E.164
The International Telecommunications Union recommendation defining the format of international long-distance telephone numbers.

E2
A digital telecommunications connection category defined under the European E-carrier system (see E-carrier). An E2 line has an aggregate capacity of 8.448 megabits per second.

E3
A European digital telecommunications facility with a transmission speed of 34.368 megabits per second. For Digital Signal Level 3 (DS3), 32 voice channels are multiplexed onto one E3 channel. See E-carrier and DS3.

EA (Enterprise Agreement)
A Microsoft volume software agreement.

E-AD (enterprise application development)
A category of tools designed for use in developing enterprise (rather than departmental or workgroup) applications. Platform-specific E-AD tools are optimized for specific environments (such as the AS/400 or Unix), generally at the expense of supporting more heterogeneous environments.

EAI (enterprise application integration)
An emerging category of products that provide messaging, data transformation, process flow and other capabilities to simplify the integration of enterprise resource planning, legacy and other applications.

EAM (enterprise asset management)
A strategy to increase plant capacity, using IT in lieu of new construction, in large, asset-intensive enterprises. EAM systems, including computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) functionality, have traditionally been a key tool in maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) procurement. EAM integrates key open control systems (OCSs), enterprise resource planning (ERP) and maintenance activity and functions to reduce downtime without significantly increasing maintenance spending. See CMMS, MRO, OCS and ERP.

EAM (equipment asset management)
The optimal acquisition, deployment and use of enterprise IT equipment assets, such as hardware and peripherals, to reduce total cost of ownership and improve efficiency. EAM and software asset management (SAM) are among the components of an enterprise IT asset management (ITAM) discipline. See SAM and ITAM.

EAN (European Article Numbering)
A retail bar code system (the European equivalent of the UCC system in the United States) managed by EAN International, a group founded in 1974 by 12 European countries and set up as a not-for-profit international association under Belgian law in 1977. Today, EAN International has 97 member organizations representing 141 countries.

EAO (enterprise application outsourcing)
Outsourcing the maintenance or hosting of enterprise application software (EAS), such as an PeopleSoft or SAP implementations, to a third party. See EAS and application outsourcing.

EAROM (electrically alterable read-only memory)
A type of read-only memory (ROM) that can have its initial programming electrically altered by original equipment manufacturers, or even end buyers. EAROM devices are a type of electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), which can be erased using the electrical signals even after it has been soldered into the end equipment. See ROM and EEPROM.

earth station
An assemblage of communications equipment — including a signal generator, transmitter, receiver and antenna — that receives and transmits signals to and from a communications satellite; also called a "ground station."

EAS (enterprise application software)
The software market category comprising enterprise application packages used to automate back-office and front-office operations. These include traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM) and supply chain management (SCM) applications. See ERP, CRM and SCM.

EASDAQ (European Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations)
An electronic pan-European stock exchange founded by the Belgian Banking and Finance Commission, closely modeled on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) exchange in the United States. In 2001, NASDAQ acquired a 58 percent stake in EASDAQ and renamed it NASDAQ Europe.

EBCDIC (Extended Binary-Coded Decimal Interchange Code)
An IBM-developed code designating a standard table of alphanumeric characters, similar to (and now largely eclipsed by) American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII). See ASCII.

e-bill (electronic bill)
A bill presented or delivered via e-mail or the Internet.

EBIS (enterprise business intelligence suite)
A suite that offers multiple styles of common business intelligence functionality, including ad hoc query, reporting, charting, online analytical processing (OLAP) and trend analysis. See business intelligence and OLAP.

e-book (electronic book)
A book stored in digitized form, which can be downloaded over the Web and read on a PC, tablet computer, personal digital assistant, e-book reader or other electronic device.

e-book reader
A book-size device that contain a high-resolution screen with local storage and limited processing capability. Users subscribe to a service that allows them to download electronic books (e-books) to the device, directly from a Web site. See e-book.

EBP (electronic bill presentment)
The ability for consumers to view their bills electronically (for example, on the Web). Unlike electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP), EBP does not include online payment capability. See EBPP.

EBPP (electronic bill presentment and payment)
The ability for consumers to view and pay their bills online (for example, via the Web or e-mail).

EBR (electronic batch record)
A transaction that captures all of the relevant steps and measurements associated with a product's production using batch-manufacturing methods.

EBT (electronic benefits transfer)
The delivery of benefits payments to recipients via electronic funds transfer, rather than the mailing of paper checks.

e-business (electronic business)
Any Internet-enabled business activity that transforms internal and external relationships to create value and exploit market opportunities driven by the new rules of the "connected economy."

e-business platform
The tools, methodology and engine necessary to provide the basic building blocks for e-business applications.

ebXML (Electronic Business XML)
A joint project of the United Nations Center for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (CEFACT) and the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS), whose goal is to develop a framework for consistent use of Extensible Markup Language (XML) in business-to-business application standards. The ebXML framework provides a dictionary of common business objects (such as names and postal addresses) and an overarching protocol for communicating transactions. Industry consortia and other standards development groups are invited to use this framework to define application standards. Among the aims of the initiative is to lower the entry cost for e-commerce, particularly for small and midsize enterprises and developing nations. See CEFACT, OASIS and XML.

