Scannering

Scannering is a term used in several languages to denote the act or process of scanning, and its specific meaning varies by context. It is not a standard English word, where “scanning” is typically used; in Dutch, Norwegian, Danish and other Germanic-language contexts, scannering has become a common noun form deriving from the verb to scan.

In information technology and cybersecurity, scannering refers to automated activities that inspect systems, networks, or software to identify weaknesses, misconfigurations, or policy violations. This includes practices such as vulnerability scanning, port scanning, and compliance scanning, usually performed by specialized software tools to support risk management and remediation efforts.

In document management and office workflows, scannering describes the digitization of physical documents through scanners, producing digital images that can be indexed, stored, and retrieved electronically. This use often accompanies workflow processes like archiving, optical character recognition, and metadata tagging.

In medical imaging and radiology, scannering is sometimes used to denote imaging procedures that create internal views of the body, such as CT or MRI scans. While common English usage favors “scanning,” some multilingual contexts employ scannering to refer to these imaging activities, sometimes more broadly to refer to the act of obtaining scan data.

In other fields, such as remote sensing or astronomy, scannering can describe instruments that sweep or scan a scene to generate spatial or spectral data. Etymologically, the -ering suffix forms a nominal process in several Germanic languages, though the term’s exact meaning is highly context-dependent.