What does Information Technology (IT) actually mean???

Question

I have heard of this thing (IT) a lot. But what actually does it mean?
Who are the IT engineers? What do they do? Why is everyone now emphasizing this so much???

Answer 1

"Definition of Information Technology
According to NDCC 54.59.01 Information Technology means the use of hardware, software, services, and supporting infrastructure to manage and deliver information using voice, data, and video.

To further define information technology and what should be included as far as the IT budget, the following information is provided:

Information Technology includes:

all computers with a human interface
all computer peripherals which will not operate unless connected to a computer or network
all voice, video and data networks and the equipment, staff and purchased services necessary to operate them
all salary and benefits for staff whose job descriptions specifically includes technology functions, i.e. network services, applications development, systems administration
all technology services provided by vendors or contractors
operating costs associated with providing information technology
all costs associated with developing, purchasing, licensing or maintaining software
Agencies may wish to include other costs at their discretion. For example, an agency may wish to include digital cameras in their IT budget even though they can be operated stand-alone. Data entry personnel may be included if they are considered part of the technology staff. Costs that are excluded above may be included if they are an integral part of a computer applications or would be difficult to break out because the costs are included with other information technology costs.

Examples of Information Technology:

Telephone and radio equipment and switches used for voice communications.
Traditional computer applications that include data storage and programs to input, process, and output the data.
Software and support for office automation systems such as word processing and spreadsheets, as well as the computer to run them.
Users' PCs and software.
Server hardware and software used to support applications such as electronic mail/groupware, file and print services, database, application/ web servers, storage systems, and other hosting services.
Data, voice, and video networks and all associated communications equipment and software.
Peripherals directly connected to computer information systems used to collect or transmit audio, video or graphic information, such as scanners and digitizers.
Voice response systems that interact with a computer database or application.
The state radio communications network.
Computers and network systems used by teachers, trainers, and students for educational purposes
"Open/integrated" computer systems that monitor or automate mechanical or chemical processes and also store information used by computer applications for analysis and decision-making, such as the Metasys building management system.
All operating costs, equipment and staff time associated with supporting the technology infrastructure of the agency, possibly including items excluded above, such as video equipment used for technology training that is included in the information systems cost center for the agency.
Examples of items excluded from the definition:

"Closed/stand-alone" computer systems that monitor or automate mechanical or chemical processes, such as the fire alarm system in the capitol building.
Audio-visual equipment which can be operated as a standalone piece of equipment, such as televisions, tape recorders, VCRs, video cameras, and overhead projectors. Stand-alone video editing equipment is excluded.
Copy machines and fax machines.
Licenses or subscriptions to electronic information provided to users in lieu of books or magazines.
Salaries of staff who use technology but are not directly involved in developing, implementing or supporting technology as documented on their PIQ. Data entry staff, staff who digitize drawings, staff who do desktop publishing are excluded. "Power users" who use advanced features of spreadsheets or word processing software are excluded.
Data entry services"

Answer 2

Information Technology is very much related to the capability and services provided by the digital computer. When the first commercial computers were introduced, they were mostly used by large businesses and the scientific community. The categorization was: Main Frame Computers (especially IBM's systems), Mini computers (HP, DEC) and then subsequently, the Micro computers (IBM, Apple, Clones) were introduced.

In the early days, businesses were very interested in improving processes such as in banking, manufacturing, adminstration, etc. A lot of information management is needed. IBM started what is known as Information System Analysts, these are people who studied the workflow of business processes and recommend how such processes may be improved.

As the computer industry progressed, other terms surfaced, such as Management Information Systems. The commonality in all these was how information was stored, processed, retrieved and communicated.

The term, Information Technology, captures the essence of this whole industry, support by hardware, software and networks. The media involved was data initially but it progressed to digital voice, and video, basically multimedia.

Information Technology is very important because it provides a discontinuous advantage to those who exploit it. Imagine using the typewriter versus the wordprocessor, a calculator versus a spreadsheet, the overhead projector versus an LCD projector connected to a powerpoint presentation, imagine the world without Internet. Information Technology is all transforming.

Within a short period of some 25-30 years, the landscape of the business world and everyday life have be affected in one way or another by Information Technology.

We can only acknowledge that IT works wonders (pun intended).

Answer 3

IT is a term which refers to many things.

IT, as an industry, refers to a discipline of work in which all information of some use is treated as the raw material for that industry. IT holds many people like software developers, network engineers, system engineers, data entry operators, data processing executives, support engineers - telephone, e-mail and direct-support people, etc...

IT, as a concept treats information as the most important and valuable thing available that helps us to lead our daily lives and acheive our purposes - high and low. Information can be the telephone number of a friend, a complex calculation about how much fuel a rocket needs to blast off into space, the cost price of a Big Mac, just about anything. It recognises the fact that it is information about these things that helps many people do something with it, and focusses on how best information can be made accessible or be processed in thr right ways to help people do that.

Answer 4

IT is the field that makes computers (and the world) go 'round nowadays.

Answer 5

it is one of the software company........................................