ECAE (electronic computer-aided engineering)
A category of electronic design automation (EDA) tools. ECAE applications are computer-aided tools used in the engineering or design (as opposed to the physical layout) phase of electronic product development. Examples include schematic-capture and simulation tools. See EDA.

E-carrier
A hierarchical system for multiplexing digitized voice signals over a communications networks in Europe, similar to the T-carrier system in the United States (see T-carrier). Various levels in the hierarchy define the digital transmission capacity of a line — see E1, E2 and E3. Among E-carrier services, which were defined by the Conference Europeenne des Administration des Postes et des Telecommunications (CEPT), only E1 and E3 are widely supported. See CEPT.

E-CASE (enterprise computer-aided software engineering)
A category of enterprise application development (E-AD) tools that are generally noninterpretive, generate COBOL or C, and may have modeling capabilities in their integrated development environments (IDEs). See AD, E-AD, IDE and CASE (computer-aided software engineering).

e-cash (electronic cash)
Currency that can be loaded onto smart cards, PCs, remote servers or handheld devices and used to purchase goods and services. It is typically used for low-value transactions and allows anonymous purchasing.

e-catalog (electronic catalog)
The presentation of information on goods or services — often including online purchasing capabilities — via the Internet or another network-based medium. E-catalogs are a common feature of electronic marketplaces (e-marketplaces). See e-marketplace.

ECC (elliptic curve cryptography)
An cryptographic algorithm introduced for commercial use by security vendor Certicom. It is implemented using public-key algorithms combined with elliptic curves. The curves construct "elements" and "rules of combining" to produce groups which, in turn, create cryptographic algorithms.

ECC (error-correcting code)
Diagnostic code used to correct data-storage errors and isolate hardware failures. Based on a concept of simultaneous polynomial equations, the read-back process generates a correction profile over the incorrect data. All ECCs have a very small but finite failure rate (i.e., some uncorrectable errors will either appear as correctable or appear as having no error at all). In either situation, bad data is passed as verified and valid.

ECD (electrochemical deposition)
An electrochemical plating process used to deposit thin metallic films on wafers used for semiconductors and related electronic components. ECD equipment includes both electroplating and "electroless" tools.

echo
A wave that has been reflected or otherwise returned with sufficient magnitude and delay for it to be perceived as a wave distinct from the one directly transmitted.

echo cancellation
A technique used in high-speed modems to isolate and filter out unwanted signal energy generated by echoes from the main transmitted signal.

ECL (emitter-coupled logic)
In chip design, a type of bipolar transistor characterized by extremely fast switching speeds.

ECMA (European Computer Manufacturers Association)
An industry trade group headquartered in Geneva. The ECMA has developed more than 200 computer standards.

ECMAscript
A standardized version of JavaScript introduced by the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) in 1997.

ECN (electronic communications network)
An anonymous e-market maker (EMM) that automatically pairs up and executes matching buy and sell orders. See EMM.

ECN (explicit congestion notification)
A technique used in frame relay networks to detect and address network congestion. It has two components: forward ECN (FECN) and backward ECN (BECN). See BECN, FECN and frame relay.

e-commerce (electronic commerce)
The use of information and communication technologies to transmit business information and transact business. The term is most commonly associated with Internet-based commerce, but this is only one of several advanced forms of e-commerce that use technology, integrated applications and business processes to link enterprises.

e-community (electronic community)
Groups of people collaborating and sharing ideas over an electronic network. Communities optimize their collective power by affiliation around a common interest, by the compression of the time between member interactions (i.e., communicating in real time), and by asynchronous "postings" that potentially reach more participants and allow for more reflection time than real-time interactions.

economic life
The period during which physical assets (such as IT equipment) are expected to be economically viable with normal repairs and maintenance.

ECP (electronic check presentment)
The electronic presentation of check data to processing banks. In the first ECP phase, one bank presents a second bank with electronic check information based on the check's magnetic-ink character recognition (MICR) line, which states the correct customer account and the amount of the payment. Electronic presentment is then followed by the paper check, speeding the clearing process by one day and enabling banks to use credited account balances a day earlier — a significant benefit, especially to large banks. In the second ECP phase, the check is imaged at the first bank of collection; the paper or the image is not passed to the second bank unless the second bank requests it. See MICR and document imaging.

ECR (efficient consumer response)
A consumer goods initiative aimed at reducing inefficient practices and waste in the supply chain.

e-CRM (e-channel customer relationship management)
The integration of electronic channels (e-channels) — notably the Web — into an enterprise's overall customer relationship management (CRM) strategy. A subset of CRM, e-CRM comprises the business strategies and technologies that leverage customer-facing, e-channel applications to develop more profitable customer relationships. E-CRM involves using the Web to support CRM with the goal of driving consistency within all channels relative to sales, customer service and marketing initiatives. It can support a seamless customer experience and maximize customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and revenue.

ECTF (Enterprise Computer Telephony Forum)
An organization based in Fremont, California, that develops implementation guidelines and interoperability standards for the computer-telephony integration (CTI) industry. See CTI.

