Mobile Device Management Glossary

RISC-V is an open source instruction set architecture, or ISA — what you could call a “blueprint” for running code on a computer processor.

Computer vision is quite literally what it sounds like: Making computers see. Computer vision use cases can vary, but most of them rely on object detection and classification algorithms.

Edge AI is the use of machine learning (AI) algorithms that run at or near the source of data they analyze, using on-device processing to crunch data and predict an outcome.

Machine learning (ML) is the practice of using mathematical algorithms to “teach” a computer system to perform a task autonomously and with continuous improvement in outcome.

AOSP is the Android Open Source Project and refers to the publicly available source code for the Android operating system.

An all in one POS system is one where the hardware and software are married — they are both provided by the same company.

ADB is a powerful command line tool that you can use to debug your Android phone or tablet and send a large number of commands to control behavior on the device.

Android Device Owner is an enterprise feature supported by Google as part of the Android operating system, in place of the now-deprecated Android Device Admin.

Android Kiosk Mode is a function that locks an Android device down to a single app, preventing other uses.

Android Mobile Device Management, or Android MDM, is the software that enables businesses and their IT teams to monitor and manage Android devices remotely.

On Android, app pinning (previously known as screen pinning) allows you to “lock” an Android device’s screen to a single app.

CI/CD stands for continuous integration, automatically integrating newly contributed code into a shared repository regularly, and continuous delivery, automatically delivering the validated build to the testing environment and integrating into the code repository.

The CPU is the brain of any computer system. Its role is to execute complex instruction sets and perform millions or billions of calculations per second.

Device provisioning is setting up a device (like a tablet, display, sensor, or handset) to work in a specific manner.

Typically, an edge device is a computer (e.g., a server), piece of network infrastructure, or IoT device that exists at the edge of a network, acting as an interface between the external world and that network.

A factory reset erases all user data and configuration settings on a device like a smartphone, tablet, or laptop.

FOTA stands for firmware-over-the-air and is used to refer to a type of update system on modern smart devices like tablets and smartphones.

Federated learning is a conceptual framework for distributing the training of a machine learning model across many endpoints and data sets (versus centralized training on a massive dataset) in a way that inherently creates strong data privacy protections.

Google Mobile Services is a bundle of applications and services built by Google that comes pre-installed on GMS-certified Android devices.

Guided Access is Apple’s proprietary name for a feature in iOS that allows you to “lock” your iPhone or iPad to a single app or screen.

Healthcare technology is any technology used in a healthcare setting, including everything from IT operations and medical devices to software, AI, ML, wearable technology, and cloud-based tools.

iOS Mobile Device Management, or iOS MDM, is the software used by businesses and IT teams to monitor and manage their iOS devices remotely.

While it isn’t called “kiosk mode,” iPadOS has a setting that locks a single app to the screen. It’s called Guided Access.

IoT device management refers to the suite of tools and practices designed to effectively organize, monitor, and maintain the connected devices within an IoT ecosystem.

Digital kiosk machines automate customer orders of goods and services, such as ticketing booths, airport check-in terminals, or ordering kiosks at quick service and casual restaurants.

Line busting is exactly what the name implies: a way to reduce checkout times and get customers through lines at your store or restaurant more quickly.

Managed Google Play is a private version of Google's Android app store designed for large organizations to manage and deploy applications and updates to Android device fleets.

An mPOS uses a smartphone or tablet and some form of card reader to complete a transaction. The smartphone or tablet powers the system and is portable so merchants can accept payments from virtually anywhere.

An over-the-air (OTA) update refers to a software or firmware update package distributed to a device (like an Android smartphone) via internet connection.

A point of sale (POS) system is designed for customers to pay for goods or services. A POS system can be tied to a single physical location, a portable system called an mPOS, or a virtual POS system used for online checkout.

Point of sale (POS) terminals are simply modern cash registers. Older definitions may specifically refer to credit card machines or card readers, but modern POS terminals universally accept card payment.

Profile and device management is a feature of iOS devices that allows a company or other organization to control the settings, content, and security on those devices.

RAM is a type of short-term storage that is faster than traditional hard disk storage, so it stores temporary files, apps, and data, allowing your device’s CPU to access them more quickly.

Remote device management refers to the ability to centrally manage and control devices like tablets, kiosks, or POS systems from a remote location, such as a company office or your WFH setup.

RBAC is generally composed of three key components: roles, permissions, and users. Users are assigned roles, and roles are given permissions.

Seamless Provisioning is a way to bake the provisioning process directly into your Android build so it happens automatically at first boot.

Sideloading means installing an app on a device without using an official application store.

Single App Mode is a way to force an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV to remain “locked” to a single app. This feature is similar to Guided Access or kiosk mode, but there are differences that distinguish each one.

SSO stands for “Single Sign-On” and is a process that allows users to use a single set of login credentials to gain access to multiple applications and services.

A single-board computer (SBC) integrates all the essential functions of a computer on a single printed circuit board (also known as a PCB).

A small language model (SLM) is a machine learning model typically based on a large language model (LLM), but of greatly reduced size and compute demand.

Much like a smart home, a smart warehouse integrates technology into key components of the warehousing process, including things like automation, intelligent data collection, and inventory tracking.

Apple iOS device supervision, also known as iOS supervised mode, is a way for organizations and IT admins to remotely manage and control the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.

x86 is the instruction set used by the x86 family of processors, which were initially developed by Intel in the late 1970s.