Software Development and Outsourcing
Terms and Definitions

• Embedded software — a software system that permanently resides in a device whose operations it controls. Typically, embedded systems are housed on flash memory or ROM chip and may be found in systems like cellular phones, household and office appliances having digital interfaces, medical equipment, automotive components, avionics etc.
• Offshore programming — an arrangement when software coding is performed by an external supplier positioned in a country that is geographically remote from the client enterprise.
• Offshore software development — provision of software development services by an external supplier positioned in a country that is geographically remote from the client enterprise.
• Outsourcing — a business practice commonly used by companies that implies hiring an external service provider and transferring some of the company's internal operations/jobs to this third party entity. Businesses from all over the globe use outsourcing as an effective tool that allows them to lower operating costs, improve quality through leveraging third party expertise in the relevant competence area and focus the in-house resources on their core business/technology goals.
• Software — program code, operating procedures and related documentation necessary to operate computer systems.
• Software development — a process of creating software products/systems or components thereof. Software development may include new product development, reengineering, maintenance and support, enhancement, testing and other software production related activities.
• Software development life cycle — a concept of providing a complete support to a software product throughout all stages of its evolution — from concept through delivery to end of life.
• Software development outsourcing — a concept of transferring software development operations to an external software R&D service provider.
• Software engineering — development, operation and maintenance of software in a systematic and controlled manner as per clearly defined and documented methodology, plans, and procedures.
• Software life cycle — Period of software product life from its conception, development and roll-out until end of use and removal from market. The software life cycle is typically subdivided into stages or activities such as research, design, coding, testing, verification, integration, operation and maintenance of a software product till end of its life.
• Software maintenance — post-delivery activities aimed at modifying and correcting a software system so that to keep it operational and acceptable to its users.
• Software reengineering — rebuilding an existing software system with an aim to extend its life in a new representation.
• Software support — responding to customer needs with relation to software product/application operation, management, maintenance and enhancement. Software support activities may include software product installation, integration, configuration, upgrades, updates, performance analysis, and customer interactions to address basic software product usage issues.
• Software testing — an activity being part of the software development process aimed at evaluating a software item (system, subsystem, unit etc.) features (functionality, performance etc.) against the given set of system requirements. Software testing implies running the software item in predetermined conditions (test case, test scenario), recording and analyzing the obtained results, and identifying errors (i.e. bugs), which means failure to satisfy a set of requirements to the software.
• Software verification — examination of a software system or component to ensure it satisfies requirements that must have been implemented in it.
• Telecom software — short for «telecommunication software». Please, see the «telecommunication software» entry here below.
• Telecommunication software — software systems and solutions having relation to transmission of data and voice between at least two remotely located terminals.
• Telecommunications — transmission of data, voice, text, images between at least two remotely located terminals.