Information Technology (IT) - A Definition:
We use the concept Information Technology or IT to refer to an entire industry. It is the use of computers & telecommunications equipment to use, store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data. The concept is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses other information distribution technologies. In actuality, IT is the use of computers and softwares to manage information. In some companies, this is referred to as Management Information Services (MIS) or simply as Information Services (IS). Several industries are associated with IT, such as computer hardware, software, electronics, semiconductors, internet, telecom equipment and computer services. The IT department of a large company would be responsible for processing the information, storing information, transmitting the information, protecting information as necessary, and later retrieving information.
History of Information Technology:
In terms, it wasn't so long that the Information Technology department
might have consisted of a single Computer Operator, who might be storing
data on magnetic tape, and then putting it in a box down somewhere in the store room. The history of information technology is
fascinating! Humans have been storing, retrieving, communicating and manipulating info since the Sumerians in Mesopotamia developed writing in about 3000 BC, but the term "Information Technology" in its modern view first appeared in a 1958 article published in the Harvard Business Review;
authors Leavitt and Whisler commented that "the new technology doesn't
yet have a single established name. We shall call it information
technology (IT)."Based on the storage and processing of technology employed, it is possible
to distinguish four distinct phases of IT development: pre-mechanical
(3000 BC – 1450 AD), mechanical (1450–1840), electromechanical
(1840–1940) and electronic. This article focuses on the latter of those periods, which began in about 1940.
In a business context, the Information Technology Association of America has defined information technology (IT) as "the study, design, development, implementation, application, support or management of computer-based information systems". In an academic context, the Association for Computing Machinery defines it as "undergraduate degree programs that prepare students to meet the computer technology needs of business, government, healthcare, schools, and other kinds of organizations.
In a business context, the Information Technology Association of America has defined information technology (IT) as "the study, design, development, implementation, application, support or management of computer-based information systems". In an academic context, the Association for Computing Machinery defines it as "undergraduate degree programs that prepare students to meet the computer technology needs of business, government, healthcare, schools, and other kinds of organizations.
Check out these history of information technology resources for information on everything from the history of IT to electronics inventions and even the top 10 IT bugs.
