IT jargon has a habit of turning up at inconvenient moments: in a quote, in a warning email, or halfway through a call with a supplier. This page explains the terms that matter most when running a nursery or a small business, in plain English. The terms are in alphabetical order, so skim it, search it or bookmark it for later. Where we have a fuller guide on a topic, we link to it.
A
Access control
A system that decides who can open a door and keeps a record of who went where. Each person gets their own credential, such as a fob, card or phone, so you can remove one person's access without affecting anyone else. See our guide to access control for nurseries.
Apple Business Manager (ABM)
Apple's free service that lets an organisation own its iPads, iPhones and Macs in Apple's records, so devices belong to the business rather than to whoever signed in first. In April 2026 Apple brought it into a wider free platform called Apple Business. See our guide to iPad management for nurseries.
Automated Device Enrolment (DEP)
An Apple feature that sets a new device up for your organisation automatically the first time it is switched on, with the right apps, settings and restrictions. It works for devices bought through Apple or an authorised reseller linked to your Apple Business Manager account. DEP (Device Enrolment Programme) is the old name, and you will still hear it. Our iPad management guide explains it in more detail.
B
Backup
A separate copy of your data that you can restore from if the original is lost, deleted or locked by ransomware. The question that matters is not "do we have a backup?" but "have we ever tested restoring from it?" See our backup and disaster recovery page.
Breach
When data is accessed, taken or exposed without permission. If it involves personal data, such as children's or parents' details, you may have a legal duty to report it to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) within 72 hours of becoming aware of it. Our guide on what to do if you've been hacked covers the first steps.
Break-fix
A way of buying IT support where you only call someone, and pay them, when something breaks. It can look cheaper, but nobody is keeping your systems patched, backed up or secure in between, so problems tend to be bigger by the time they are noticed. The alternative is managed IT support.
C
Cloud
Computers in someone else's data centre that you use over the internet. Microsoft 365 is an example: your email and files are stored in Microsoft's data centres rather than on a server in your office.
Co-managed IT
An arrangement where a business keeps its own in-house IT person or team, and an outside provider works alongside them, adding skills, tools, security or cover for holidays and busy periods. See co-managed IT support.
Conditional Access
A Microsoft 365 feature that applies rules to sign-ins, for example requiring a second factor, or blocking sign-ins from countries where none of your staff are. See our Microsoft 365 support page.
Credential
Anything used to prove who you are or to get in: a password, a door code, a fob, a passkey. Good credentials belong to one person and can be removed when that person leaves. Our leavers checklist covers what to remove and when.
Cyber Essentials
A UK government-backed certification scheme, run by the National Cyber Security Centre, that shows an organisation has five basic technical controls in place: firewalls, secure configuration, user access control, malware protection and keeping software updated. It is a self-assessment, checked by a certification body. We are Cyber Essentials certified, and our cyber security page explains how we help others get there.
Cyber Essentials Plus
The higher level of Cyber Essentials. It covers the same five controls, but an independent assessor also tests your systems hands-on to check the controls actually work, rather than relying on your answers alone.
D
DKIM
Short for DomainKeys Identified Mail. A digital signature added to the emails your organisation sends, so the receiving server can check the message really came from your domain and was not changed on the way.
DMARC
Short for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance. A setting on your email domain that tells other mail servers what to do with messages that fail SPF and DKIM checks: let them through, put them in junk, or reject them. It also sends you reports. Set up properly, it makes it much harder for criminals to send emails that pretend to come from your address.
E
Encryption
Scrambling data so it cannot be read without the right key. If an encrypted laptop or phone is lost, whoever finds it cannot read what is on it. Modern phones and tablets are usually encrypted by default once a passcode is set.
Endpoint
Any device that connects to your systems: a computer, laptop, iPad or phone. "Endpoint protection" means the security software that runs on those devices.
F
Firewall
A barrier between your network and the internet that controls what traffic is allowed in and out. Most nurseries already have a basic one built into their broadband router. Businesses with more to protect use a dedicated firewall; we use WatchGuard.
G
GDPR
The data protection law that governs how personal information is handled. In the UK it is the UK GDPR, alongside the Data Protection Act 2018. Children's names, photos, addresses and medical details are among the most sensitive information a nursery holds.
