Whether you work with technology or just use it daily, you’ll encounter a variety of equipment, devices, and technical terms regularly. Understanding these key technology items is important for a smooth experience and will help you to communicate properly with others involved in the industry.

Useful technology glossary that covers lots of IT can be programmed to perform arithmetic and logical operations, and connect to the Internet for sharing information. Hardware: The actual physical parts of the computer, such as the CPU, monitor, and keyboard. Software: The programs that control the computer’s hardware, including applications and printer drivers. Internet: A worldwide network of computers and systems that can be used for communication and sharing information.

A Useful Technology Glossary: Key IT Terms Every Business Should Know

Cloud: A system of servers that are accessed via the Internet, typically used for storing and analyzing data. A unique address that identifies an item or resource on the Internet or within a local network.

Drone: A remote-controlled flying device that can capture video and images. Smart Home: A combination of software and hardware that allows you to control household appliances, lighting, and other devices over the Internet from any location.

Artificial intelligence (AI): The ability of a computer to mimic human capabilities, including reasoning, knowledge representation, planning, learning, speech recognition, language processing and perception, robots and social intelligence. Machine learning (ML): A subset of AI that allows software to improve over time by identifying patterns based on sample data.