Glossary

Software and AI terms, defined in plain English

A

API: API means Application Programming Interface: a documented set of requests and responses so two systems can work together without a person copying data between them. When we say “we will integrate with…

C

Cloud computing: Cloud is someone else’s data centre, with APIs to create machines, databases and backups. Done well, you gain reliability and a way to grow without buying hardware. Done badly, you recreate the old…
Core Web Vitals: Core Web Vitals measure real-user experience on public pages: how quickly the main content appears, how quickly the page responds to a click, and whether the layout jumps. They matter for SEO on…

E

ERP: ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning, a phrase that has outlived its usefulness. In practice it means one place where an order, the stock it needs, the job it creates and the invoice it becomes…

L

LLM: LLM means Large Language Model — the engine behind most generative AI products. It predicts the next piece of text, very well. It does not contain a database of your business, and it will invent…

M

Microservices: Microservices mean each capability — billing, inventory, identity — can be deployed on its own. That helps large teams move independently. For a first business system it is usually the wrong starting…

R

REST API: REST is a convention for APIs on the web: each important thing — a customer, an invoice, an order — has an address, and you use standard HTTP actions to read or update it. It is popular because it is…

S

SaaS: SaaS means Software as a Service: you log in through a browser or app, pay per user or per month, and the vendor handles hosting and upgrades. It is the usual shape of off-the-shelf products. The…

W

Workflow automation: Workflow automation runs a path you can draw: trigger, steps, rules, exceptions, record. It is the ordinary backbone of business process automation . Use it when the steps are known. Use AI in front…

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