10 IT terms for PR pros to know

Even savvy communicators can get confused by the lingo of their co-workers in technology support departments. This guide can help.

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I’ve been in enough meetings with marketing, PR and IT professionals to see the pattern. Those on the marketing or PR side make a request. Those on the IT side respond using terms no one else understands. When asked for clarification, the IT folks continue to use unfamiliar terms. It’s frustrating for everyone.

To help ease the aggravation, below are frequently used IT terms, along with their definitions (courtesy of Gartner IT glossary).

1. Agile: A method for software development that focuses on keeping code simple, testing code often and delivering the working parts of the software once they are ready.

To improve your employees’ user experience, we are using agile methods to develop your new templates.

2. Bring your own device (BYOD): An directive for employee-owned devices—smartphones, tablets, laptops, and USB drives—to be used within a company.

We have many young, tech-savvy employees, so we instituted a BYOD policy, much to the chagrin of our IT staff.

3. Build: A pre-release version of a program that is identified by a build number, rather than a release number.

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