Think Topics | IBM Home Think Topics Explainers Become an expert on emerging and fundamental tech topics Featured topics Demystify transformative technologies. Decode tech topics with content crafted by IBM experts. What is data mining? Learn how data mining combines statistics and artificial intelligence to analyze large datasets to discover meaningful insights and useful information. What is a vector database? Use a vector database for storing, managing and indexing huge quantities of high-dimensional vector data efficiently for generative AI use cases and applications. What is a chatbot? Explore chatbot technology to understand how chatbots simulate human conversation, often relying on NLP to parse inputs and generative AI to automate responses. What is a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack? Find out how a DDoS attack floods websites and other network resources with malicious traffic, disrupting normal activity and denying access to legitimate users. What is phishing? Uncover and understand how phishing tricks users into divulging sensitive data, downloading malware and making themselves or their organizations vulnerable to cybercrime. What is quantum computing? Study the basics to learn how this technology uses quantum mechanics to solve complex problems beyond classical computers’ capabilities and explore the potential impact it can have across many industries. AI and machine learning View all AI topics What is artificial intelligence? Understand how AI enables computers to think and decide like humans, explore its history and the types of AI and uncover the ways it impacts our lives. What is machine learning? Gain insight into how ML uses data and algorithms, its use cases and associated concerns to empower responsible and innovative use of the technology. What is deep learning? Discover how deep learning simulates our brain, helping systems learn to identify and undertake complex tasks with increasing accuracy unsupervised. What is the k-nearest neighbors algorithm? Learn about the k-nearest neighbors algorithm, one of the popular and simplest classification and regression classifiers used in machine learning today. What is natural language processing (NLP)? Dive into how NLP enables machines to understand and respond to text or voice data and learn about various NLP tasks to obtain optimal results. What are neural networks? Learn how neural networks allow programs to recognize patterns and solve common problems in artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning. Analytics View all analytics topics What is business intelligence? Know how to harness business data by understanding how business intelligence processes data to gain actionable insights and inform decision-making. What is linear regression? Master this analytics procedure to become skilled at generating predictions, by using an easily interpreted mathematical formula and applying it to various domains. What is logistic regression? Predict outcomes more quickly and make better decisions by gaining expertise in the logistic regression method and by knowing which type of logistic regression to use. What is Monte Carlo simulation? Learn how to run a Monte Carlo Simulation, a computational algorithm, by using repeated random sampling to estimate the possible outcomes of an uncertain event. What is exploratory data analysis? Know about exploratory data analysis to effectively analyze and summarize datasets, helping one to discover patterns and anomalies and generate a hypothesis. What is data science? Use data science to unlock business insights from an increasing amount of data, accelerate digital transformation and data-driven decision making. Asset management View all asset management topics What is visual inspection? Master visual inspection of equipment to detect defects both in person and remotely by examining digital images to maintain quality and safety standards. What is preventive maintenance? Implement preventive maintenance by combining regular maintenance tasks with ML, data analytics and predictive asset health monitoring to prevent downtime. What is a CMMS? Enhance maintenance efforts with a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) for efficient scheduling, managing and tracking of maintenance tasks. What is a digital twin? Explore how digital twins create a virtual copy of an object or system by integrating real-time data, simulation, ML and reasoning to support decision-making. What is field service management? Learn field service management to effectively coordinate resources, employees and equipment, in work activities and operations off company property. Business automation View all business automation topics What is business automation? Explore what business automation is, why it matters and how you can put it to work for your organization. What is intelligent automation? Find out how intelligent automation combines AI and automation technologies, enabling automation of low-level tasks within your business. What is business process management (BPM)? Find out how BPM uses various methods to discover, model, analyze, measure, improve and optimize business strategy and processes. What is process mining? Learn how process mining applies specialized algorithms to event log data to identify trends, patterns and details of how a process unfolds. What is a workflow? Learn how workflows can help you manage repetitive processes and tasks, which occur in a particular order. What is Industry 4.0? Use digital transformation with Industry 4.0, delivering real-time decision making, enhanced productivity, flexibility and agility. What is interactive voice response (IVR)? Learn about automating customer interactions with IVR, enabling callers to get or provide information or make voice requests without speaking to a live agent. Business operations View all business operations topics What is the Internet of Things (IoT)? Learn about IoT, which is a network of physical objects that are embedded with sensors, software