Is "to silo off" a real phrase?

I often hear people (and myself) say that something is "siloed off from" something else, meaning that is is isolated (or, in software, sandboxed) and allowed to work without affecting something else.

However, I don't see this definition reflected on Wiktionary or Merriam-Webster. Is this a real phrase, or are these people using the term erroneously?

Solution 1:

To silo is a transitive verb, the usage you are referring to is a probably a slang one:

• Isolate (one system, process, department, etc.) from others:

  • most companies have expensive IT systems they have developed over the years, but they are siloed
  • why are so many companies still siloing their SEO and social media marketing?

• (as adjective) siloed managers have been told to break down the walls between siloed applications

(ODO)

Solution 2:

I'm surprised not to find more about this online -- it may be a bit too recent and/or esoteric to have found its way into the literature. This is related to the term "information silo", see Wikipedia HERE.

It can be seen as somewhat similar to "fork". Open source projects are sometimes "forked" into a new version which is related to the original and the ongoing one, but with differences introduced that may or may not make the two versions incompatible. If totally incompatible, then the fork may now be in its own "silo", and no longer compatible.

And is, hence, "siloed off".

Solution 3:

siloed off has 12,500 hits. Seems redundant - like it could just be siloed.
But I hear it more as siloed off. And I hear it all the time