AA - Automatic Attendant Automatic call answering system that uses prompts to direct callers to the correct destination. For example; ‘Press 1 for Sales’.

ACD - Automatic Call Distribution PBX feature. Automated system for answering, queuing and distributing calls to groups of agents.

ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line High speed internet access. Gives you a quicker download speed than upload speed.

BANDWIDTH How much you can send through a broadband connection.

BROADBAND High speed digital internet

CALL FORWARDING PBX feature where calls can be automatically forwarded to a different number for example your mobile if you are out of the office.

CLI - Caller Line Identity Allows you to see the number calling in on your telephone.

CARRIER Additional term for a network operator

CRM - Customer Relationship Management Provides access to customers information from back office applications that can be ‘popped’ up on screen when a customer calls in.

CTI - Computer Telephony Integration Linking your computer and telephone to work together. For select a telephone number on your computer screen and it calls that number on your telephone.

CALL MANAGEMENT Use of specialist software to analyse and report on call records.

CLOUD COMPUTING The concept of delivering hosting business solutions as a service over the internet. For example software (SaaS), Infrastructure (IaaS) and Platforms (PaaS).

CALL PARK PBX feature. A call is parked by one user and then retrieved by another.

DDI - Direct Dialling In PBX feature. Assign numbers to individual phone extensions so that calls can me made directly to the recipient rather than an operator.

DECT - Digital Enhanced Cordless Technology Digital communication standard; primarily used for creating cordless phones. DECT phones are available as a PBX system extension.

FIREWALL Software security system that prevents one computer network from communicating with another computer network without permission.

GB - Gigabyte Unit of computer memory or data storage capacity equal to 1,025MB

IP - Internet Protocol Data orientated protocol used for communicating data across a packet-switched network.

IP ADDRESS Numerical label assigned to a device within a computer network that uses IP for communication. It allows you to be located within a network.

ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network Digital telephone connection that provides two digital phone lines capable of carrying voice and data simultaneously.

LAN - Local Area Network Network consisting of all the computers and devices within a single office.

LCR - Least Cost Routing A technique where a telephone system modifies a number dialled out so as to route the call over a low cost carrier.

LEASED LINE - Also referred to as data line or a private circuit A line between two offices that can be used to provide telephone, data and internet services.

LOCAL LOOP Wired connection form a telephone line provider to the customers location.

MANAGED SOLUTION A bespoke solution incorporating your communication technologies that AdaptiveComms support and manage.

MB – Megabyte Unit of computer memory or data storage capacity equal to 1000KB

MOBILE BROADBAND Using a mobile network to access the internet.

MODEM Device that connects a computer to the internet by transferring data between the two.

MPLS - Multi-Protocol Label Switching Private network that carries data between two sites. Data is labelled into ‘packets’ and then delivered by priority.

NATIONAL ETHERNET Also referred to as ‘leased line’, is a private circuit between two sites.

NETWORK – Computer Network A collection of computers or devices connected to each other to communicate and share resources.

NUMBER PORTABILITY The ability to transfer your existing telephone number to a different carrier.

PBX - Private Branch Exchange A Telephone System that serves a particular office or business.

PROTOCOL A set of guidelines or rules. In communications Protocol it is a set of instructions for transferring data.

PACKET A unit of data that is routed between its origin and its destination over the internet or a packet switched network.

PACKET SWITCHING A digital network communications method that groups all transmitted data regardless of content, type or structure into suitably sized blocks call ‘packets’.

PSTN - Public Switched Telephone Network World’s collection of public telephone networks.

QoS - Quality of Service Ability to provide different priority to different applications and to guarantee a certain level of performance data flow in computer networking and packet switched networks.

ROUTER In packet switched networks, a router interconnects two or more computer networks and determines the destination of the data.

SaaS – Software as a Service Deployment of software applications as a hosted service that can be accessed via the internet.

SDSL - Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line High speed internet access with equal upload and download speeds.

SERVER A program that runs on a machine providing a particular and specific service to other computers connected to it.

NETWORK SERVER A network device that provides a service to network users by managing shared resources for example data.

SLA - Service Level Agreement The term indicating an agreement between a service or network provider and its customers which guarantees performance.

SOFTPHONE A software programme to make telephone calls over the internet via a computer or laptop, can be part of a PBX solution, ideal for remote workers.

STRUCTURED CABLING A cabling system designed to be network independent and allow different computer and telephone services to co-exist on the same cabling solution. Structured Cabling allows the user to route data and voice circuits to any wall socket.

TRUNK A line connecting a telephone system to another telephone system or a PSTN.

Unified Communications Allows communication between different technologies and applications in the same medium. For example receiving a voicemail as an email.

Unified Messaging The integration of different messaging applications such as email, fax, SMS and voicemail all received within a unified inbox.

VoIP - Voice over Internet protocol A solution allowing you to make telephone calls over the internet.

VPN – Virtual Private Network A network that use connectivity solutions for example the internet, to provide remote offices and workers with secure access to their businesses private network.

WAN – Wide Area Network A computer network that covers a wide geographical area.