I

identity

Information about a user (or other entity, like a host or component), including name and other personal information. Authentication allows an identity to be verified. An anonymous identity distinguishes an entity from all others without supplying any personal information and is useful in observing behavior without an invasion of privacy.

implementation

See development.

independent software vendor (ISV)

A firm that is primarily a supplier that licenses software to others, as distinct from a software developer within an end-user organization or an equipment supplier that also develops its own embedded software.

indirect network effects

See network effects.

industrial design

See design.

industry consultant

See consultant.

information

From a user perspective, recognizable patterns conveyed by a material medium (e.g., sound, light) that inform or influence us in some way, such as contributing to our knowledge or humor or emotion, or that influence us to take action. Within information technology, information comprises recognizable patterns represented by data (a finite collection of bits, each bit or binary digit assuming the value 0 or 1). Digital information is represented by a finite set of discrete values (usually, bits), whereas analog information is represented by continuous physical quantities (e.g., air pressure or voltage).

information appliance

An integrated bundle of hardware and software that provides a single application.

information technology (IT)

Technology encompasses knowledge on changing nature to accommodate human needs and wants; human artifacts (not natural phenomena) that make use of these ideas and knowledge; processes and infrastructure for acquiring that knowledge; and designing, manufacturing, operating, and repairing those artifacts. Information technology is dedicated to capturing, manipulating, storing, communicating, and accessing digital information.

infrastructure

See software.

infrastructure service provider (ISP)

See services.

installation

See distribution.

instruction set

See processing.

integrated development environment (IDE)

See tools.

integration

Making modules work together properly through composition, testing, and refinement. Within software development, integration turns a collection of module implementations into a software release. Integration of software from different suppliers is an important part of provisioning, and thus an independent firm that performs provisioning is sometimes called a system integrator.

intellectual property

A set of government-sanctioned property rights granting ownership privileges to the creators of immaterial goods like information and software. Specific rights include the trademark (right to exclusive use of a name or symbol), trade secret (right to prevent the theft of proprietary information through malfeasance), patent (exclusive right to exploit a useful and novel idea), and copyright (right to control the replication and distribution of a creative work).

interaction design

See design.

interface

See module.

internet

See network.

internet inter-orb protocol (IIOP)

See object-request broker (ORB).

internet protocol (IP)

See network.

interoperability

See composition.

interpreter

See processing.

intranet

See network.