EDA (electronic design automation)
The use of a computer to design and simulate performance of electronic circuits on a chip. Similar to automatic test equipment, which tests primarily chips in electronic systems.

EDA (Enterprise Data Access)
The original brand name for a suite of Information Builders Inc. (IBI) middleware tools, which were repositioned as the iWay Enterprise Integration Suite following IBI's formation of its iWay Software subsidiary in 2001.

EDA (event-driven architecture)
An architecture that will likely emerge to extend the service-oriented architecture (SOA) model in next-generation applications servers (see SOA). EDA activity is driven by posting and receiving event notifications through a decoupled middleware network. The event source and destination systems do not depend on each other in any direct way. The source of the event is absent and unknown, and the conclusion of the event processing is typically a posting of a new event or simply a close to the process.

EDA/SQL (Enterprise Data Access/Structured Query Language)
A product developed by Information Builders Inc. (IBI) that provided a common interface between a wide range of Structured Query Language (SQL) programs and databases. The technology is now managed under the iWay brand by IBI subsidiary iWay Software. See SQL.

EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution)
A radio interface technology with enhanced modulation designed to provide Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and time division multiple access (TDMA) networks with the capacity to rival third-generation (3G) cellular networks. It is an integral part of the migration of GSM and TDMA networks to 3G. (Many vendors and industry groups substitute "Global" for "GSM" in the expanded term, to avoid the impression that the technology is applicable only to GSM networks.) EDGE is being developed to support mobile services with maximum data rates of around 384 Kbps. In real-life conditions, throughputs will be considerably lower (e.g., 64 Kbps) but much faster than today's GSM and TDMA networks. EDGE can allow operators without a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) license to stay competitive in wireless data markets. GSM network operators also may deploy it, even if they win a 3G license, to provide low-cost services to automotive and machine-to-machine applications. See 3G, GSM, TDMA and UMTS.

edge gateway
Perimeter switching technology that provides private-network users with an interface to a variety of public data services.

EDI (electronic data interchange)
The electronic exchange of trading documents (such as invoices and orders) to facilitate e-commerce. The two most widely used EDI standards are the United Nations' EDI for Administration, Commerce and Transport (EDIFACT) and the Accredited Standards Committee's X12. Originally conducted only through value-added networks, EDI is gradually moving to the Internet. It remains a popular means of business-to-business information exchange because of the maturity of established standards and the wide adoption of EDI-associated technologies. See EDIFACT and X12.

EDIFACT (Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transportation)
A United Nations initiative to produce a universal standard for a total approach to electronic data interchange (EDI), including syntax, data elements and messages. See EDI.

EDM (enterprise data model)
A single logical model for enterprise data, which can be mapped to multiple physical data repositories. For each subject area in an enterprise data model, sample elements include data attributes and appropriate groupings, data subtypes, relationships between subject areas, business rules and entity relationship diagrams.

EDM (EMC Data Manager)
A centralized, high-performance backup and restore system optimized for large enterprise database environments, from storage vendor EMC.

EDM (Enterprise Desktop Manager)
A desktop and server configuration tool from Novadigm.

EDO (extended data out)
A form of high-speed dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) that became popular in the 1990s. EDO offered improved performance over traditional memory by shortening the "page mode" cycle. See DRAM.

EDP (electronic data processing)
Data calculations performed by electronic, as opposed to mechanical, means — i.e., modern computing. See data processing.

EDS (Electronic Data Systems)
A multibillion-dollar system integration and IT services firm, founded in 1962 and headquartered in Plano, Texas.

EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable ROM)
A type of programmable read-only memory (ROM) that can be erased or updated using electrical signals, a process often performed remotely. See ROM and firmware.

e-ESP (e-business external service provider)
A Web-focused external service provider (ESP). An e-ESP typically delivers e-business expertise focused on strategy or implementations, but rarely on both.

EFCI (explicit forward congestion indication)
In an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, EFCI is a feedback mechanisms used by the available bit rate (ABR) service category to inform the source of the network resources available to it. EFCI maps to the forward explicit congestion notification (FECN) technique used in frame relay. See ABR, ATM, FECN and frame relay.

e-finance (electronic finance)
Electronically enabled access to financial services. E-finance is not a delivery (i.e., institution-centric) vehicle, but a vehicle of access (i.e., customer-centric).

e-form (electronic form)
An automated and interactive template for capturing, processing, displaying and creating output from defined sets of business data.

EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management)
A European organization that has devised a performance management framework, consisting of four result areas (people, customer, society and key performance) and five enablers (leadership, people, policy and strategy, partnerships and resources, and processes). The enablers focus on how the organization undertakes key activities. The EFQM methodology has some recognition in Europe, but comparable methodologies, such as Malcolm Baldrige and Six Sigma, are better recognized in the United States.

EFT (electronic funds transfer)
The electronic exchange of financial transaction data, such as account debits and credits, between financial institutions.

EHLLAPI (Emulator High-Level Language Application Program Interface)
An IBM mainframe application programming interface.

