Glossary

Below are terms and phrases frequently used in the realm of strategic messaging management.

Click on a letter, scroll or search (Control-F) to browse the glossary.

Archiving

Moving digital files from an on-line system to a long-term storage medium (CD-ROM, tapes, off-line storage) for later retrieval.

Authentication

A process used to verify the identity of a user or device or to prove the integrity of specific information. Message authentication involves determining its source and verifying that it has not been modified or replaced in transit.

Backup

A duplicate copy of data used in case the primary file(s) are corrupted or destroyed.

Backup to Disk—B2D

Backup onto disk media.

Backup to Tape—B2T

Backup onto tape media.

Blocked Sender

An email address or domain from which you will not receive email. Any email received from a blocked sender will be deleted.

CAN-SPAM Act

Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act of 2003. A U.S. statute effective January 1, 2004, requiring unsolicited commercial e-mail messages to be labeled (though not by a standard method) and to include opt-out instructions and the sender's physical address. It prohibits the use of deceptive subject lines and false headers in such messages.

Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)

The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a federal law enacted by Congress in December 2000 to address concerns about access in schools and libraries to the Internet and other information.

Continuous Data Protection—CDP

A continuous data backup process that captures all changes, as they happen, and enables almost instantaneous recovery to the exact point in time where you need to restore.

Decryption

To convert scrambled or encrypted information back into a readable format.

Data Lifecycle Management—DLM

The processes used to manage business data throughout its lifecycle: from creation and initial storage to the time when it becomes obsolete and is deleted.

Digital Signatures

Data attached to a document that identifies the sender and the validity of the source.

Disaster Recovery

A procedure to restore an organization’s critical business functions after a catastrophe. Disaster recovery techniques require that periodic backups be performed and stored offsite so that the system can be restored with full data integrity.

DNS Block List

A DNS zone that filters out the IP addresses of known spam originators according to set criteria. Also called Real-Time Block Lists (RBLs)

Email

Electronic mail or messages sent from one entity to another via computer.

Encryption

Transforming data into a scrambled format using an algorithm making it unreadable to anyone without the “key” to decrypt the format.

False Positives

Inadvertently blocking legitimate emails with spam filters.

Firewall

A combination of hardware and software protecting an organization’s internal network from outside infiltration.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act

The Financial Modernization Act of 1999, also known as the “Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act” or GLB Act, regulates the sharing of personal information about individuals who obtain financial products or services from financial institutions. There are three principal parts to the privacy requirements: the Financial Privacy Rule, Safeguards Rule and pretexting provisions.

Heuristics

A rule of thumb method of to detect new viruses based on previously identified virus qualities.

HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. A federal law requiring new safeguards to protect the security and confidentiality of health information. The final regulation covers health plans, health care clearinghouses, and those health care providers who conduct certain financial and administrative transactions (e.g., enrollment, billing and eligibility verification) electronically. Most health insurers, pharmacies, doctors and other health care providers were required to comply with these federal standards beginning April 14, 2003.

Hierarchical Storage Management—HSM

Hierarchical Storage Management. A data storage system that automatically and transparently moves data between high-cost and low-cost media, based on parameters set by the administrator.

HTTPS Web Delivery

A method of secure delivery in which recipients access secure messages by clicking on a URL sent via a plain-text email; recipients must use a pass phrase that was provided by the sender to view the messages.

IMAP

Internet Message Access Protocol which permits a “client” email program to access remote messages as if they were local.

Incremental Backup

A backup in which only the files that have been modified since the last backup are copied.

Information Lifecycle Management—ILM

A procedure for aligning storage costs with business priorities based on the information’s changing value.

Integrated Messaging Management

A single solution that integrates all facets of messaging—filtering (anti-spam, anti-virus), reporting, secure messaging, email archiving, compliance and electronic discovery—into a single system managed by policy. A process in which all of an organization’s messages—inbound, outbound or post-delivery—and their attachments are managed centrally using a Web-based user interface and a unified policy engine.

Mail Server

A networked computer or software program that receives, stores, and forwards electronic mail messages.

NASD 3010

Email and Instant Messages need to be stored for at least five years on non-erasable storage media. These regulations govern the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.

Predictive Analysis

Predictive analysis examines historical data to predict future events.

PKI

Public Key Infrastructure. A system of digital certificates, Certificate Authorities, and other registration authorities that verify and authenticate the validity of each party involved in an Internet transaction.

POP 3 (Post Office Protocol 3)

POP3 is a standard client/server protocol used on the Internet in which e-mail is received by the mail server and stored until it can be sent to the client.

Quarantine

Quarantine is a folder where all the messages caught by spam, virus and attachment filters get placed before they are deleted or released.

Real-Time Block Lists (RBLs)

A DNS zone that filters out the IP addresses of known spam originators according to set criteria. Also called DNS Block Lists.

SEC Rule 17A

SEC regulations regarding management of and access to electronic records. Records must be preserved in a nonrewritable, nonerasable form and a duplicate copy must be stored separately from the original.

Secure Messaging

Any method of delivering a message securely, including TLS (Transport Layer Security), SMTP over SSL, and HTTPS Web delivery.

Sender Server Verification

S/MIME or Secure MIME

Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. A protocol used to support encrypted email communications.

SNMP

Simple Network Management Protocol. An Internet standard protocol governing the monitoring of network devices.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

A protocol for transferring email messages from one server to another.

SNMP Trap

A message or alert indicating that a situation requires immediate attention. Usually included in a security policy.

Spam

Not to be confused with the spiced ham product by Hormel, spam has become the common term for unsolicited email. Types of spam include email messages touting pornographic sites, diet aids, or mortgage assistance.

Spam Scoring

Email messages are scored based on spam characteristics defined in a set of rules. Messages scoring above the set threshold are considered spam and rejected.

SSL

Secure Sockets Layer. A protocol that enables messages to be sent over the internet in an encrypted format.

TLS (Transport Layer Security)

A secure communication protocol that is widely used for securing the communication stream between two mail servers. This secure delivery method ensures that no third party may eavesdrop or tamper with any message while traveling over the internet. The use of TLS is seamless to the end-user and does not require any complexities of a public/private key infrastructure.

Trusted Sender

Email addresses or domains that will pass through the spam filter and be delivered into your mailbox.

UCE

Unsolicited Commercial Email, the formal name for spam.

Viruses

Destructive programming code that can cause damage to a computer or loss of data. Viruses can be spread via email, transfer of infected computer disks or the internet.

WORM

Write-Once-Read-Many. An optical disc whose surface is permanently etched using a laser that can be written to once, but read many times.

X.509 Certificate

A standard for defining the structure and format of public key certificates used as part of PKI.