and network connectivity, allowing them to collect and share data. What is software development? Create, design, deploy and support software through software development, covering a set of computer science activities. What is supply chain management? Use supply chain management (SCM) to coordinate a business’ entire production flow, from sourcing materials to delivering an item. What is inventory management? Track inventory from manufacturers to warehouses and from these facilities to point of sale through effective inventory management. What is SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act) compliance? Review compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for financial reporting and transparency to prevent corporate fraud. What is GRC (governance, risk and compliance)? Manage governance and risks while maintaining compliance with industry and government regulations by implementing GRC strategies. Cloud View all cloud topics What is cloud computing? Learn how cloud computing lets you use infrastructure and applications online, without installing and maintaining them on premises. What is cloud security? Defend your organization with cloud security, leveraging procedures and technologies designed to address external and internal threats. What is virtualization? Use virtualization to maximize hardware efficiency to divide a single computer’s hardware resources into multiple virtual machines. What are IaaS, PaaS and SaaS? Learn about the three most popular types of cloud service offerings: IaaS, PaaS and SaaS, also known as cloud service models or cloud computing service models. What is cloud storage? Save data and files in an off-site location with cloud storage, accessible through public internet or a dedicated private network connection. What is a hybrid cloud? Use hybrid cloud to combine and unify on-premises, private cloud and public cloud environments to create a single, flexible IT infrastructure. What is a private cloud? Create an environment dedicated exclusively to a single customer with private cloud, offering cloud benefits along with on-premises security. Compute and servers View all compute topics What is high-performance computing (HPC)? Find out how HPC uses powerful processors to process massive amounts of data and solve today’s most complex computing problems in real time or near-real time. What is SaaS—software-as-a-service? Understand how SaaS works as a software delivery model to reap the benefits like cloud computing, cost savings, scalability and accessibility through a web browser. What is cloud computing? Learn how cloud computing enables access to intranet-based infrastructure and applications, eliminating onsite maintenance and enhancing agility and efficiency. What is Kubernetes? Learn Kubernetes—an open source container orchestration platform—to manage and scale containerized applications, improve availability and reduce costs. What is serverless? Explore what developers and IT leaders like about serverless computing, a simpler way to build and run cloud-native applications, paying only for what you use. What is a mainframe? Learn how mainframes are able to process billions of calculations and transactions daily in real-time, with the highest levels of security and reliability. Databases View all database topics What are NoSQL databases? Discover how NoSQL, also referred to as “non-SQL”, enables the storage and querying of data outside the traditional structures found in relational databases. What is the CAP theorem? Look into the CAP theorem that states a system can deliver two of three key characteristics: consistency, availability and partition tolerance. What is a database schema? Find out how database schema creates definition and organization of data within a relational database and how it maintains data quality and integrity. What is etcd? Learn more about etcd, the fault-tolerant open source key-value database that serves as the primary data backbone for Kubernetes and other distributed platform. What is a relational database? Use a relational database, which provides a structured way to organize data in rows and columns that form a table, maintaining data consistency and integrity. DevOps View all DevOps topics What is DevOps? Learn how DevOps combines and automates software tasks to speed the delivery of high-quality software and its synergy with site reliability engineering (SRE). What is DevSecOps? Automate the integration of security at every phase of the software development lifecycle, with DevSecOps, short for development, security and operations. What is software development? See how software is developed and how it can help your business compete. Discover software development essentials, innovations and technologies. What is software testing? Find software errors and verify that an application or system is fit for use, preventing bugs, reducing development costs and improving performance. What is Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)? Find out how PaaS, or Platform-as-a-Service, provides a complete, flexible and cost-effective cloud platform for developing, running and managing applications. What is site reliability engineering (SRE)? Automate IT operations tasks that would otherwise be performed manually, accelerate software delivery, and minimize IT risk with site reliability engineering. IT automation View all IT automation topics What is an API (application programming interface)? Enable data exchange through APIs, which define rules or protocols for communication between applications. What is AIOps? Optimize IT operations with AIOps, through the integration of analytics, artificial intelligence and other technologies to boost efficiency. What is software testing? Evaluate and verify software or application performance through rigorous software testing. What is site reliability engineering (SRE)? Use operations data and software engineering to automate IT operations tasks, accelerate software delivery and minimize IT risk with SRE. Wha…