IT concepts

IT concepts encompass the foundational principles and technologies that support modern information systems. This includes networking, databases, operating systems, virtualization, and cloud computing.

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CFIUS

IT concepts

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is a government committee that reviews foreign investments in U.S. businesses. Its job is to assess any potential national security risks. CFIUS has the power to recommend blocking a transaction, imposing strict security conditions, or even forcing completed deals to be reversed if they threaten critical infrastructure, sensitive technology, or U.S. citizens’ personal data.

Browser Extension

IT concepts

A browser extension is a software module that adds specific features or functionality to a web browser. Extensions can modify browser behavior, interact with web pages, manipulate content, and integrate with external services. They range from popular password managers and ad blockers to specialized developer tools, productivity applications, and AI agent interfaces that enable LLM-powered assistance directly in the browser.

Break Glass Account

IT concepts

A break glass account is a special, privileged emergency access key (or an actual user account, or service account) designed for rare, critical scenarios. You use it when normal sign-in systems fail or when immediate administrative action is required. The term itself refers to breaking the protective glass to access emergency equipment; these accounts remain dormant under strict controls until an urgent situation demands their use. Unlike your standard administrative accounts, break glass accounts are designed to bypass typical access control mechanisms to restore system functionality during outages, security incidents, or infrastructure failures.

API Gateway

IT concepts

An API gateway is essentially a centralized entry point; a server that acts as the “bouncer” and “traffic cop” for all requests trying to access your company’s back-end services. Its job is to manage traffic flow while enforcing crucial rules like authentication (checking ID), authorization (checking permissions), and rate limiting (making sure no one overwhelms the system).

API

IT concepts

An API key is a unique string of characters used to authenticate and identify an application or user when interacting with an API. It acts as a simple form of credential that verifies who or what is making a request, without requiring a full authentication protocol.

Integration

IT concepts

The process of connecting secrets managers with other systems, applications, or cloud services to automate the retrieval and use of secrets. Secrets managers often provide integrations with popular development frameworks, deployment tools, and cloud platforms to streamline secret management.

Identity Provider (IdP)

IT concepts

A trusted entity responsible for authenticating users and issuing identity tokens or assertions that can be used to access federated services. IdPs manage user identities and credentials, often through techniques like SAML, OAuth, or OpenID Connect.

Proxy

IT concepts

A proxy is an intermediary that routes requests between a client and a server, often used for security, logging, or anonymization. In IAM, proxies can be used to handle authentication, monitor access, or enforce security policies by intercepting requests before they reach the target service.

Proxyless

IT concepts

In IAM, proxyless refers to an architecture where a client interacts directly with a service or resource without an intermediary (proxy). This can be mean access cloud services using an application programming interface (API).

Quota

IT concepts

In IAM and workload management, a quota refers to the predefined limits set on resources that a user, machine, or application can access. For instance, quotas may restrict the number of API calls, storage usage, or the number of machines a user can provision within a cloud environment.