EIA (enterprise integration architecture)
An architecture defining the use of middleware in enterprise applications and information systems. The EIA rules include application programming interfaces and protocols addressing interoperability and portability of applications, whether acquired or developed internally. The EIA is a living specification requiring constant management and regular review for enhancement.

EIA (Electronic Industries Alliance)
A U.S. electronics standards group (formerly called the "Electronic Industries Association"). Its subgroup representing the telecom sector is the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). Common EIA and TIA standards include EIA/TIA-568 cable categories, and the RS-232 and RS-449 serial interface specifications. See EIA/TIA-568, RS-232 and RS-449.

EIAJ (Electronic Industries Association of Japan)
A Tokyo-based industry trade group, founded in 1948 to represent Japan's electronics manufacturers.

EIA/TIA-568
A series of five grades of unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling defined by the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) and its telecom subgroup, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). Categories 3 and 5 are the UTP grades most commonly used in local-area networks. See Category 3 and Category 5.

EIDE (Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics)
A computer interface for storage devices, such as internal hard disk drives. EIDE supports larger capacities than standard Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) and allows for more peripherals to be attached, providing some incremental flexibility and expandability. See IDE.

EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol)
A proprietary interior gateway protocol (IGP) from Cisco Systems — an enhanced version of Cisco's Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP). See IGP and IGRP.

EIRP (effective isotropic radiated power)
A measure of the radiated power of radio frequency transmissions.

EIS (executive information system)
An application program specifically designed for use by the corporate executive. Presentation of material is often structured after the "board briefing book" concept. The EIS acts as a high-level interface to a database of company information. It automates analysis and reporting, and typically has a user-friendly graphical interface.

EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture)
An enhanced version of the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) system bus used in early IBM-compatible PCs. EISA was developed as an industry alternative to Micro Channel Architecture, the 32-bit bus IBM developed for its PS/2 line of PCs and promoted as the successor to ISA. Micro Channel lost out to EISA as the de facto standard in the market, primarily because, unlike Micro Channel, it offered backward compatibility to ISA. EISA has since been superseded by Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) as the PC market standard. See PCI.

EJB (Enterprise JavaBeans)
A specification for building server-side, transactional Java-based components. It was developed by Sun Microsystems in collaboration with IBM, Netscape, Oracle and other vendors. See Java.

e-learning
Network-enabled learning that relies on digital content, experienced through a technology interface. Collaboration is a desirable feature but not a requirement. E-learning can be a subset of distributed learning. See distributed learning.

electromagnetic spectrum
The entire range of wavelengths or frequencies of electromagnetic radiation, extending from gamma rays to radio frequency (RF) waves and including visible light. See RF.

electronic messaging
The sending and receiving of messages and, increasingly, data through a network. Like paper messaging, it is accomplished through a number of tasks, including composition, assembly, addressing, posting, sorting, routing and delivery.

electronic signature
A traceable e-mail or a biometric identifier applied to a message. The identifier may be based on digitized handwriting or another biometric feature (such as a fingerprint). The electronic signature cannot be removed and applied to other documents to forge a signature.

electronic whiteboard
Technology (also called "whiteboarding") that uses a large, touch-sensitive screen attached to a PC to help convey information during videoconferences and other types of network-enhanced meetings. Words and images drawn on the whiteboard (often using a specially designed, inkless pen) can be shared over a network with remote attendees. Often, the PC's display output can also be viewed on the whiteboard screen, and controlled by touching a pointing device to the menu options and icons.

EMA (Electronic Messaging Association)
An organization that develops standards and policies for electronic-messaging systems, such as e-mail and voice mail. EMA is now a forum of the Open Group.

e-mail (electronic mail)
Any communication service that permits the electronic transmission and storage of text messages and attached or enclosed files. Some e-mail systems are limited to communication between end users on the same network; others have gateways that allow end users to send messages to other designated computer systems or worldwide over the Internet. Once sent, e-mail messages are stored in electronic mailboxes until the recipient retrieves them. Most Internet service providers also provide e-mail services.

e-mall
A Web site that maintains catalogs from multiple suppliers. E-malls often charge a fee for tenancy or membership, and may take title to the goods themselves.

e-market
A category or segment of business conducted over the Internet. Online book selling, for example, might be described as an e-market (in which the competitors include Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com). This term should not be confused with "e-marketplace," which refers to online buying environments that aggregate products or services from multiple suppliers. See e-marketplace.

e-marketplace
A Web site that provides an online buying environment where customers can select from multiple suppliers' products or services. E-marketplaces aggregate supplier content and often provide decision support tools to enable buyers to make informed decisions. E-marketplaces include sites focused on consumer buyers (for example, auction sites such as eBay) and business-to-business sites focused on specific industry segments (such as PlasticsNet).

e-merchandising
The merchandising function optimized for Web-based retailing. E-merchandising goes beyond building and updating an electronic catalog; it also includes Web-optimized product selection, sales forecasting and inventory control.

EMI (electromagnetic interference)
The energy given off by electronic circuits and picked up by other circuits. Based on the type of device and operating frequency, EMI can be reduced by shielding.