H
Hexnode
The mobile device management (MDM) platform we use to control iPads centrally. The same principles apply to any reputable MDM platform. See our iPad management guide.
I
Immutable backup
A backup that cannot be changed or deleted for a set period, not even by an administrator, and not by ransomware that has got hold of an administrator's login. It means there is always a clean copy to restore from. See backup and disaster recovery.
K
Keeper
The password manager we use and recommend. It stores unique passwords and passkeys, and lets you share access through shared vaults, so staff can use a login without ever seeing the password.
L
Least privilege
Giving each person access only to what their job needs, and nothing more. If an account is compromised, the damage is limited to what that account could reach.
M
Managed IT support
An arrangement where an IT provider looks after your systems on an ongoing basis, keeping them updated, monitored, backed up and secure, rather than waiting for something to break. See managed IT support.
MDM (mobile device management)
Central control of phones and tablets: pushing apps and settings, enforcing passcodes, and locating, locking or wiping a lost device remotely. See our iPad management guide.
MFA (multi-factor authentication)
Proving who you are with something beyond your password, usually a tap or a code on your phone. In everyday use it means the same as 2FA. See our guide to two-factor authentication on Microsoft 365.
Microsoft 365
Microsoft's cloud package of email, file storage, Teams and the Office apps. For many nurseries and small businesses it is the central system everything else depends on. See our Microsoft 365 support page.
P
Passkey
A replacement for a password, stored on your device and unlocked with your face, fingerprint or PIN. It cannot be guessed or reused, and it cannot be typed into a fake website. See our guide to passkeys for nurseries.
Passphrase
A password made of several random words strung together. It is long, which makes it hard to crack, but easy for a person to remember. A good choice for the one master password you do need to remember. See our guide to strong Windows passwords.
Password manager
An app that creates, stores and fills in a unique, strong password for every account, so you only need to remember one master passphrase. We use Keeper.
Patch
A small software update that fixes a flaw. Patching regularly keeps known holes closed before criminals can use them.
Phishing
Emails, texts or messages that trick people into clicking a link, typing a password or handing over money or data, usually by pretending to be someone you trust. See our guide to spotting phishing emails.
Phishing-resistant
A sign-in method that a fake website cannot trick you into handing over. Passkeys are phishing-resistant because there is no password to type, and each passkey only works on the genuine website it was created for. You may also hear this called phishing-proof.
R
Ransomware
Malicious software that locks or steals your files and demands payment to release them. Tested backups, ideally immutable ones, mean you can restore your data instead of paying. Our guide on what to do if you've been hacked covers the first steps.
S
Social engineering
Manipulating people rather than computers: a fake supplier on the phone, or an urgent message that appears to come from the boss. The defence is to confirm any request for money or data through a separate channel you already trust. See our guide to spotting phishing emails.
SPF
Short for Sender Policy Framework. A published list of the mail servers that are allowed to send email for your domain. Receiving servers check it to spot messages sent from anywhere else. It works together with DKIM and DMARC.
SSO (single sign-on)
Signing in once to get into several systems. Microsoft 365 can provide single sign-on into other tools, such as Keeper, so staff have fewer separate logins.
Supervised mode
A setting for organisation-owned iPads and iPhones that gives the organisation extra control, such as turning off AirDrop, limiting the App Store, filtering web browsing and preventing staff from removing management. It is set when the device is first set up. See our iPad management guide.
T
Tenant
Your organisation's own private space within Microsoft 365, with its own users, settings and data.
Two-factor authentication (2FA)
A second proof of who you are on top of your password, usually a tap or a code on your phone. It is the first step every nursery and small business should take. Our guide to two-factor authentication on Microsoft 365 walks through setting it up.
V
VPN (virtual private network)
An encrypted tunnel for your internet connection, often used to reach office systems remotely. For a small nursery that works in Microsoft 365, it is usually less essential than it once was.
Z
Zero-day
A security flaw that has just been discovered and has no fix yet. The defence is keeping software updated, so the fix goes on as soon as it is released.
The one thing to take away
You do not need to memorise any of this. The aim is that jargon never stops you asking a question or making a decision. Keep this page bookmarked, and be wary of anyone who cannot explain these terms to you in plain English.