Google IT Support key terms

A structured way of finding the underlying reason a problem happened, rather than just fixing its visible symptom, so the same failure does not keep returning.

Handing a support issue to a more experienced person or team when it is beyond your skill, authority, or time limit, usually with a summary of what has already been tried.

A written commitment between a support provider and a customer that sets expected response and resolution times, plus what happens if those targets are missed.

A numbered record of a single user request or incident that stores the description, history, owner, and status so work can be tracked and handed off.

Giving full attention to a user, paraphrasing what they said, and asking clarifying questions so you confirm the real problem before proposing a fix.

A searchable collection of written articles, fixes, and procedures that support staff and users reuse so common problems are solved consistently and quickly.

A numeric label assigned to a device on a network so data can be addressed and routed to it, such as 192.168.1.20 on a home network.

A number that tells a device which part of an IP address identifies the network and which part identifies the individual host on that network.

The router address a device sends traffic to when the destination is on a different network, acting as the exit door off the local subnet.

A service that automatically hands out IP addresses, subnet masks, gateways, and DNS settings to devices when they join a network, avoiding manual configuration.

The naming system that translates human-friendly names like example.com into IP addresses so browsers and other clients can reach the right server.

A router function that rewrites private addresses to a public address as traffic leaves a network, letting many devices share one internet connection.

An encrypted tunnel between a device and a remote network that protects traffic on untrusted links and makes the device appear inside that network.

The delay between sending a request and receiving a response, usually measured in milliseconds; high latency makes video calls and remote sessions feel sluggish.

A fixed hardware identifier burned into a network adapter and used for communication inside a local network segment, separate from the device's IP address.

A numbered channel on a device that identifies which service should receive incoming traffic, such as 443 for secure web traffic.

The core part of an operating system that sits between applications and hardware, managing memory, processes, and device access so programs do not control hardware directly.

The rules and structures an operating system uses to store, name, organize, and retrieve files on a disk, including folders, permissions, and free-space tracking.

Software that lets the operating system talk to a specific piece of hardware, translating general commands into instructions that device's chipset understands.

A text interface where a user types commands to run programs, move files, and manage the system, useful for scripting and for systems without a graphical desktop.

Settings that decide which users or groups may read, write, or execute a file or folder, forming a basic layer of protection on shared systems.

Disk space used as overflow memory when RAM is full; it prevents crashes but is far slower than real memory, so heavy swapping signals a need for more RAM.

Combining multiple disks into one logical storage unit to gain speed, redundancy, or both, so a single failed drive does not necessarily destroy the data.

The routine of tracking, testing, and installing vendor updates for operating systems and applications so known bugs and security holes get fixed promptly.

Setting up a new user account, device, or server with the accounts, software, and settings it needs, ideally through repeatable automated steps instead of manual work.

Running multiple isolated operating systems as virtual machines on one physical host, which saves hardware, speeds up deployment, and simplifies testing and recovery.

A running record of system and application events, including errors and logins, used to investigate incidents and spot patterns that point to a fault.

A controlled process for planning, approving, testing, and documenting modifications to IT systems so updates do not cause unexpected outages or conflicts.

A fraudulent email, message, or site that impersonates a trusted party to trick someone into revealing credentials, paying money, or opening malicious attachments.

Requiring two or more different proofs of identity, such as a password plus a phone code, so a stolen password alone is not enough to sign in.

Giving each user, service, and program only the access it truly needs to do its job, which limits the damage from mistakes or compromised accounts.

Scrambling data with a key so only someone holding the right key can read it, protecting information in transit and at rest from eavesdroppers.

Manipulating people through trust, urgency, or authority to get them to break normal security rules, such as revealing a password to a friendly-sounding caller.

A prepared set of roles and steps to detect, contain, remove, and learn from a security breach so the response is fast and coordinated rather than improvised.

The instruction or question a person gives to an AI tool, including any context and examples, which strongly shapes the quality of the response.

A confident but incorrect or invented statement produced by an AI model, often a fabricated fact, quote, or citation that must be verified before use.

An AI system trained on huge amounts of text to predict and generate language, used for drafting, summarizing, translating, and answering questions.

An attack where hidden instructions in text an AI reads, such as a web page or document, try to override the user's request and change the tool's behavior.