Information Technology (IT)
Information Technology is the use of any computers, storage, networking and other devices,
infrastructure and processes to create, process, store, secure and exchange all forms of
electronic data.
Information technology is the study, design, implementation, support, or management of
computer-based information systems. It focuses on maintaining the system’s hardware,
software, databases, and networks, with the end goal of communicating to users how to best
utilize its functionality.
What are the components of IT or components of Information system (IS)
1. Computer hardware
Hardware are the physical devices which we can touch and feel. There are different hardware
used in our computer system like keyboard, mouse, printer, hard disk, CPU, RAM etc.
This is the physical technology that works with information. Hardware can be as small as
a Smartphone that fits in a pocket or as large as a supercomputer that fills a building.
Hardware also includes the peripheral devices that work with computers, such as keyboards,
external disk drives, and routers. With the rise of the Internet of things, in which anything
from home appliances to cars to clothes will be able to receive and transmit data, sensors that
interact with computers are permeating the human environment.
2. Computer software
The hardware needs to know what to do, and that is the role of software. Software can be
divided into two types: system software and application software. The primary piece of system
software is the operating system, such as Windows or iOS, which manages the hardware’s
operation. Application software is designed for specific tasks, such as handling a spreadsheet,
creating a document, or designing a Web page.
3. Network and Telecommunications
This component connects the hardware together to form a network. Connections can be
through wires, such as Ethernet cables or fiber, or wireless, such as through Wi-Fi. A network
can be designed to tie together computers in a specific area, such as an office or a school,
through a local area network (LAN). If computers are more dispersed, the network is called a
wide area network (WAN). The Internet itself can be considered a network of networks.
4. Databases and data warehouses
Database is a collection of related information’s which are stored in a systematic ways so that
user can retrieve the information according to their requirement.
A database is a place where data is collected and from which it can be retrieved by querying it
using one or more specific criteria. A data warehouse contains all of the data in whatever form
that an organization needs. Databases and data warehouses have assumed even greater
importance in information systems with the emergence of “big data,” a term for the truly
massive amounts of data that can be collected and analyzed.
5. Human resources and procedures
The final, and possibly most important, component of information systems is the human
element: the people that are needed to run the system and the procedures they follow so that
the knowledge in the huge databases and data warehouses can be turned into learning that
can interpret what has happened in the past and guide future action.
Application or importance of IT:
1. IT in education:
a. Communication: Students can communicate with each other as well as with teacher by
using internet, web pages, blogs, email etc.
b. Easy Access for learning: students can find different e-book or they can get the knowledge
of any topic trough Google or YouTube.
c. Support for Virtual Learning: It is also called distance learning now the students learns
different courses online and get the academic degree.
2. IT in business and electronic commerce:
a. sales and marketing information
b. Finance and accounting information
c. Manufacturing and production system
d. Human Resource Information system
e. Ecommerce and E-business
f. CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
g. Supply Chain Management (SCM)
3. IT in Entertainment:
a. Playing games
b. Watching video
c. Listening songs
d. video on demand
e. Virtual reality
4. IT in Health sector:
a. To diagnose different diseases
b. To record the history of patients
c. To find doctors and make appointment
d. To ease learning process.
5. IT in science and Engineering:
a. Engineers use CAD (Computer Aided Design) tool to create and modify maps and sketches of
building, car, road etc.
b. Scientists use computer for performing large and complex calculations that are not possible
by hand. Such calculations are needed in many fields like forecasting of weather, rainfall etc.