EMM (e-market maker)
An intermediary (also known as an "e-marketplace manager") that develops a business-to-business (B2B) e-marketplace of buyers and sellers within an industry, geographic region or affinity group (see e-marketplace). EMMs enter supply chains introducing new efficiencies and new ways of selling and purchasing products and services. They provide content, value-added services and often e-commerce capabilities.

emoticon
A text rendition of a face viewed sideways, created from punctuation marks. Emoticons are often used in e-mails and message board postings to denote an emotion.

EMPAC (Enterprise Maintenance Planning and Control)
An enterprise asset management (EAM) product from Indus International. See EAM.

EMPI (enterprise master person index)
A critical prerequisite for sharing information on patients and health plan members within an integrated delivery system (IDS). EMPIs (also known as "enterprise master patient indexes") uniquely identify patients and members, and cross-reference their identification numbers to link information in disparate systems. See IDS.

EMR (electronic medical record)
A system used to compile computerized patient healthcare information. EMRs generally deal with information only in the form of document images or text formatted for output to a printer or video display. They do not ordinarily handle discrete data of the type typically stored in a database management system.

EMS (electronics manufacturing service)
A company the manufactures electronic components, and provides related services, on a contract basis for a vendor of computer or other electronics products. These firms are also known as contract equipment manufacturers, although the term EMS is now more commonly used to acknowledge the additional services such firms provide in areas such as procurement, inventory management, distribution and logistics.

EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service)
A messaging standard developed by the 3G Partnership Project (3GPP). EMS — supported by a vendor group led by Alcatel, Ericsson, Motorola and Siemens — uses features defined in the Short Message Service (SMS) specification to enhance the user experience when sending messages. With EMS, software added to the mobile phone enables standard SMS parameter fields (such as the "user data header") to be used to send binary-encoded and concatenated messages. Thus, a suitably capable device can display enriched content such as text enhancements (including italics and underlining), sounds, and static or animated images. See 3GPP and SMS.

EMS (equipment management system)
A subsystem of a warehouse management system (WMS). An EMS controls automated material-handling equipment such as carousels, in-line scales and conveyors. It is designed to provide a standardized interface between a WMS and automated material-handling equipment. See WMS.

EMU (economic and monetary union)
The European process of standardizing on a single currency (i.e., the euro). See EU (European Union).

emulate
To imitate one system with another, so that the imitating system accepts the same data, executes the same computer programs and achieves the same results as the imitated one.

EMV (Europay-MasterCard-Visa)
An emerging general payment standard for smart cards.

encapsulation
The process of combining data and functions in the object-oriented (OO) programming paradigm. Encapsulation dictates that an object can identify— but not let other objects use — its methods and data. The purpose of encapsulation is to ensure that other objects cannot make changes to the original object without its knowledge. Another benefit is that legacy software can function like any other object in an OO environment.

encryption
The process of systematically encoding a bit stream before transmission so that an unauthorized party cannot decipher it.

end node
A network node that only sends and receives information, and cannot route and forward information to another node.

end user
An individual who uses a computer to perform a business or personal activity. Technical personnel are generally not considered end users when they are programming or operating the computer for technical purposes, though they are when they perform other tasks.

engineering change
A revision to a parts list, bill of material, engineering drawing or engineering part model authorized by the engineering department. Changes are usually identified by a control number and are made for safety, cost reduction or functionality reasons. Also called an ECO (engineering change order) or ECN (engineering change notice).

enhanced phone
A voice-centric device that is designed to deliver data content via network-based delivery mechanisms, such as Wireless Application Protocol, and that offers only minimal offline capability, such as contact management.

ENS (enterprise nervous system)
Gartner's term for the intelligent network that provides unifying connectivity among people, application systems and devices in different locations and business units across a virtual enterprise. The emerging ENS is based on the traditional enterprise network, but it is an evolution of that network, providing value-added functions that elevate the role of the network beyond that of plain communication. Whereas a conventional network simply aims to transfer data between sending application systems and explicitly defined destinations, an ENS offloads work from the application systems because it:

enterprise
Any large, autonomous, private- or public-sector organization that uses information technology. Enterprises include not only corporations, but also large, noncorporate entities such as governments, nonprofit groups and higher-education institutions. The term is often used to distinguish large IT user organizations from IT vendors, or from small and midsize businesses. It is also used to distinguish technology that spans, supports or applies to the overall organization from that which is relevant only to an organizational subunit, such as a department.

enterprise application
A software product designed to integrate computer systems that run all phases of an enterprise's operations to facilitate cooperation and coordination of work across the enterprise. The intent is to integrate core business processes (such as sales, accounting, finance, human resources, inventory and manufacturing). The ideal enterprise system could control all major business processes in real time via a single software architecture. Enterprise software is expanding its scope to link the enterprise with suppliers, business partners and customers.

enterprise-class
A term referring to the ability of an application or system to handle complex processes and services of the type required by a large enterprise.

enterprise console
A key component of an event management system, comprising applications' component maps, autodiscovery mechanisms and agents that send information to a manager. See event management system.

enterprise portal
Internet technologies that provide windows into enterprise information, applications and processes. Enterprise portals go by many names, including corporate portals, business portals and enterprise information portals. There are two types: horizontal enterprise portals (HEPs) and vertical enterprise portals (VEPs). See portal, HEP and VEP.

entity relationship
The logical relationship of data elements in a data model.

entity relationship diagram
A diagram used in data modeling to illustrate the logical relationships among various entities represented by data.

