In my opinion, there are three things that have become the norm of modern day societal interaction:
- Mobile Devices
- The Cloud
- Social Networking
I’ve affectionately labelled them the Technology Trio. Most of us could not go an hour without interacting with one, if not all of these items. This Technology Trio is fast becoming the driver of business strategy development; encompassing sales, marketing, product offerings and the employee value proposition.
That’s right I said employee value proposition.
Employees are increasingly demanding the use of mobile, cloud and social collaboration at work. Things like importing their talent profile from LinkedIn, requesting and approving vacation on their smart phone or using SharePoint to crowd source ideas from multiple internal and external stakeholders to complete a project.
Discussions about the Technology Trio have also become common place in executive strategic planning discussions. functions including . Departments such as Sales, Finance, HR, Marketing, Legal, Procurement, Operations, Compliance, etc., are now expected to have some general knowledge of the Trio to develop solutions to support businesses strategies.
These could include providing answers/recommendations on whether to use a new SaaS solution to manage sales. What’s the contract/ cost implications if we move to an integrated best in suite solution or continue with a series of best in breed solutions? If we enable API plugin’s how do we mitigate privacy concerns? If we use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to engage customers as part of our sales strategy are they any compliance risks? What guidelines need to be added to our code of conduct around acceptable usage of social media at work? How should we address anonymous employment reviews on social media sites about our company? How do we leverage big data to gain insights into projected sales revenue or succession planning for baby boomer retirements? What’s our social recruitment strategy? And on and on….
For many, this is new and overwhelming territory. Symptoms may include eyes being glazed over, increased heart rate, bouts of perspiration or having to leave the meeting early due to a sudden appointment!
Relax. Take a deep breath.
For all of you who would like a crash course on the essential technology terms* you need to know for your next meeting; this blog post is for you!
-Technology Terminology Cheat Sheet-
|
Term* |
Definition |
Example |
| Android | Is a mobile operating system (OS) developed by Google. Android is designed primarily for touch screen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. It uses touch inputs like swiping, tapping, pinching, etc. to manipulate on-screen objects. It also offers a virtual keyboard. |
|
| API PlugIn | An application programming interface (API) specifies software component inputs and outputs. Its main purpose is to define a set of functionalities which allow integration (plug in) of new features into existing applications or to share data between otherwise distinct applications. |
|
| Best of Breed (BoB) | Applications that offer specialized functions in specific areas that ERP’s suites usually do not feature. (E.g. Time and attendance, compensation, talent management, financial planning, etc.) Most BoB solutions are now SaaS and Cloud based. |
|
| Best in Suite (BiS) | Applications that provide a broad set of functional capabilities as part of an integrated suite. These components can be sold as standalone modules or bundled. They sit on a unified platform which makes integration easy. |
|
| Big Data | Is an all-encompassing term for the collection of data sets so large and complex that it becomes difficult to process using on-hand data management tools or traditional data processing applications. | Big data solutions:
|
| Cloud Computing | Is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product. Shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices remotely as a utility (like an electricity grid) over a network such as the Internet. Cloud computing allows users to access their information anywhere, anytime and on any device type. |
|
| Term* | Definition | Example |
| Integrated Platform | A unified technology solution that offers software that delivers services across multiple subject areas such as learning, recruitment, compensation, talent management, etc. Unlike BiS, there are no modules to sell individually. |
|
| Middleware | Computer software that connects software applications to other software applications. Think of it as “software glue”. Middleware is used behind the scenes to execute transactions, facilitate data flow or build integration. |
|
| Mobile | Refers to a variety of smart, portable devices that can access the internet and facilitate the usage of apps. |
|
| Mobile App | A computer program designed to run on smartphones, tablet computers and other mobile devices. Apps (applications) are available through application distributors such as the Apple App Store, Google Play and BlackBerry App World. |
|
| SaaS | Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud model that delivers on-demand applications that are hosted and managed by the service provider and paid for on a subscription basis (fee/ license). |
|
| SEO | Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of influencing the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine’s “natural” or un-paid (“organic”)search results. The goal is to have content indexed so it ranks closer to the top (higher) on the page when search results are returned. The higher results are ranked, the higher the probability visitors will see content and click on it. Content can be in the form of text or digital media such as videos, audio files or images. |
|
| Term* | Definition | Example |
| Smart Phone | A mobile phone with more advanced computing capability and connectivity than basic feature phones. Smartphones include a touchscreen computer, web browser, Wi-Fi connectivity, 3rd-party apps, etc. |
|
| Social Collaboration | A processes that helps multiple people interact and share information over the internet to achieve a common goal. |
|
| Social Recruiting | The use of social media and mobile tools to facilitate sourcing, marketing and recruitment. Many SaaS solutions offer social recruitment tools as part of their suite of products. |
|
| Technology Ecosystem | The suite of systems in an organization that make up their comprehensive systems portfolio. |
|
This list is by no means exhaustive. It should however, give you a good starting point to become a knowledgeable contributor in conversations.
I hope you find this blog post useful. Stay tuned for my next blog post which will delve into social recruiting vocabulary.
I would love to hear from you. Please drop me a line via 
LinkedIn or 
@annzaliebarrett
By Ann Barrett- Director, Integrated Solutions
*Source of terms have been taken from wikipedia.com and modified for relevance.
Ann's Social Recruiting Blog 