Resources
Glossary
The tech industry is full of jargon. Below are simple definitions of some terms you are likely to encounter as you research tech companies.
C-Level The highest level ("Chief") job titles in any company, most commonly including CEO (Chief Executive Officer), CFO (Chief Financial Officer), CTO (Chief Technology Officer), and CMO (Chief Marketing Officer).
Collateral Marketing materials that are primarily geared toward prospective customers for use in a sales cycle. Examples include brochures, product data/fact sheets, whitepapers, and guides of various kinds. This term has nothing to do with the legal definition of collateral, meaning property that secures a loan.
Direct reports Individuals whose work is directed and evaluated by a more senior individual. Usually used in context by the person to whom the others report, e.g., "My direct reports include the three people in Product Marketing."
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions. Many marketers create documents or website copy (text on a website) referred to as FAQs that attempt to break down complicated information into a more digestible question-and-answer format.
Horizontal In the context of a tech company, this usually refers to a product or product line. Product Marketers and Product Managers usually "own" certain "horizontals." Also see Segment and Vertical.
Market In tech companies, this term usually refers to the industry that the company competes in (e.g., "We make products for the semiconductor test equipment market"). A target market is an industry that the company sells to.
MBA Master (or Master’s) of Business Administration. A two year graduate level course of study in business. Many tech companies seek MBAs because of the perception that they have a well-rounded business education.
Out-of-the-box Software or hardware that either cannot or does not necessarily need to be customized or modified in any way to meet a particular customer’s needs.
RFP/RFI/RFQ Requests for Proposals, Information, or Quotes, respectively. These are documents issued by a prospective corporate buyer to prospective vendors. These requests outline the buyer’s needs and seek feedback in a well-defined format.
SaaS Software as a Service. Simply put, these are Web-based software applications, accessed remotely through one's Web browser. Unlike traditional packaged software, there is nothing to install on your computer, and the vendor supplying the software maintains and upgrades it continuously. Pricing is usually on a per-month basis in what is essentially a rental model.
Sales cycle The entire process of selling a product or service, beginning with some form of initial engagement with a prospective customer (such as a phone call from the prospect to enquire about pricing) until the point when the customer signs a contract with the company or informs the selling company that they will not purchase anything. For tech companies, sales cycles can last from a few days to a year or more, depending on the complexity and price of the product, the ability for the customer to secure budget for the product, and many other factors.
Segment Similar to the term vertical (meaning "an industry"), but usually on a more granular level. If "telecom" is the vertical, segments might include telecom hardware, telecom software, telecom services, and so on. As with the term vertical, this term is used in the context of which markets a company pursues.
SI Systems Integrator. Originally, before many of the computer-related standards that are in place today existed, these were companies that made a diverse mix of hardware and software systems work with each other. Today, systems integrators still do that, but also provide a wide range of value-added services such as consulting, network design, custom software development, help desk services and much more.
Space Tech company jargon for the industry in which the company sells. Common usage examples are, "Our company is in the enterprise software space," or, "We play in the Web 2.0 space." This is just another term for market or industry.
VC Venture Capital. A company that is "venture-backed" is primarily or entirely funded by venture capital firms.
Vertical Another word for "industry," such as aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, telecom, etc. This term is often used in the context of, "This product is targeted at the following verticals."
Web 2.0 A generic term that describes a class of Web-based tools that enable the publishing and management of user-created content. This includes social and professional networking sites, community sites, blogs, wiki's, discussion boards, user-submitted reviews and ratings, and more.
Webinar A seminar conducted remotely over the Web. The "audience" views the slides through their Web browser and hears the speaker’s commentary over their telephone. Conducting a webinar is much less expensive than holding an in-person seminar and can reach a much larger audience (the entire Internet-enabled world).
Whitepaper Also commonly spelled with two words, a whitepaper is a document that explores a theme or narrow topic in some depth (usually 5-25 pages). An example: "What You Need to Know About Content Management Systems." Whitepapers are partly an educational tool and partly an advertisement for a company’s products. They typically include a useful primer on a topic but then lead the reader to conclude that the company that wrote the paper is clearly the best vendor.
