Universal Serial Bus, for connecting peripherals. A BitLocker startup key can live on a USB stick, and although Storage Spaces will take USB drives, using them is not advised.
Also called Universal Serial Bus.
In the Ultra Transcenders books
Each book explains USB in context, with comparison tables and the common traps.
Terms in this definition
- BitLocker
Full-volume encryption built into Windows; drives used with Azure Import/Export are protected with AES-256 BitLocker.
- Index field attributes
Settings applied to each field in an Azure AI Search index:
searchablefor full text,retrievableto return it,filterablefor exact-match$filter,sortable,facetablefor counts, andkeyfor the unique document ID. - General-purpose v1
The older storage account kind (
Storage), which lacks access tiers, Archive and premium file shares and retires on 13 October 2026. Converting to ZRS requires first upgrading to GPv2, a one-way change.
Related terms
- Apple Configurator
Lets a Mac enrol iPhones and iPads connected by USB, in one of two ways. Setup Assistant enrolment needs serial numbers and wipes the device; direct enrolment leaves it intact but can't be used where a device has user affinity.
- Endpoint DLP
When Windows or macOS computers are onboarded, Microsoft Purview data loss prevention can watch them too, logging or blocking risky moves like printing a sensitive document, saving it to removable USB storage or sending it to a website that has not been approved.
- NFC
Short-distance radio connection offered by some FIDO2 keys as an alternative to plugging in over USB.