Streamline AI
Tech lawyer's glossary

API stands for application programming interface, which is a set of rules and protocols that allow different software applications to communicate with each other. APIs allow two applications to talk to each other — share data, and extra data with each other

A contract governing the conditions under which a third party can use a company's API.

The revenue that a company expects to earn annually from subscriptions.

An Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is a set of rules and guidelines that define how an organization's network, computer systems, and digital information can be used. It aims to ensure that users understand and adhere to proper conduct to maintain the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the system.

Agile development is a term primarily used in software development, referring to an iterative and flexible approach that emphasizes collaboration, customer feedback, and rapid response to changes.

The process of removing personally identifiable information from data sets, so that the people whom the data describe remain anonymous.

The simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems.

The process where a near-final product or service is evaluated by potential users in the real world.

Extremely large data sets that may be analyzed computically to reveal patterns, trends, and associations.

A system in which a record of transactions made in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency are maintained across several computers that are linked in a peer-to-peer network.

A legal requirement in many jurisdictions to inform affected individuals and authorities when a data breach occurs.

A flaw or error in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result.

A deal offered by many websites, organizations and software developers by which individuals can receive recognition and compensation for reporting bugs, especially those pertaining to security exploits and vulnerabilities.

The rate at which a company is spending its capital.

The cost to acquire a new customer, including marketing and sales expenses. To calculate CAC, sum all the expenses associated with converting prospects into customers (such as marketing and sales personnel costs) and divide that sum by the total number of customers gained. For instance, if Streamline AI spends $100,000 on marketing and acquires 50 new clients in a year, the CAC is $2,000. A lower CAC is preferable for a business, as it indicates a reduced cost for each new customer added.

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is a state statute in California, United States, that went into effect on January 1, 2020. It aims to enhance privacy rights and consumer protection for residents of California. CCPA provides California residents with the right to know what personal data is being collected about them, whether their personal data is being sold or disclosed, and to whom. They also have the right to access, delete, or opt-out of the sale of their personal information.

A cancellation policy is a set of terms and conditions that outline the process and requirements for terminating a subscription or service, including any potential penalties or refunds.

Cash flow refers to the movement of money into and out of a business, representing the operating activities, investing activities, and financing activities during a specific period. Cash flow provides a clear picture of a company's ability to pay its short-term liabilities, such as bills, wages, and loans.

Churn rate, also known as attrition rate, measures the percentage of customers a company loses within a specified time frame. At SaaS software companies, it signifies the number of subscribers who either cancel or opt not to renew their subscriptions. A higher churn rate means that more customers are ending their relationship with the company, whereas a lower churn rate indicates better customer retention.The churn rate is computed using the formula: (Lost Customers ÷ Total Customers at Start) x 100. For instance, if a business begins the quarter with 100 customers and loses 10 by the end, the churn rate would be calculated as (10 ÷ 100) x 100, resulting in a 10% quarterly churn rate.

The delivery of computing services over the internet, including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence.

A service model in which data is maintained, managed, backed up remotely and made available to users over the internet, rather than on physical hard drives or local storage devices.

An agreement that restricts both parties from sharing proprietary or confidential information.

A declaration to your users on what cookies are active on your website, what user data they track, for what purpose, and where in the world this data is sent.

The total revenue a company expects to earn from a customer throughout their entire relationship.

Cyber insurance is a specialized insurance product designed to mitigate financial losses from cyber-related incidents such as data breaches, network damage, and business interruptions.

A data backup is the process of creating copies of data or files to ensure that they can be recovered in case of a loss, corruption, hardware failure, or other unforeseen disasters.

A data breach is an incident where unauthorized individuals access, steal, or disclose sensitive, protected, or confidential data. Such breaches can expose personal information like credit card numbers, social security details, or intellectual property, leading to identity theft or financial fraud.

A data center is a facility that houses computer systems, such as servers, storage devices, and network equipment, used to store, process, and manage large amounts of data. They are essential for running various online services like websites, cloud computing, and data storage.

A data controller is a person or organization that determines the purposes and means of processing personal data, making decisions about what data is collected and how it's used.

A request from a user to delete all of their personal data.

Data mining is the process of discovering patterns, correlations, and insights within large datasets through the use of statistical methods and machine learning algorithms. It helps in making informed decisions by extracting valuable information and predictive insights from raw data.

A contract between a data controller and a data processor that sets how data is to be handled, processed, and protected.

