what is INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY?

Answer 1

Information Technology (IT)[1] is concerned with the use of technology in managing and processing information, especially in large organizations.

In particular, IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and retrieve information. For that reason, computer professionals are often called IT specialists or Business Process Consultants, and the division of a company or university that deals with software technology is often called the IT department. Other names for the latter are information services (IS) or management information services (MIS), managed service providers (MSP).


History:
The 1st commercial business computer was developed in the United Kingdom in 1951, by the Joe Lyons catering organization. This was known as the 'Lyons Electronic Office' - or LEO for short. It was developed further and used widely during the 1960s and early 1970s. (Joe Lyons formed a separate company to develop the LEO computers and this subsequently merged to form English Electric Leo Marconi and then International Computers Ltd.)

Early commercial systems were installed exclusively by large organizations. These could afford to invest the time and capital necessary to purchase hardware, hire specialist staff to develop bespoke software and work through the consequent (and often unexpected) organizational and cultural changes.

At first, individual organisations developed their own software, including data management utilities, themselves. Different products might also have 'one-off' bespoke software. This fragmented approach led to duplicated effort and the production of management information needed manual effort.

High hardware costs and relatively slow processing speeds forced developers to use resources 'efficiently'. Data storage formats were heavily compacted, for example. A common example is the removal of the century from dates, which eventually lead to the 'millennium bug'.

Data input required intermediate processing via punched paper tape or card and separate input to computers, usually for overnight processing. Data required validation in batches. All of this was a repetitive, labour intensive task, removed from user control and error-prone. Invalid or incorrect data needed correction and resubmission with consequences for data and account reconciliation.

Data storage was strictly serial on paper tape, and then later to magnetic tape: the use of data storage within readily accessible memory was not cost-effective.

Results would be presented to users on paper. Enquiries were delayed by whatever turn round was available.


Today:
As with other industrial processes, commercial IT has moved in all respects from a bespoke, craft-based industry where the product was tailored to fit the customer; to multi-use components taken off the shelf to find the best-fit in any situation. Mass-production has greatly reduced costs and IT is available to the smallest company or one-man band - or school-kid.

LEO was hardware tailored for a single client. Today, Intel Pentium and compatible chips are standard and become parts of other components which are combined as needed. One individual change of note was the freeing of computers and removable storage from protected, air-filtered environments. Microsoft and IBM at various times have been influential enough to impose order on IT and the resultant standardisations allowed specialist software to flourish.

Software is available off the shelf: apart from Microsoft products such as Office, or Lotus, there are also specialist packages for payroll and personnel management, account maintenance and customer management, to name a few. These are highly specialised and intricate components of larger environments, but they rely upon common conventions and interfaces.

Data storage has also standardised. Relational databases are developed by different suppliers to common formats and conventions. Common file formats can be shared by large main-frames and desk-top personal computers, allowing online, realtime input and validation.

In parallel, software development has fragmented. There are still specialist technicians, but these increasingly use standardised methodologies where outcomes are predictable and accessible. At the other end of the scale, any office manager can dabble in spreadsheets or databases and obtain acceptable results (but there are risks).

Topics:
Information technology audit
Computer security audit
Computing
Computer science
Information science
Information security
World Wide Web
Digital library
Pattern recognition
Data management
Data processing
Data drilling
Data mining
Data transformation
Metadata
Data storage
Database
Data networking
Database Administration & Automation
Technology assessment
Cryptography
Information Technology Infrastructure Library
Information technology governance
Telematics

Answer 2

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.
Information technology n. Abbr. IT
The development, installation, and implementation of computer systems and applications.
John
A+ Cetified Professional

Answer 3

Includes all matters concerned with the furtherance of computer science and technology and with the design, development, installation, and implementation of information systems and applications [San Diego State University]. An information technology architecture is an integrated framework for acquiring and evolving IT to achieve strategic goals. It has both logical and technical components. ...
2.Any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment, that is used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information. The term information technology includes computers, ancillary equipment, software, firmware and similar procedures, services (including support services), and related resources. ...
3.The technology of computers, telecommunications, and other devices that integrate data, equipment, personnel, and problem-solving methods in planning and controlling business activities. Information technology provides the means for collecting, storing, encoding, processing, analyzing, transmitting, receiving, and printing text, audio, or video information. Hardware: In the context of information technology, the computer and its peripherals constitute the hardware. ...
scrc.ncsu.edu/public/DEFINITIONS/G%20-%20I.html
4.Applied computer systems including: hardware-a computer and the associated physical equipment directly involved in the performance of data-processing or communications functions software-the programs, routines, and symbolic languages that control the functioning of the hardware and direct its operation and often including: network (also called a net)-a system of computers interconnected by telephone wires or other means (such as infra-red beam or fibre optic cable) in order to share ...
education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/learning/literate-futures/glossary.html

Answer 4

Computer Sciences was changed to Information Technology, for what reasons, who knows...same crap, Humans thinking they understand something...

Answer 5

Any technology how information can be viewed or transmitted or stored.

Such as e-mail, telephones, video conferencing, Computers, fax and so on.

Answer 6

this technology transmitt data transmitter to recevier very easily