The 10 most important IT concepts that every entrepreneur needs to know

A modern company cannot function without information and communication technologies. How in all this IT jungle not to get lost already at the stage of talking to an Internet provider or choosing a cloud? We have collected 10 ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) concepts that are worth knowing in order to make informed business decisions. All with concrete examples from our offer!

Firewall

A firewall is your company’s digital gateway. It protects your internal computer network from threats from the Internet, blocks unwanted connections and filters websites. Good firewalls can even scan encrypted traffic, analyze emails for viruses and block potential data leaks.

ITH recommends FortiGate from Fortinet – advanced firewalls that effectively protect even the most complex computer systems.

Symmetrical link

Equal download and upload speeds. In practice: the speed of uploading files to the cloud, reliable video conferencing, no lag when working remotely. Unlike home Internet – here the parameters are guaranteed. This is very important when storing data and using business applications.

ITH offers symmetric business connectivity with guaranteed SLA and priority in service, you can see more here: https://ith.eu/ith-net

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

Secure tunnel between your computer and the company’s server. Ideal for remote work and branch office connection. Data is encrypted, so no one outside will suspect it. VPN is a key part of handling the application lifecycle and ensuring its security.

ITH supports the configuration and maintenance of VPNs for corporate networks and mobile workers.

Backup

Data backup. Created regularly, preferably automatically, preferably in a separate location. If something ever goes wrong, only a backup will allow you to recover important documents and files. Backups apply not only to servers, but also to databases, operating systems and files stored in external memory.

ITH provides backups of workstations, servers and even data from Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.

Cloud Computing

You don’t have to buy a server when you can rent one. The cloud is IT infrastructure as a service. It can be public, private or hybrid. It runs over the Internet, flexibly growing with your business. It allows you to conveniently store data, run applications and create hypertext documents online.

ITH provides its own public cloud and private cloud solutions, as well as hybrid clouds, fully tailored to the company’s needs.

Data Center (server room)

Professional storage space for IT equipment. With backup power, air conditioning, monitoring and connectivity from multiple carriers. Better than an office router closet. The data center houses servers, network equipment, HDDs and database management systems, among other things.

ITH operates state-of-the-art data centers in Warsaw and LIM, among others, with server colocation and cloud access.

Ransomware

Computer malware that encrypts data and demands a ransom to decrypt it. An increasingly common and expensive problem. Ransomware can attack both local resources and data stored in the cloud or web applications.

ITH helps prevent ransomware through security policies, next-generation firewalls, user education and regular backups.

SLA (Service Level Agreement)

A contract that guarantees the quality of service. It defines parameters like response time, uptime, temperature in the server room. It’s worth reading the fine print, because it determines whether something works on your word of honor or whether you actually have security. It’s an important document in the whole software development process.

ITH uses transparent SLAs with real guarantees and a billing system.

Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7

Modern wireless network standards. More devices, faster speeds, lower latency. Ideal for offices where everyone sits with a laptop and five Internet applications in the background. They support, among other things, front-end development of web applications or systems management in a client environment.

ITH installs: Professional access points with Wi-Fi 6/7 support and network optimization.

LAN (Local Area Network)

Your company’s internal network. Computers, printers, servers – all connected to each other by cables or Wi-Fi. Even when the Internet goes down, the LAN continues to work. It’s the basic infrastructure in IT that allows browser-level access to local resources and web applications.

ITH designs and implements stable LANs with segmentation and full access control.

Knowing these 10 concepts allows you not only to understand the language of IT, but most importantly to make good decisions for your business. And if you want to talk about what your company needs – ITH will be happy to advise and offer specific solutions.

Want to know more? Learn other basic concepts in the IT industry

It’s a quick overview of terms you might find useful when you’re talking to your IT department, choosing hybrid mobile apps for your business, or just want to understand what the digital world is all about.

Frontend of web applications – this is the part of the application that you see in the browser. That is, all the buttons, colors, forms and other wonders. Creating the frontend of web applications is done by a web developer. He or she does it using a particular programming language, such as HTML, CSS or JavaScript.

Mobile apps are divided into native (written specifically for Android or iOS) and hybrid (running on both systems). The latter are faster to produce and easier to maintain, especially if the end users are people using different mobile devices.

An API (or Application Programming Interface) is something of a translator between one application and another. It allows systems to get along with each other; for example, your website knows that you need to retrieve data from your bank.

You don’t have to know these terms by heart. But it’s good to know what they mean, so that you don’t feel lost when you see a communication scheme between applications or hear about software development methods. And if something is unclear – that’s what ITH people are for, to translate IT into “human language.”