It was recently pointed out to me that I tend to use a lot of tech terms that non-tech people might not understand. Okay fine, If I am being honest, the majority of my blogs are to technical but luckily for me, I work with an amazing Marketing Consultant who reads my very boring and technical blogs and points me in the right direction, by asking me what the heck I am talking about.
IT Consultants like myself, or even IT support people, tend to talk in what might as well be a foreign language to most people. I promise you, we are not doing it to be condescending, most of the time we do not even realize it is happening because it makes complete sense in our brains. I thought I would try to go over some of the tech lingo you might hear fly out of our mouths before we even realize it has happened.
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1.) BOS
BOS, also known as the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. Essentially what occurs is that Microsoft Windows encounters a critical error in which it is unable to recover from. You might see the following appear on your computer screen.
This is typically from an issue with the computer’s hardware or an issue with the hardware driver software. A regular app or program on your computer will not cause this. Sometimes a simple restart of your computer will resolve this and other times it can be more critical and harmful causing data loss and the loss of the OS.
2.) OS
This is simply referring to your computers Operating System. This is not limited to just a Microsoft Windowscomputer. It could reference an Apple Computer operating system such as Big Sur, or a distro of Linux such as Ubuntu.
3.) Bloatware
This consists of what “IT” people consider to be undesirable software on your computer that was either accidently installed or pre-installed by your PC manufacturer which has a negative impact on your computer. Best case scenario bloatware will simply take up space but will be innocuous. If you can consider something having “middle ground” on a computer, bloatware will slow down your pc causing some frustration and not so nice words, and the worst-case scenario It will download Malware and spy on you.
4.) Malware
To put it simply, malware is malicious software which can include viruses. There are several different Types of Malware. Such as: Viruses, Ransomware, Scareware, Worms, Spyware, Adware, Trojans and Fileless Malware. Keep an eye out for my upcoming blog that will cover the different types of malware and what to look out for.
There are several reasons cybercriminals use malware some of the reasons are:
Steal consumer credit card data or banking data.
Infecting computers and using them to mine bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies from you because these currencies are untraceable.
Tricking you into providing your personal data for identity theft.
Assuming control of your computers to launch a Denial-of-service (DOS) attack against other networks.
5.) Browser
I"m sure many of you know this one! You might hear us say “Can you open up your web browser for me and enter in the following URL.” This just means open Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge or Safari to name the more popular web browsers.
6.) URL
Another likely familiar one is URL. But not everyone knows this. While many may say link or web address it is also the URL. This is the web address of a website located in the address bar of the browser.
7.) Updates
These aren't just any updates. 9 times out of 10 we are referring to the Operating System updates on your computer, for Example Windows updates.
8.) Software Updates
Software updates consist of programs or apps on your computer, such as Java, Adobe reader, Microsoft Office and Specialty software that you might have.
9.) Firmware Updates
Not all updates are created equal. Firmware updates have more to do with the “bones” of your computer, aka hardware aspect of your computer. It would be like comparing it to the engine or underside of your vehicle. Firmware helps to patch vulnerabilities that are detected such as chipset, Bios, etc. Think of having a hole in your exhaust, it smells and makes your car sound like an unpleasant race car or diesel truck. Sometimes it is a small leak that the mechanic can patch, in essence you are patching the leaky parts of your computers hardware so that you are not left being susceptible to unwanted intrusions.
10.) Phishing Attack
Phishing attacks typical come in two forms, a convincing looking email pretending to be from a legitimate company or a webpage that has either been compromised or created to convince you that it is legitimate. These two forms are used to trick you into entering in your sensitive information such as account numbers, pins and passwords. See my blog post for a more detailed explanation on what to look for.
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Wondering if it's time you should outsource you IT needs? Download my free outsource guide to see when is a good time to outsource.