EOQ (economic order quantity)
A simple model used in inventory management to determine the best quantity for a given order placement.

EOTD (Enhanced Observed Time Difference)
The European Telecommunications Standards Institute's location service standard. Location is calculated at a central computer using the time difference between the arrival of signals from the handset and from the location measurement unit. See location service.

EPIC (Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing)
An effort by Intel and Hewlett-Packard to create an open terminology that the industry would use to represent the latest iteration of wide-word technology. It is the core technology used for IA-64.

EPM (enterprise performance management)
The process of monitoring performance indicators across the enterprise, with the goal of improving overall business performance. An EPM system integrates and analyzes data from many sources, including, but not limited to, e-commerce systems, front-office and back-office applications, data warehouses and external data sources. Advanced EPM systems can support many performance methodologies such as the balanced scorecard.

EPOS (electronic point of sale)
A category of systems used by retailers to capture sales and other transactional data at the point of sale, either via manual entry into a network-connected workstation or via automatic capture through bar-code scanners or electronic cash registers.

e-procurement
A set of applications and business-to-business information management processes that support the purchase of goods and services over the Internet.

EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory)
Memory chips that are programmed after manufacture, and that may be erased and reprogrammed at a later date.

e-purse (electronic purse)
An application that allows value (such as e-cash) to be loaded into a smart card or handheld device that then can be used to make purchases. A device or card can hold multiple e-purse applications designed for specific uses (for example, an e-purse on a student card or device could be restricted to purchases at a bookstore).

equalization
A communications term referring to the use of frequencies to compensate for attenuation (signal loss) or time variations (delay) in a transmitted signal.

ERC (European Radiocommunications Committee)
An organization that brings together the radio regulatory administrations of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications' (CEPT's) 44 member countries. The ERC's primary task is to develop radio communications policies and to coordinate frequency, regulatory and technical matters in this field. See CEPT.

e-retailing
Online retailing; also known as "e-tailing."

Erlang
In telecommunications, a unit of traffic intensity. One Erlang is the intensity at which one traffic path would be continuously occupied. Related terms include:

ERM (employee relationship management)
A business discipline that focuses on optimizing the employee's total employment experience — including both the human and technology aspects of that experience. ERM includes manager and employee interactions, the formal business tasks required manage employee relationships, and the technology used to manage the employee experience. Thus, ERM is most closely aligned with the human capital management (HCM) focus area of workforce management. See HCM.

ERMES (European Radio Message System)
A European paging standard, initially developed by the Paging Systems Technical Committee of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute. Enhancements offered by ERMES over previous paging systems include cross-country roaming and significant capacity improvements.

ERMS (e-mail response management system)
A customer service and support (CSS) software feature for handling and managing e-mail from customers. It integrates e-mail and Web forms into the incoming call flow to ensure that these inquiries and transactions are handled on a timely basis. See CSS.

ERP (enterprise resource planning)
Business strategies and enabling software that integrate manufacturing, financial and distribution functions to dynamically balance and optimize enterprise resources. ERP software suites include integrated manufacturing, distribution and financial applications. ERP can enable enterprises to optimize their business processes and analysis capabilities for improved speed and efficiency.

ERP II (enterprise resource planning II)
An application and deployment strategy that expands from traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) functionality to achieve integration of an enterprise's key internal and external collaborative, operational and financial processes. ERP II starts as an application strategy, setting a vision for the integration of all enterprise-centric, commerce-oriented business processes, without requiring a single-vendor strategy. As a deployment strategy, ERP II enables enterprises to determine the degree of single-vendor-centricity needed to fulfill enterprise process requirements and — through native integration capabilities — to include best-of-breed components from multiple vendors. ERP II includes capabilities specific to the enterprise, as well as the ability to connect the enterprise to key business partners directly or through a private e-marketplace. The process domain of ERP II includes all collaborative, operational and financial processes that have the enterprise at the center. See ERP and e-marketplace.

error control
An arrangement that detects the presence of errors in transmitted data. In some systems, refinements are added that correct the detected errors, either by operations on the received data or by retransmission from the source.

error rate
In communications, the number of bits, elements, characters or blocks incorrectly received, expressed as a fraction or ratio of the total number transmitted; in data storage, the ratio of lost bits per total bits written to the storage medium.

ERS (evaluated receipt settlement)
The process for paying for goods on receipt, rather than upon invoicing (sometimes referred to as "two-way matching").

ES&H (environmental, safety and health)
A category of software applications dealing with regulatory compliance — for example, compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or Occupational Health and Safety Administration requirements.

