Interim Report On Jargon

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, Larry Anderson, Editor

Jargon is a part of life in our industry, and it's certainly no surprise that the language we use to describe what we do is changing as fast as the technology itself.

Still, I am occasionally blindsided when someone uses a word I haven't heard before. When it happens, I try to react appropriately — usually I nod sagely or murmur a knowledgeable “uh-huh” — and then later scramble to find out what it means. Too often, I realize it's an old-hat term that has been around — like — forever while I've been stuck in a cave using only words that are in Webster's New World.

Such was the case when someone at the ASIS show referred to a “forklift upgrade.”

“Webopedia” tells me it is “a slang term used to describe a major upgrade or overhaul to a system or network. A forklift upgrade is considered a large-scale upgrade where large parts of the existing infrastructure must be overhauled.” Certainly, it's a handy word for our industry!

Turns out the term has been around since the days of mainframe computers, when the only way to upgrade was to remove the old machine and bring in a completely new one — get it? — on a forklift.

The other new word I have heard lately is “equifinality.” According to “Wikipedia,” it is “the principle that in open systems a given end state can be reached by many potential means.” Also this: “Similar results may be achieved with different initial conditions and in many different ways.” In the security industry, we have always known that there is more than one way to get a job done, but it's certainly great to learn a new word for it.

Could be time for a forklift upgrade on my reference bookshelf.

We welcome your feedback: E-mail landerson@securitysolutions.com

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