A data processor is an entity that processes personal data on behalf of a data controller, following the controller's instructions. The data controller determines the purposes and means of processing personal data, while the data processor carries out the actual processing activities.

A data retention policy is a set of guidelines that outlines how long an organization will retain certain types of data and when that data should be deleted or archived.

The concept that data is subject to the laws of the country it is collected in.

Deferred revenue refers to payments received by a company for goods or services that have not yet been delivered or performed.

A United States copyright law enacted in 1998 that addresses the rights and obligations of copyright owners and internet service providers (ISPs) in the digital age.The DMCA criminalizes the production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to copyrighted works. One of the key aspects of the DMCA is its "safe harbor" provision for ISPs. It protects them from liability for copyright infringement by their users, provided they comply with specific requirements, such as promptly removing infringing content when notified by the copyright owner.

A disaster recovery plan is a documented, structured approach that outlines the processes to follow when a technology-related disaster occurs, such as a cyberattack, hardware failure, or natural catastrophe. The plan includes details on restoring vital technology operations, data recovery, emergency response procedures, and communication channels.

EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) is a measure of a company's operating performance. EBITDA focuses on the earnings derived solely from a company's core business operations, ignoring the effects of financing costs (interest), tax environment (taxes), and non-cash expenses (depreciation and amortization). This provides a clearer picture of a company's ability to generate cash from its operations.

A distributed computing paradigm that brings computation and data storage closer to the location where it is needed.

The process of converting data into a code to prevent unauthorized access.

A contract between the licensor and purchaser, establishing the purchaser's right to use the software. It defines the terms and conditions under which the software can be used and outlines the rights and responsibilities of both parties.

End-to-end encryption is a method of secure communication that encrypts data at the sending end and decrypts it at the receiving end, ensuring that only the intended recipient can read it. Even if the data is intercepted during transmission, it remains secure and unreadable without the corresponding decryption keys. A well-known example of end-to-end encryption is the messaging app WhatsApp, where messages are encrypted on the sender's device and only decrypted on the recipient's device. This ensures that even WhatsApp itself cannot read the messages exchanged between users.

A contract provision that relieves the parties from performing their contractual obligations when certain circumstances beyond their control arise that make it prohibitive for a party to carry out their obligations.

A pricing strategy where an entry level aspect of a product or service is provided free of charge, but a fee is charged for advanced (or full) features.

A legal framework that sets guidelines for the collection and processing of personal data of citizens and residents within the EU, regardless of where the processing happens.

The difference between revenue and the cost of goods sold, divided by revenue.

A work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a manuscript, software code, or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply for certain legal protections against unauthorized reproduction, such as patent, copyright, and trademark.

A set of instructions to help IT staff detect, respond to, and recover from data security incidents.

A contractual agreement in which one party agrees to compensate the other for any harm, liability, or loss.

Software integrations refer to the process of linking different computing systems and software applications physically or functionally, to work together within a coordinated environment. They allow for seamless sharing and flow of data between various tools and platforms, enabling businesses to achieve greater efficiency and automation in their processes. By connecting disparate systems, software integrations help in creating a more unified and holistic view of business operations, fostering better decision-making and collaboration.

Physical devices (i.e. home appliances, security systems) that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet.

The growth rate of qualified leads month over month.

An old technology, system, or application that continues to be used, typically because it still functions for the users' needs.

A contract clause that serves to limit the amount and types of compensation one party can recover from the other party in certain circumstances.

A provision in a contract specifying a predetermined amount of money that must be paid as damages for breach of contract.

Monthly revenue from subscriptions.

A subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that uses data models and algorithms to imitate the way that humans learn, gradually improving its accuracy. Machine learning models use data to detect patterns and adjust their operations accordingly.

A security system that requires more than one method of authentication from independent categories of credentials to verify the user's identity for a login or other transaction.

A principle in software architecture where a single instance of the software runs on a server, serving multiple customers (each customer is called a tenant).

A contract between an employee and an employer, where the employee agrees not to enter into competition with the employer during or after employment.

A legal contract between at least two parties that describes confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict from being shared with outside parties without authorization.

Software that is installed and runs on computers on the premises of the person or organization using the software, rather than at a remote facility.

Software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified according to the license terms.

A type of cloud computing service providing a platform for customers to develop, run, and manage applications without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure.

Software patches are important because they fix bugs, vulnerabilities, and other issues within existing software applications.

