Computer and Information Systems Glossary

Computer/System Terms - B

• Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) - (Cloud-based service which provides data backup services and storage capabilities for organizations.)

• Backus-Naur Form (BNF) - (programming language)

• Balanced Technology eXtended (BTX) -

• Base Transceiver Station (BTS) -

• Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) -(Non-volatile firmware stored on a ROM chip inside PC-compatible computervsystems that initializes hardware at computer system startup.)

• Basic Service Set (BSS) - (name given to group formed by, or consisting of, the access point (AP) of a wired network and the wireless devices (clients) connecting to the network)

• batch file (BAT file) - (In Windows, a file with the extension .bat and contains a list of commands that could be typed in console mode. Batch processing involves the input of all data and commands, which are not processed until all have been entered, and then processed in a batch as a whole.)

• Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code (BASIC) - (Computer language designed in 1964, which was easy to learn and capable of performing simple calculations, without having to deal with detailed programming. Popularized by Microsoft in the 1970s.)

• Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) - (platform)

• Best Current Practice (BCP) - (A method of operation which has been used and is considered the best procedure, but which has not been adopted as a formal standard.)

• binary-coded decimal (BCD) - (A method of representing numbers where each number is written or converted to its corresponding 4-bit binary pattern - the number 4002 would be written in BCD as 0100 0000 0000 0010.)

binary digit (bit) - (Only two: 0 and 1)

• bit-block transfer (bitblt) -

• bits per second (bps) -

• block error rate (BLER) -

• Blu-ray disc (BD) - (Relatively high-capacity, removable media, optical (reads and writes using light (optically) instead of magnetism) drive.)

• Blu-ray disc - Recordable (BD-R) - (High-capacity optical disc format for recording content.)

• Blu-ray disc - Recordable Dual Layer (BD-R DL) - (High-capacity optical disc format for recording content, which allows for recording on two layers. The reflective surface of the top layer is semi-transparent which permits recording on the second layer.)

• Blu-ray disc - Rewritable (BD-RE) - (High-capacity optical disc format for recording content which is fully rewritable.)

• Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) -

• Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) -

• Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) -

• bulletin board system (BBS) - (An online message board, especially those that were run on non-networked computers with dial-up modems in the 1980s. Message boards can involve a web page, NEWSGROUP, or dial-up computer system, where users an post messages and reply to messages posted by others.)

• boot configuration data/database (BCD) - (The configuration information used by Windows to determine how to boot (start) the sytem.)

• branch target buffer (BTB) -

• bring your own cloud (BYOC) - (Situation where a user or employee can subscribe to their own cloud service simply by selecting from a cloud provider menu.)

• bring your own device (BYOD) - (Mobile device environment in which employees are allowed to use their personally owned devices to access, store, and process data belonging to their employers or organizations.)

• Browser Help Object (BHO) -

• built-in self test (BIST) -

• bumpless build-up layer (BBUL) - (Method of packaging or encapsulating microhip dies (individual chip images) during the manufacturing process.)

• burst extended data out (BEDO) - (Dynamic Random access memory (DRAM) technology owned by Micron which never caught on which used DRAM burst mode, allowing access to additional addresses of memory.)

• burst extended data out dynamic random access memory (BEDO DRAM) -

• bus interface unit (BIU) -

• business to business (B2B) - (E-commerce model which involves online business systems with links for conducting sales or transactions with other businesses, usually for integrated supply-chain purchases and deliveries.)

• business to consumer (B2C) - (E-commerce business model in which a business creates an online storefront where customers can purchase goods and services directly from the Website.)

• business continuity (BC) - (General concept involving the ability of a business to continue operating at some level following a disaster or, more specifically, all of the planning and processes that an organization undertakes to ensure that it survives and can function after a disaster or incident.)

• business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) - (The planning involved for handling the sudden, unexpected, or catastrophic loss of systems or data for an organization. Type of planning which incorporates three concepts 1) resiliency, or the ability to deal with less-than-catastrophic events through the availability of redundant or backup systems; 2) recovery from outages or failures of portions of a system or environment or data corruption, through the use of saved data backups; and 3) disaster recovery caused by catastrophic losses, such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, or fire, where planning may involve consideration of major changes, such as the creation or investment in alternate facilities or making alternative operational arrangements, if the area of primary operations has been totally destroyed.

• business continuity management (BCM) - (The management process involving disaster recovery, the planning involved in recovery - the resumption of operations following a disaster - and business continuity planning - the long-term planning involved in keeping a business operating under various conditions, as well as crisis management, incident response management, and risk management.)

• business continuity plan (BCP) - (A plan which incorporates a set of procedures, programs, and supporting plans that have been established to maintain the operations of an organization in the event of disruption or interruption caused by different levels of disaster.)

• business continuity planning (BCP) - (The planning involved in maintaining and/or restoring business operations in the event of a disaster or disruption.)

• byte - (The amount of memory space needed to store one character, which is normally 8 bits.)

• bytecode - (Intermediate code, compiles from the Java programming language, which will then be executed in a Java Virtual Machine (JVM), an interpreter which converts the bytecode into a machine-level format for execution.)

• bytes per second (Bps) -