| AD | Active Directory — Microsoft's directory service that manages users, computers, groups, and policies. The backbone of account management at SPS. |
| ADUC | Active Directory Users and Computers — the management console for AD. Where you create, disable, and modify user accounts. |
| Azure AD | Azure Active Directory (now Microsoft Entra ID) — cloud-based identity and access management. Handles Microsoft 365 authentication. |
| DNS | Domain Name System — translates website names to IP addresses. When DNS breaks, nothing loads. |
| DHCP | Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol — automatically assigns IP addresses to devices on the network. |
| IP | Internet Protocol — the address system that identifies devices on a network. IPv4 (e.g. 192.168.1.1) is still the most common. |
| VLAN | Virtual Local Area Network — logically separates network traffic. SPS likely uses VLANs to segment staff, student, and guest networks. |
| VPN | Virtual Private Network — creates a secure, encrypted connection to the SPS network from off-site. |
| MAC | Media Access Control — a unique hardware identifier for every network interface. Used for device tracking and network access control. |
| WAN | Wide Area Network — connects multiple locations. SPS schools connect to the district network via WAN. |
| LAN | Local Area Network — the network within a single building or campus. |
| WAP | Wireless Access Point — the hardware that broadcasts Wi-Fi. What people mean when they say "the Wi-Fi is down." |
| SSID | Service Set Identifier — the name of a Wi-Fi network that appears when you scan for networks. |
| NAT | Network Address Translation — lets multiple devices share one public IP address. |
| ISP | Internet Service Provider — the company that provides internet connectivity to a building. |
| PoE | Power over Ethernet — delivers power and data through a single Ethernet cable. Used for IP phones, cameras, and access points. |
| TCP/IP | Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol — the fundamental communication protocols of the internet and most local networks. |
| UDP | User Datagram Protocol — a faster but less reliable alternative to TCP. Used for streaming, VoIP, and DNS. |
| FTP | File Transfer Protocol — used to transfer files between computers. Largely replaced by cloud services but still referenced. |
| SFTP | Secure File Transfer Protocol — encrypted version of FTP. |
| HTTP/HTTPS | HyperText Transfer Protocol (Secure) — the protocol that powers the web. The "S" means encrypted. |
| SSL/TLS | Secure Sockets Layer / Transport Layer Security — encryption protocols that secure web traffic (HTTPS). |
| RDP | Remote Desktop Protocol — Microsoft's protocol for remotely controlling a Windows computer. What you use to remote into a user's machine. |
| SSH | Secure Shell — encrypted remote command-line access to servers and network devices. |
| CLI | Command Line Interface — text-based interface for interacting with a computer. PowerShell and Command Prompt are CLIs. |
| GUI | Graphical User Interface — the visual, point-and-click interface most users interact with. |
| M365 / O365 | Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) — Microsoft's cloud-based productivity suite: Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint. |
| Exchange | Microsoft Exchange — the email server backend. Outlook connects to Exchange. When email is down, Exchange is usually the culprit. |
| Exchange Online | The cloud-hosted version of Exchange that comes with Microsoft 365. |
| SPO | SharePoint Online — the cloud version of SharePoint included in Microsoft 365. |
| OD4B / OD | OneDrive for Business — personal cloud storage for each user. Tied to their Microsoft 365 account. |
| Entra ID | Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) — the identity platform for Microsoft 365. Handles sign-in, MFA, and conditional access. |
| MFA | Multi-Factor Authentication — requires a second verification method (phone, app, code) in addition to a password. SPS uses this. |
| SSO | Single Sign-On — one login grants access to multiple applications. Microsoft 365 uses SSO across all its apps. |
| SAML | Security Assertion Markup Language — a standard for SSO authentication between services. |
| MDM | Mobile Device Management — software that manages and secures mobile devices. Intune is Microsoft's MDM. |
| Intune | Microsoft Intune — cloud-based device management. Controls policies, apps, and security on SPS-managed devices. |
| Conditional Access | Policies that control access based on conditions — location, device health, risk level. "If you're not on the SPS network, require MFA." |
| DLP | Data Loss Prevention — policies that prevent sensitive data from being shared outside the organization. |
| EOP | Exchange Online Protection — Microsoft's email filtering service that blocks spam and malware before it reaches inboxes. |
| Defender | Microsoft Defender — built-in antivirus and security suite. Included with Windows and Microsoft 365. |
| CPU | Central Processing Unit — the main processor in a computer. Intel Core i5/i7 or AMD Ryzen are common in SPS devices. |
