Capterra Glossary
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)
A basic input/output system (BIOS) is software stored on a computer's motherboard that is used by the computer's microprocessor to start the computer system after it is powered on. The BIOS links specific hardware devices to software and instructs the computer on how to perform basic functions such as keyboard control. The BIOS identifies and configures the computer's hardware, such as the hard drive, CPU, optical drive, memory, and attached devices. All modern computer motherboards have BIOS software. Because the BIOS is part of the motherboard hardware, access and configuration on computer systems are independent of any operating system.
What Small and Midsize Businesses Need to Know About Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)
Small-business owners should be sure the BIOS software in use on company machines is up to date for optimal operational performance and cyber-security purposes.
Related Terms
- Synchronous
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Intranet
- Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR)
- Identity and Access Management (IAM)
- Managed Service Provider (MSP)
- Haptics
- WAN (Wide-Area Network)
- Service-oriented Architecture (SOA)
- Augmented Reality (AR)
- Chief Information Officer (CIO)
- Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Service-Level Agreement (SLA)
- Scalability
- Data Center
- Authorization
- Multitenancy