What does "DMZ" stand for in networking?

The term "DMZ" stands for "Demilitarized Zone" in networking. In this context, a DMZ refers to a physical or logical subnetwork that contains and exposes an organization’s external-facing services to an untrusted network, typically the Internet. This configuration acts as an additional layer of security. It serves to separate these services from the internal network, which holds the organization's more critical systems, thus minimizing the risk of an external attack directly penetrating the internal network.

When an organization's server for hosting applications or services is placed in a DMZ, it can still be accessed from the outside without providing direct access to the internal network resources. This separation enhances security by limiting the exposure and damage that can occur if the external-facing systems are compromised.

The other options, while they may contain terms that sound technical, do not align with established networking terminology in the way that "Demilitarized Zone" does, and therefore they do not accurately represent the concept referred to by the acronym DMZ.