Financial and technical definitions

Constant currency information includes figures for the current period had they been translated at the average foreign currency exchange rates of the prior reporting period

Conditional Share Plan

Deferred Bonus Plan

Deferred Bonus Warrant

Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation

Financial year; for Datatec, ended/ending 28/29 February

The first half of the financial year, from 1 March to 31 August

The second half of the financial year, from1 September to 28 February

International Financial Reporting Standards

Price-earnings ratio

Return on invested capital. This is calculated by dividing net operating profit after tax by average invested capital

Share Appreciation Rights

Short-term incentive

Total shareholder return

Underlying earnings divided by the weighted average number of shares in issue during the financial year

Earnings excluding impairments of goodwill and intangible assets, profit or loss on sale of investments and assets, amortisation of acquired intangible assets, unrealised foreign exchange movements, acquisition-related adjustments, fair value movements on acquisition-related financial instruments, restructuring costs relating to fundamental reorganisations and the taxation effect on all of the aforementioned

As a service

Artificial intelligence

Application Programming Interface – used for building software applications

A generic term for flexible or hosted on the internet IT-related services for consumers and business, including storage, computing power, software development, and applications. These services eliminate the need for in-house IT resources

Services made available to users on demand via the internet from a cloud computing provider’s servers

Collaboration refers to highly diversified teams working together inside and outside a company with the purpose of creating value by improving innovation, customer relationships and efficiency while leveraging technology for effective interaction between the virtual and physical spaces

Customer relationship management

A centralised storage facility by an application service provider to retain database information

Enterprise resource planning , software that manages and integrates business processes through a single system

The machines, wiring and other physical components or other electronic system

Infrastructure as a service

Information and communication technology, an umbrella term that includes any communication device or application, encompassing radio, television, mobile phones, computer and network hardware and software, and satellite systems

Refers to an entity’s entire collection of hardware, software, networks and services required for the operation and management of the IT environment

The Internet of Things. The network of physical devices, vehicles, buildings and other items – embedded with electronics, software, sensors and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect and exchange data

Information technology

The construction, design and use of a network

The programs and other operating information used by a computer