Capterra Glossary
Operating System (OS)
An operating system is software loaded onto a computer or device by a boot program. Operating systems manage all computer hardware and software resources, allowing users to communicate with their devices without having to possess knowledge of their computerʻs programming language.
Computer applications use an application program interface (API) or a graphical user interface (GUI) to issue service requests to their deviceʻs respective operating system. Operating systems typically come preloaded on computers and other devices, and are often only compatible with certain brands.
For example, Apple computers are compatible with Mac operating systems (MacOS) and Apple smartphones use iOS. Most other computer brands are compatible with Windows operating systems.
What Small and Midsize Businesses Need to Know About Operating System (OS)
Operating systems are used by any and all businesses that utilize computers or mobile devices in the workplace. Operating systems allow computer users to communicate with their devices without having to use technical code.
Often, businesses that wish to upgrade their operating system or use software applications not supported by their operating system will use operating system emulation services to run two operating systems on one single device.
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