The time it takes for a company to recoup the CAC.

A method of trying to gather personal information using deceptive e-mails and websites.

A statement or legal document that discloses some or all of the ways a company or entity gathers, uses, discloses, and manages an end-user's data, as well as specify ways in which the end user may contact the company to request details on the data that has been collected that identify them.

Privacy by design is a concept that integrates privacy into the creation and operation of new devices, IT systems, networked infrastructure, and business processes.

Pseudonymization is a data management and de-identification procedure by which personally identifiable information fields within a data record are replaced by one or more artificial identifiers

A process through which additional or duplicate systems, equipment, etc., are installed to safeguard the functioning of the entire system or of data.

The percentage of customers who renew subscriptions.

The percentage of customers a company retains over a specific period.

An extrapolation of current revenue into the future, often calculated monthly or quarterly.

A contract between a service provider and a user that specifies, usually in measurable terms, response and resolution times that the provider will furnish in the event of breakage or downtime.

Software that is licensed on a subscription basis and is hosted by the provider.

Revenue growth divided by sales and marketing costs.

A testing environment that isolates untested code changes and experimentation from the production environment or repository.

The ability of a system or company to handle a growing amount of work by having processes and systems in place to handle a larger workforce, more users, and more data.

A security certificate, is small data file that digitally authenticates the identity of a website and enables an encrypted connection. Common security certificates include Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates, Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificates, SSL server certificates, and Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) certificates.

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The benefits of security certificates include:

1. Authentication: It verifies the website's identity, ensuring users are communicating with the intended server and not an imposter.
2. Encryption: It encrypts data transferred between the user's browser and the server, protecting sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, and personal details from being intercepted.
3. Data Integrity: It ensures that data transferred between the server and the user is not altered or tampered with during transmission.

A centralized unit in an organization that deals with security issues. SOC analysts perform round-the-clock monitoring of an organization’s network and investigate any potential security incidents.

Data about individuals that is protected by privacy laws, including health information, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, and more.

A computer or system that provides resources, data, services, or programs to other computers, known as clients, over a network.

An authentication process that allows a user to access multiple applications with one set of login credentials.

A process of planning and managing software development. It typically involves dividing software development work into smaller, parallel, or sequential steps or sub-processes to improve design and/or product management.

Legal instrument (typically via a contract) governing the use or redistribution of software.

A type of patent (a type of intellectual property) that protects a new and innovative software idea or invention.

Source code is the fundamental component of a computer program that is created by a programmer. Also known simply as code, it is any collection of text, with or without comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text.  Comparing a book to a software program, the source code would be the words in that book.

A contract between a service provider and a subscriber that outlines the terms and conditions of the subscription.

The legal agreements between a company providing a service and a person who uses that service.

A person who will benefit from a contract, despite not being a party to the contract.

A security process in which users provide two different authentication factors to verify themselves, such as login over the web and a code that's sent to a smartphone.

Encouraging customers to purchase a higher-end product or add-on.

A measure of system reliability, usually in the form of a percentage (like 99.9%).

Information a company collects about its users, including personal information and usage statistics.

A legal agreement that clearly states the provisions and conditions of the work to be performed by a contractor.

The process of assigning unique version names or numbers to unique states of software or contracts.

A technology that creates a safe and encrypted connection over a less secure network, such as the internet.

A software security flaw that is known to the software vendor but doesn't have a patch in place to fix the flaw.

Tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams for real-time messaging and collaboration among team members.

Enables oversight of the entire contract life cycle, from inception to expiration or renewal.

Tools like Google Docs and Microsoft Word that allow for document creation, editing, and collaboration.

Provides a consolidated space for storing, accessing, and managing legal documents.

Software to manage and monitor outside counsel legal expenses.

Platforms aiding in identifying, collecting, and analyzing electronic information pertinent to lawsuits.

E-signature software is a digital tool that allows individuals and organizations to electronically sign documents, contracts, and agreements, replacing the need for traditional handwritten signatures on paper copies contracts. As companies move to digital contracting

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Software that offers a consolidated view of all corporate entities.

Platform for tracking patents, trademarks, copyrights, etc.

Tools such as Tableau that provide deep analytical insights, visual dashboards, and trend analyses.

Platforms for creating, managing, and sharing in-house knowledge bases or wikis.

All-in-one tool that consolidates legal intake and automatic triage, approval tracking, and basic project management.