Commonly Used Acronyms
RTO and RPO: How Fast You Recover and How Much Data You Can Afford to Lose
RTO (Recovery Time Objective) is how long a system can be down before the outage seriously hurts your business. RPO (Recovery Point Objective) is how much recent data you can afford to lose, measured in time. Set both for each important system, then ...
SaaS (Software as a Service)
SaaS (Software as a Service) is software you use over the internet instead of installing on each computer. If your business runs on Microsoft 365 or QuickBooks Online, you're already using it, whether or not anyone called it that. SaaS is one of ...
SSO (Single Sign-On)
SSO (single sign-on) lets your employees sign in once and open all their connected work applications without logging in again for each one. It saves time, and when it's set up properly it also tightens security. SSO ran quietly inside large-company ...
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) means employees use their personal phones, laptops or tablets for work. If that's happening in your business without a formal policy, it's likely a security and compliance gap nobody has looked at yet. Most small and ...
BDR / BCDR (Backup and Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery)
BDR (backup and disaster recovery) is how you get your data back after something goes wrong. BCDR (business continuity and disaster recovery) adds the plan for keeping your business running while you do. The two terms are often used interchangeably, ...
VPN (Virtual Private Network)
A VPN (virtual private network) creates an encrypted tunnel for your internet traffic. Business VPNs and consumer VPNs solve different problems, though, and mixing them up can leave you with a false sense of security. VPN is one of those terms ...
MFA / 2FA (Multi-Factor Authentication / Two-Factor Authentication)
MFA (multi-factor authentication) asks for a second proof of identity, such as a code or an app approval on your phone, before anyone can sign in with your password. It is one of the most effective ways to stop stolen passwords from turning into ...
RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management): The Smoke Detector for Your Computers
RMM (remote monitoring and management) is the software your IT provider uses to watch over and maintain your computers from across town, quietly and continuously, so many problems get caught before anything breaks. If you've ever wondered how an IT ...
MSP (Managed Service Provider): Your IT Department Without the Hiring Headache
A Managed Service Provider (MSP) is a company that runs your business IT on an ongoing basis under a monthly service agreement. Instead of paying someone each time something breaks, you pay a team to keep things from breaking in the first place. If ...
XDR (Extended Detection and Response): Security That Looks Beyond the Laptop
XDR (Extended Detection and Response) is security technology that pulls signals from your devices, email, cloud apps, network and sign-in systems into one view, so related warning signs can be recognized as a single attack. Think of it as EDR with a ...
MDR (Managed Detection and Response): Cybersecurity With People Watching
MDR (Managed Detection and Response) is a security service where trained analysts watch your systems 24/7, investigate alerts and respond when something looks wrong. You get the security software and the people who act on what it finds. Security ...
EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) Explained in Plain English
EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) is security software that watches your computers and servers for suspicious behavior and steps in to contain a threat. Think of it as antivirus that pays attention to what programs do, not only what they are ...