What information technology (IT) means to you?

Information Technology explained

The use of the term IT is now common in every conversation. However, what exactly information technology really means is the real question. Here, we will explain what is information technology and how it is now part of your daily life.

Information Technology is nothing but the use of computers to store, process and use information. It includes all the physical hardware, software, networking equipment, and of course computers. It is now typically based on a connected ecosystem of computers via the internet.

The information technology term is first coined in an article published in Harvard Business Review by Harold. J. Leavitt and Thomas. L. Whisler. The history of the IT goes back to the first arithmetical calculator. Then in recent years, information technology is more related to electronic data processing.

Electronic data processing & IT

The information technology relates to computing technology and all of its aspects. The electronic data processing encompasses data storage, data retrieval, data transfer, databases and editing of data.

The data storage is a crucial part in information technology. The storage of data during the early days was on punched tapes. Then IBM first introduces the hard disk drive (HDD) to store data for easy access. In more recent years, the solid state drive (SSD) are increasingly popular due to more storage in small size.

The data retrieval process is very crucial. It involves retrieving the data and presenting it to humans in the form of information. In the modern world, it is done through browsers. The data transfer consists of the flow of the data from one location to another. Now, the current media for data-transfer over long distance is the internet.

The database is a large amount of data that is stored and retrieved by a number of users at the same time. The databases store the data without affecting its integrity. Editing and analyzing the data also an important part, as the large pile of data is of no use. To address this issue, the concept of data mining come into existence. Data mining is helpful in understanding and analyzing a large amount of data with patterns.

All these aspects relate to information technology and every aspect work together to form modern-day IT.

Advantages of information technology

The most prominent advantage of information technology is readily available information. It is a key part of our lives. The information helps to understand, learn, work and gain knowledge. The easy access to information is only possible due to IT.

Furthermore, the rise of IT-enabled services such as the smartphones, ERP systems, CMS system etc. helps you connect irrespective of the location. You can talk face-to-face thru video call to anyone in the world. Or, you can simply work from anywhere as you don’t need office space. All this is possible because of the advent of information technology and related services.

In addition, all sort of information, you name it, is just one click away. It is available on your smartphone. You can order food, book a ticket, watch the news and many more things you can do on a small device. All this is possible because of information technology.

The rise of the connected world brings immense new possibilities where your physical existence is not required. The automation also increasingly which relies on information technology. So, the future will rely on it too. We have no doubt the IT will change everything in your life.