Meaning and Use of Abbreviations

In many cases, it is not individuals who present themselves or communicate via IT data services, but rather groups such as university departments, research projects, divisions, or other functional areas or working groups in the broadest sense.

Since the official names of these “institutions” generally describe their functions in detail (e.g., the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Research Center for Public Theology), they are unsuitable for naming IT data services such as email addresses, websites, or file server shares.

It is therefore necessary to establish abbreviations. In doing so, it is important to consider a number of factors that can sometimes lead to conflicts of interest, such as:

• the university's interest in a coordinated public image
• the desire of several institutions whose responsibilities overlap or are similar to use the same name.
• technical limitations (umlauts and special characters)
• mnemonic requirements (easy-to-remember names)
• possibly a matchcode-style standardization of the names

To resolve these conflicts, such designations will be standardized using an abbreviation for the organizational unit, which will be determined in advance at the initiative of the institution concerned and in consultation with the relevant departments (Organizational Management, the Z/KOM Department—Communication & Alumni, and IT Services).

Once an abbreviation has been defined, it is entered in the abbreviation directory and is uniquely assigned to the organization that initiated the definition from that point on.
This prevents other organizations from using a registered abbreviation.
Conversely, it is possible to clearly assign the authority and responsibility for data services identified by a registered code to the institution and its director for which the code was registered.
This is particularly important when granting usage rights or providing access credentials, but also in cases of misuse or use that violates the terms of use.