ESA (Enterprise Systems Architecture)
A 31-bit mainframe architecture introduced by IBM in the 1980s, employed in mainframe hardware such as the ESA/370 and ESA/390, and in operating systems such as Multiple Virtual Storage/ESA (MVS/ESA), Virtual Storage Extended/ESA (VSE/ESA) and Virtual Machine/ESA (VM/ESA). In 2000, IBM introduced a 64-bit successor to ESA called z/Architecture. See MVS, VSE, VM and z/Architecture.

ESB (enterprise service bus)
A streamlined, distributed integration middleware infrastructure that combines Extensible Markup Language (XML) and Web services support, basic transformation, and intelligent routing. It either includes message-oriented middleware (MOM) or wraps other MOM transport mechanisms. It serves as a lightweight integration broker suite (IBS) — more limited in function than an IBS, but offered at a fraction of the price. See XML, IBS, MOM, transformation and intelligent routing.

ESCON (Enterprise Systems Connection)
A high-speed fiber-optic serial channel for IBM's ES/9000 processors, introduced in 1990. ESCON was initially based in part on a fiber-optic link operating at a speed of 200 megabits per second (Mbps) regardless of the driver light source, but has been driven much faster.

ESD (electronic software distribution)
A practice that enables software to be installed by transmitting it over a network. The rise of distributed computing and remote work has increased the importance of ESD, as it provides an effective means of automating the distribution and installation of software in these environments.

ESE (extended selling enterprise)
Also known as e-partner selling, a group of applications and technologies provided by the enterprise to assist third-party selling-channel partners — such as brokers, agents, distributors and value-added resellers — in achieving selling objectives. It is a component of partner relationship management (PRM), which is itself a component of customer relationship management (CRM). ESE is an enterprisewide business strategy designed to optimize profitability, revenue and partner satisfaction by organizing the enterprise around partner segments, fostering partner-satisfying behaviors and linking processes from customers to partners through suppliers. See PRM and CRM.

e-service
Applications and tools that empower customers, partners and prospects for self-service via the Web. Interactive customer service Web sites are integrated with front-end customer service, sales and marketing applications, back-end databases, and the contact center to facilitate interactions between users and the enterprise.

ESF (extended superframe)
A framing standard designed to improve network performance monitoring. ESF uses a T1 format composed of 24 frames of 192 bits each. A 193rd bit is used for link control and error checking. See T1.

ESMR (enhanced specialized mobile radio)
A wireless communications method that uses a network of transmitters and receivers to transmit voice and data, both within a network and among wireless and wireline users. Operating frequencies range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and three gigahertz, with normal operation in the 900 MHz frequency band. ESMR delivers a service level close to that of cellular service, but often offers enhancements such as "push to talk" and calling-party services. Examples of ESMR networks include Motorola's Integrated Dispatch Enhanced Network (iDEN) and the Nextel system. See iDEN.

ESP (Enterprise Storage Platform)
An array-based software product from EMC that allows a Symmetrix system to be simultaneously shared between open systems and mainframe hosts.

ESP (external service provider)
A company that provides services such as consulting, outsourcing, software services or system integration. An ESP is a separate legal entity from the contracting company; it supplements that company's skills and resources. See consulting and system integration.

ESS (employee self-service)
Once simply defined as employee access to human resources (HR) systems, for the purpose of reviewing or updating benefits or address information that had previously been in an HR-staff-controlled domain. The definition has now expanded to include look-up or edit access to many other areas, such as employee time tracking, direct-deposit account changes for payroll, and skills and training updates. The boundaries of this new "open" access will be stretched even further as companies demand increased productivity and real-time information exchange.

ESS (enterprise scheduling system)
A complex system used by care delivery organizations (CDOs). An ESS interacts with other healthcare systems such as enterprise master person indices (EMPIs), computer-based patient records (CPRs), clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) and departmental scheduling systems. To achieve a successful ESS implementation, a CDO must consider not only the features that the ESS supports, but also how it interoperates with the CDO's environment. See CDO, EMPI, CPR and CDSS.

ESS (Enterprise Storage Server)
A disk storage subsystem from IBM.

ETACS (extended total access communications system)
An analog cellular network that transmits on the 872 megahertz (MHz) to 950 MHz frequency range. Developed in the United Kingdom and used in Europe and Asia, ETACS is an extended version of total access communications system (TACS). See TACS.

e-tag (electronic tag)
A machine-readable tag with an embedded chip that provides information via radio signals. E-tags, also known as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, are a form of auto-identification technology. See RFID and auto-identification technology.

e-tailing
Online retailing; short for "e-retailing."

ETCO (enterprise total cost of ownership)
An expanded version of Gartner's total cost of ownership (TCO) model that includes additional cost elements in the context of total office-worker-related infrastructure and support costs. Gartner's basic IT TCO chart of accounts includes five direct cost elements (hardware and software, IS management, IS support, development, and communications) and two indirect cost elements (end-user IT costs and downtime). However, a 1977 accounting standard issued by the Institute of Management Accountants offers a broader framework in which to consider IT costs and investments — including direct and indirect occupancy costs, home office setup, direct and indirect non-IT equipment, and direct and indirect non-IT support costs. These broader costs are reflected in an expanded version of the TCO model, which Gartner calls ETCO. By using the ETCO model, CIOs can spot cost reduction opportunities or unforeseen incremental costs resulting from IT infrastructure investments elsewhere in the enterprise. See TCO.

