Stealth Mode

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What Does Stealth Mode Mean?

Stealth mode is an IT business strategy in which software, hardware or an IT product/service is intentionally hidden from the market, competitors or the general public until a predefined or completion date. It is the practice of keeping a product or service under wraps, specifically in highly competitive markets.

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Techopedia Explains Stealth Mode

Stealth mode is used to hide details about a product until it is launched. This approach is often implemented by startup organizations to ensure their products are not replicated and launched by another vendor or organization. Successful stealth mode requires that an organization restrict its employees and stakeholders from publicly disclosing a product/service until it is launched. Failure to comply with stealth mode may result in a loss of competitive advantage, reduced customer interest, or it may be overshadowed by a product from a larger company.

An organization also may release trial versions of a product with code names, which keeps prospective customers curious while waiting for the final product.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.