HSC Enterprise Computing key terms

A large, integrated set of hardware, software, data and networks that supports the core operations of an organisation across many departments and sites.

A documented blueprint describing how an organisation's business processes, applications, data and technology fit together, guiding planned change and standardisation.

An older system still in productive use because it holds critical data or processes, often costly to maintain and difficult to integrate with newer technology.

Integrated software that shares one database across finance, inventory, human resources and other functions so transactions update a single source of truth.

Software and practices that record customer interactions, sales pipelines and service history so staff can manage relationships consistently across the organisation.

Software that coordinates suppliers, purchasing, logistics and inventory so goods and information flow efficiently from raw materials to the customer.

A defined sequence of activities that transforms inputs into an outcome of value to a customer or the organisation, such as order fulfilment or payroll.

Radical redesign of core processes, rather than incremental improvement, to achieve major gains in cost, speed or quality, often enabled by new systems.

Using software to route tasks, approvals and notifications between people and systems according to predefined rules, reducing manual handling and delay.

A designated authoritative data store that all systems and staff rely on, preventing conflicting versions of the same record across the enterprise.

A central repository that consolidates historical data from many operational systems, structured for querying and reporting rather than day-to-day transactions.

A smaller, subject-specific subset of a data warehouse, built for one department or purpose so queries are simpler and faster.

A process that pulls data from source systems, cleans and reformats it to common standards, then loads it into a warehouse or target system.

Tools and methods that turn stored operational data into dashboards, reports and analysis that support management decisions.

A measurable value chosen to show how effectively an organisation or process is achieving a critical objective, tracked over time.

The accuracy, consistency and completeness of stored data throughout its lifecycle, maintained by validation rules, constraints and controlled updates.

A copy of data kept separately from the original so it can be restored after accidental deletion, corruption, hardware failure or attack.

Documented procedures and resources for restoring critical systems and data within agreed timeframes after a major disruption such as fire, flood or cyber attack.

A plan describing how an organisation will keep essential services running during and after disruption, including alternate sites, staffing and communication arrangements.

The maximum acceptable time a system or process may remain unavailable after a failure before the organisation suffers unacceptable consequences.

The maximum acceptable amount of data, measured as time, that may be lost in a failure, which determines how frequently backups or replication must occur.

The ability of different systems, often from different vendors, to exchange data and use it meaningfully through agreed formats, protocols and interfaces.

A defined set of rules and endpoints that lets one software system request data or services from another without knowing its internal workings.

Software that sits between applications or between applications and networks, translating messages and managing connections so disparate systems can communicate.

An integration layer that routes, transforms and monitors messages between connected systems, reducing direct point-to-point links and simplifying change.

A design approach in which business functions are delivered as loosely coupled, reusable services that communicate through standard interfaces.

An architecture that builds an application as many small, independently deployable services, each owning its function and data, communicating over networks.

Running multiple isolated virtual machines or environments on one physical host, sharing hardware resources through a hypervisor to improve utilisation.

Delivery of computing resources such as storage, processing and software over a network on demand, with usage-based pricing and provider-managed infrastructure.

A model where a vendor hosts and maintains an application, and customers access it over the internet by subscription rather than installing it locally.

A contract clause or document specifying measurable service expectations such as uptime, response time, support hours and remedies for failing to meet them.

The discipline of selecting, contracting with, monitoring and reviewing external suppliers so their performance and risks align with organisational needs.

The principle that data is subject to the laws and governance of the country where it is stored or processed, affecting where cloud services may hold it.

Laws setting rules for collecting, storing, using and disclosing personal information, including obligations to notify breaches and allow access.

Measures that decide who may view or change which resources, typically through authentication, roles and permissions, protecting confidentiality and integrity.

The ongoing process of identifying threats to an enterprise, assessing likelihood and impact, and applying treatments to reduce risk to acceptable levels.

An investigation that judges whether a proposed project is technically possible, economically worthwhile, legally acceptable and operationally workable before commitment.

A comparison of the expected costs of a project against its expected benefits, often expressed financially, to justify or rank investment options.

A document arguing for a project by stating the problem, options considered, recommended solution, expected benefits, costs and risks, to obtain approval and funding.

A short authorising document that names the project, its purpose, objectives, scope boundaries, key stakeholders and the project manager's authority.

A precise description of what a project will and will not deliver, used to prevent uncontrolled expansion of requirements.

Gradual, unapproved expansion of project requirements, which inflates cost and time and erodes the original objectives.

A formal process for requesting, assessing, approving or rejecting changes to a project's scope, schedule or design, with records kept.

Any person or group affected by or able to influence a project, such as users, managers, vendors and regulators, whose needs must be identified and managed.

A document setting out which stakeholders will be informed or consulted, how often, by what method and who is responsible.

Systematic collection of what users and the business need a system to do, using interviews, observation, surveys, workshops and document review.

A statement of a specific behaviour or function a system must perform, such as calculating a discount or producing a monthly report.

A constraint or quality expectation on how a system performs, such as response time, availability, security, capacity or usability.

A hierarchical decomposition of project work into smaller deliverable-oriented tasks that can be estimated, assigned and tracked.

A horizontal bar chart showing tasks against a calendar timeline, including durations, dependencies and milestones, used to plan and monitor schedules.

The longest sequence of dependent tasks through a project network; any delay on it delays the whole project's completion date.

A significant, zero-duration point in a project schedule marking completion of a key deliverable or decision, used to track progress.

Planned activities that prepare people for new systems and processes, addressing communication, training, resistance and support so benefits are realised.

A schedule identifying who needs which skills, what training methods will be used, when sessions occur and how competence will be checked.

Final testing in which real users confirm that the delivered system meets agreed business requirements before it is accepted and deployed.

A document describing what will be tested, by whom, with what data and against which expected results, including unit, integration, system and acceptance stages.

The managed transfer of data, users and processes from an existing system to a replacement, including conversion, cleansing and cut-over arrangements.

A cut-over approach where old and new systems run simultaneously for a period, allowing results to be compared and risks reduced at higher cost.

A deployment approach that releases the new system to selected functions, sites or user groups in stages, limiting disruption and allowing early feedback.

A structured evaluation after deployment comparing actual outcomes with planned benefits, costs and schedules, and recording lessons for future projects.