Ethernet
A baseband local-area network (LAN) technology, originally developed by Xerox in the 1970s and adopted by Intel and Digital Equipment in 1980. Today, Ethernet is the dominant technology used for LANs. It uses a bus topology with carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) access control. Although the original Ethernet technology was not strictly identical to Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 standard, Ethernet has become the common name used to denote IEEE 802.3 networks, which have a maximum transmission speed of 10 megabits per second (Mbps). Faster versions, operating at speeds up to 100 and 1,000 Mbps, are known as Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet, respectively. See LAN, CSMA/CD, 802.3, Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet.

ETL (extraction, transformation and loading)
Tools for extracting data and its metadata from one data store, transforming the record structure and content of this data, and loading the transformed data to another data store. These tools are sometimes referred to as extraction/transformation/transport or ETT technology.

ETN (electronic tandem network)
A private telecommunications network in which calls are automatically switched over specific trunks.

ETO (engineer-to-order)
A category of configurable product offerings that consist of standard and custom-engineered components.

ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute)
A not-for-profit enterprise whose mission is to produce the telecommunications standards that will be used throughout Europe. Some of the standards developed by the ETSI may be adopted by the European Commission as the technical base for directives or regulations. The ETSI's main task is to remove any possible variation from a global standard and to focus on a defined European-specific set of requirements. The ETSI also ensures that there is interoperability between standards such as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). See ISDN, GSM and UMTS.

EU (European Union)
A European body, created by a 1993 treaty, with the goal of working toward the economic and political unification of Europe. (Previous incarnations were known as the European Community and the European Economic Community.) Many EU activities have a major impact on information technology — for example, many of its directives govern telecommunications and computing standards, and the EU process of economic and monetary union (EMU) — featuring a single European currency called the euro — has a major impact on financial IT system compliance.

EUA (enterprise user administration)
A category of security tools (also known as consolidated user administration or consolidated security administration tools) that enable security administrators to more easily manage a large number of permissions on behalf of users. Ideally, adding a new user might be achieved with a single command. EUA tools reduce the workload of the security administrator, and reduce turnaround time between request and implementation — in some cases to less than 24 hours.

EULA (End-User License Agreement)
The standard license agreement delivered with each copy of a Microsoft software product, describing the software rights that pertain to the user of that particular copy.

euro
The pan-European currency of European economic and monetary union (EMU), overseen by the European Union (EU). See EMU and EU.

Eurosmart
A trade association representing the European smart-card industry, based in Brussels, Belgium.

Eutelsat (European Telecommunications Satellite Organization)
A Paris-based European satellite network operator. It offers capacity on 23 satellites for television and radio broadcasting, data networks, Internet services and mobile communications.

EVA (economic value added)
A methodology used to measure corporate economic performance. It views investments (including IT investments) in terms of their impact on shareholder value — that is, the increase (or decrease) in enterprise economic value that results from an investment.

event management system
A system designed to reduce enterprises' capital equipment and training costs by consolidating the number of network and system management consoles with which operators must interact. An event management system enables events from disparate enterprise network devices, hardware systems, middleware and applications to be monitored from one console. Examples include BMC Software's Patrol, IBM's Tivoli Enterprise Console and Micromuse's Netcool.

EVM (Enterprise Volume Manager)
A product that offers point-in-time copy and other advanced functions for various Hewlett-Packard (formerly Compaq) storage systems.

e-wallet (electronic wallet)
Residing either on a device or on a server, this software application stores personal information (such as passwords and shipping addresses), digital certificates and information for a variety of payment instruments (such as credit cards or e-cash) used for e-commerce transactions. The information can be automatically applied to payment and other Web transactions.

exchange
The assembly of equipment in a communications system that controls the connection of incoming and outgoing lines and includes the necessary signaling and supervisory functions. Different exchanges (also called "switches") can be colocated to perform different functions (for example, to act as a local exchange or a trunk exchange). In a public voice networks, an exchange that serves a local calling area is also known as a central office (CO). Exchanges installed within enterprises are commonly known as private branch exchanges (PBXs). A high-capacity form of PBX, offering advanced functionality, is called a private communications exchange (PCX). See CO, PBX and PCX.

expansion card
A circuit board that can be inserted into the computer to increase its capabilities (also called an expansion board). See card.

expert system
A software system that can learn new procedures by analyzing the outcome of past events, or that contains a knowledge base of rules that can be applied to new data or circumstances not explicitly anticipated by the developer. Applications include network management, data mining, speech recognition, biometrics and software for complex evaluation in such fields as petroleum geology. See artificial intelligence.

extranet
A collaborative, Internet-based network that facilitates intercompany relationships by linking an enterprise with its suppliers, customers or other external business partners. Extranets use Internet-derived applications and technology to provide secured extensions of internal business processes to external business partners. See Internet and intranet.

extranet VPN (extranet virtual private network)
A virtual private network (VPN) that uses a public Internet Protocol (IP) network (like the Internet) and features tunneling technology, security, encryption, authentication, network privileges and management. See IP and VPN.