically on a network.

DNS

Turns names like example.com into IP addresses.

GPO

Group Policy Object: rules pushed to Windows computers and users from Active Directory.

Hypervisor

Software that runs virtual machines, such as Proxmox, Hyper-V or VirtualBox.

MFA

Multi-factor authentication: a password plus a second proof such as a phone prompt.

MSP

Managed service provider: a company that runs IT for other businesses.

NAT

Lets many private devices share one public IP address.

PSA

Professional services automation: ticketing and billing software for MSPs.

RAID

Combines several disks for speed, safety or both.

RDP

Remote Desktop Protocol: control a Windows machine over the network, on port 3389.

RMM

Remote monitoring and management: the toolset MSPs use to watch and fix many client machines.

SLA

Service level agreement: the response and fix times a provider promises.

SSH

Secure Shell: encrypted command-line access to a remote machine, on port 22.

VLAN

A virtual network that separates traffic on the same physical switch.

VPN

An encrypted tunnel that connects you to a private network over the internet.

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