| RAM | Random Access Memory — short-term memory for active programs. More RAM = more programs can run simultaneously. |
| SSD | Solid State Drive — fast storage with no moving parts. Most modern SPS devices use SSDs instead of traditional hard drives. |
| HDD | Hard Disk Drive — traditional spinning-disk storage. Slower than SSD, still found in older machines. |
| NIC | Network Interface Card — the hardware that connects a computer to a network. Can be wired (Ethernet) or wireless (Wi-Fi). |
| BIOS/UEFI | Basic Input/Output System / Unified Extensible Firmware Interface — the low-level software that starts a computer before the OS loads. |
| POST | Power-On Self-Test — the diagnostic check a computer runs when first powered on. Beep codes and LED patterns indicate hardware issues. |
| PXE Boot | Preboot Execution Environment — allows a computer to boot from the network. Used for imaging and deploying new machines. |
| IoT | Internet of Things — network-connected devices beyond computers: smart boards, printers, sensors, cameras. |
| JSCEE | John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence — SPS district headquarters at 2445 3rd Ave S. Where the tech support team is based. |
| SIS | Student Information System — the database that tracks student enrollment, schedules, grades, and demographics. PowerSchool is SPS's SIS. |
| LMS | Learning Management System — the platform for online learning. Schoology is SPS's LMS. |
| Clever | Single sign-on portal for K-12 education. Students log into Clever to access Schoology, Microsoft 365, and other apps. |
| Schoology | SPS's Learning Management System. Teachers post assignments, students submit work, grades are tracked. |
| PowerSchool | SPS's Student Information System. Attendance, grades, schedules, demographics. The Source parent portal runs on PowerSchool data. |
| The Source | Parent/guardian portal for viewing student attendance, grades, schedules, and assessment scores. |
| SeeSaw | Digital portfolio and communication platform used primarily in elementary grades. |
| IEP | Individualized Education Program — a legal document outlining special education services for a student. |
| 504 Plan | A plan for accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Different from an IEP — focuses on accessibility, not specialized instruction. |
| FRL | Free and Reduced Lunch — federal program. Eligibility data is used for school funding and program qualification. |
| ELL / ML | English Language Learner / Multilingual Learner — students learning English as an additional language. |
| OSPI | Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction — Washington State's education agency. Sets state standards and reporting requirements. |
| ITSM | IT Service Management — the framework for delivering IT support. Includes ticketing, incident management, and service requests. |
| ITIL | IT Infrastructure Library — a set of best practices for IT service management. Most help desks are structured around ITIL principles. |
| SLA | Service Level Agreement — the commitment for how quickly issues will be addressed. "P1 tickets have a 2-hour SLA." |
| P1 / P2 / P3 / P4 | Priority levels for tickets. P1 = critical (system-wide outage). P2 = high (department down). P3 = medium (single user blocked). P4 = low (cosmetic, request). |
| KB / KBA | Knowledge Base / Knowledge Base Article — documented solutions to common problems. This site is a KB. |
| Incident | An unplanned interruption or reduction in service quality. "Email is down" = incident. |
| Service Request | A request for something new — access, hardware, software install. Not a break/fix. |
| Escalation | Transferring a ticket to a higher support tier when the issue exceeds your scope or access. |
| Root Cause | The underlying reason an issue occurred. Good troubleshooting finds the root cause, not just the symptom. |
| Triage | Assessing and prioritizing incoming tickets based on severity and impact. |
| IAM | Identity and Access Management — controlling who can access what. AD and Entra ID are IAM systems. |
| RBAC | Role-Based Access Control — permissions assigned by role, not by individual. "Tech support staff have password reset access." |
| Zero Trust | Security model: never trust, always verify. Every access request is authenticated and authorized, even inside the network. |
| Phishing | Fraudulent emails designed to trick recipients into revealing credentials or installing malware. The #1 security threat at SPS. |
| Ransomware | Malware that encrypts files and demands payment for decryption. Prevention is the only reliable defense. |
| EDR | Endpoint Detection and Response — security tools that monitor devices for suspicious activity. Microsoft Defender is an EDR. |
| SIEM | Security Information and Event Management — centralized logging and alerting for security events across the organization. |
| Patch Tuesday | Microsoft's monthly security update release (second Tuesday of each month). Critical for staying current on vulnerabilities. |