Glossary

The terms and acronyms used across this site, in plain language.

AES-256: Advanced Encryption Standard with a 256-bit key. The encryption EnCad uses for your data at rest.
AI: Artificial intelligence. EnCad's tags, labels and indexes make your CAD data ready for AI workflows your team builds.
API: Application programming interface. A way for software to talk to EnCad directly.
BOM: Bill of materials. The list of parts and quantities that make up an assembly.
BYOK: Bring your own key. You supply and control the encryption key that protects your data, through your own KMS or HSM.
CAD: Computer-aided design. The 3D models and drawings your engineers create. EnCad reads the CAD files themselves, not just a list of part numbers.
CCPA / CPRA: California Consumer Privacy Act and California Privacy Rights Act. California's privacy laws.
CMMC: Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. The U.S. Department of Defense's security standard for its supply chain.
COTS: Commercial off-the-shelf. Standard parts you buy rather than design, such as fasteners, bearings, motors and linear guides. EnCad is built to find, tag and de-duplicate COTS parts.
DPA: Data processing agreement. The contract that sets out how we handle your data.
EAR: Export Administration Regulations. U.S. rules on exporting dual-use technology and technical data.
eCl@ss: An international standard for classifying products and services. EnCad can classify parts to it.
GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation. The European Union's data protection law.
HSM: Hardware security module. A dedicated device that stores and protects encryption keys.
ITAR: International Traffic in Arms Regulations. U.S. rules controlling defense-related technical data. EnCad can run in ITAR-controlled environments.
KMS: Key management service. A cloud service (such as AWS KMS or Azure Key Vault) for creating and controlling encryption keys.
NDA: Non-disclosure agreement.
NIST 800-171: A U.S. government standard for protecting controlled unclassified information in non-federal systems.
OD: Outside diameter. Used in the dimension callouts on our part images.
OEM: Original equipment manufacturer. A company that designs and builds the finished product.
OIDC: OpenID Connect. A standard for single sign-on.
PDM: Product data management. Software that stores and versions CAD files, such as SolidWorks PDM or Autodesk Vault.
PLM: Product lifecycle management. Software that manages a product's data from design through production, such as Teamcenter or Windchill.
PN: Part number.
ROI: Return on investment.
SAML: Security Assertion Markup Language. A standard for single sign-on.
SCIM: System for Cross-domain Identity Management. Adds and removes user accounts automatically from your identity provider.
SIEM: Security information and event management. The system your security team uses to collect and review logs.
SOC 2 Type II: An independent audit of how a company protects customer data, tested over a period of time.
SQL: Structured Query Language. The language used by the databases behind most PDM and PLM systems.
SSO: Single sign-on. Log in to EnCad with your company account.
STEP: A neutral 3D CAD file format (ISO 10303) that most CAD tools can read and write.
TLS 1.2+: Transport Layer Security, version 1.2 or later. The encryption that protects data moving over the network.
UNF: Unified National Fine. A U.S. inch thread standard, as in "1/4-28 UNF".
UNSPSC: United Nations Standard Products and Services Code. A global classification for products. EnCad can classify parts to it.
Vault: Wherever your company's CAD files live: the file vault behind a PDM or PLM system, a shared network drive, or a cloud CAD workspace. When we say EnCad searches "your vault", we mean all of it, whichever system holds it. (Autodesk Vault is one PDM product with this name; EnCad works with it and with the others.)
VPC: Virtual private cloud. A private section of AWS, Azure or Google Cloud. EnCad can run inside yours.