Cyber Careers

The Basics of Information Technology and Deciding on a Career Path

Pee Vululleh

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781000539561
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

The approach taken in this book emphasizes the basics of information technology and helps students decide whether to pursue an information technology career. Most students fail to pursue an IT career because of their limited knowledge (sometimes no knowledge) about the area. Similarly, most students pursuing a career in IT do not research the field before their pursuit. This book is purposely designed for students in this category. The book may be offered as a required text for an elective or core course to all bachelor's degree students regardless of specialization. Compared to other textbooks, this text guides students pursuing or wanting to pursue an IT degree/career. Most students often begin their study of IT without knowing the outside and inside of the area. Most of these students can change their minds to pursue a different career path after spending several semesters of studies, a waste of their time. If students are taught from the onset about what an IT career entails and what it takes to become successful, it will significantly help students and not waste their time. This book addresses the issue.

1 Introduction to Information Technology

DOI: 10.1201/9781003204114-1

1.1 Introduction

Information technology is not a new thing; it has been around for a long time. Humans have always found ways to communicate better and faster, adapting technology to suit the communication styles of their specific age and generation. During the pre-mechanical period, for instance, people used simple pictures to map territories, tell stories, and so on. The Information Age (or Digital Age) introduced computer technology to disseminate information easily, quickly, and widely. This chapter introduces students to the basic definition of information technology.

1.2 What is Information Technology?

So what is information technology?

For many people, the phrase information technology or IT involves the person you call when your computer has a problem. While that view of IT is not entirely wrong, it understates the scope of this critical career field. If you are not in the field of IT yourself, you might not know and understand just how IT affects your life. To better grasp information technology, you must first define each term (information and technology) separately. Knowing the meaning of each will then give you a better understanding of their combined meaning. Let us begin with the term information.

1.2.1 What is Information?

Information is processed data on which our decisions and actions are based. Data are the raw material like numbers or words (see Figure 1.1). Whereas data are the collection of facts, information is how you understand those facts in context. Data are unorganized, while information is organized. In the context of computers, data are the input (i.e., what you tell the computer to do). Information is the output (i.e., the computer interpretations of the inputted data and its outcome).

Figure 1.1 Transforming data into information.

For a decision to be meaningful, the processed data must meet three criteria: accuracy, completeness, and timeliness (ACT).

Accuracy. Information should be based on correct, complete data and be free from bias. Accuracy is essential as decision-makers must be able to rely on the information to make the right decision. For example, suppose government statistics based on the last census wrongly show an increase in births within an area. In that case, plans may be made by businesses to invest more in the area. Such actions may yield no fruit for the involved companies in part due to the inaccurate information.

Completeness. Information should contain all the required details; otherwise, it may not be useful as the basis for decision-making. Information should be complete, meaning that facts and figures should not be missing or concealed. For example, suppose a company is provided with information regarding the costs of supplying a fleet of cars for sales, but servicing and maintenance costs are omitted. Cost calculation based on this information will be underestimated. Telling the truth but not wholly is of no use.

Timeliness. Information should be available when required. Information received too late will be irrelevant. Suppose you receive a brochure and notice that your favorite basketball team played yesterday; by then the information is too late to be of use. Going to watch your favorite team for that game will not be an option because the game day and time have passed. Information should be given or received on time. A report to your managers that is three weeks late is most likely useless. To be useful, the information should have been received at or before the deadline to be included in the managers’ decision-making process.

1.2.2 The Need for Information

Information is a requirement for carrying out an organization’s decision-making activities. The successful flow of activities in a business depends on the quality of the information. Information provides context for data. It improves our knowledge, thereby enabling us to make decisions and initiate actions.

Dates provide a simple example insofar as they are meaningless without the information that makes those dates relevant. Examples of information would include that January 1 is New Year’s Day, or that December 25 is Christmas day. Figure 1.1 presents the raw data/facts which go through processing. The processing includes guidelines and procedures used to select, organize, and manipulate data to suit a specific task. Finally, it produces information, a collection of facts organized to have additional value beyond the value of the constituent facts.

1.2.3 What is Technology?

The role played by technology and its impact on both our personal and working lives are ever-growing. Technology is one of our world’s keywords, yet it is also one of the most confused. It is defined as the set of skills, knowledge, experience, and techniques through which we change, transform, and use our environment to invent useful tools that meet our needs and desires. Technology involves a specific physical form of information and knowledge such as drawings, blueprints, models, diagrams, and sketches or non-physical form such as technical services. Technology comprises mechanisms for disseminating messages that, in turn, help us save time and energy by providing convenience at work—for example, radio and television broadcasting, telephony, computer networks, and satellites. Technology is used to produce goods and services that are considered useful in computers, machines, and medicines.

Examples of technology include the Internet, which allows people to improve the quality of their lives. Ultrasound imaging devices, as used in healthcare, enable doctors to see inside the human body. Electronic learning (e-learning) used in education allows students to learn anytime and without being restricted to a particular location. To participate in an online course, you must use technology. Online courses involve posting in discussion forums, submitting assignments, or taking tests. All these are done online using technology such as a computer, the Internet, and so on. Video, cell phones, and equipment used to create, document, and analyze information are also considered technology.

The word technology suggests that it is a means to an end. For example, a car is a means of transportation. The goal of car driving is to reach a destination. Using matches is a means of creating a fire. The end is the fire itself. When we talk about technology, we must always remember that it is a means, not an end. In the broadest sense, technology is about taking action to meet human needs. For example, the invention of the microscope was driven by a need to explore tiny things. This technological solution has allowed us to understand other things in the world that, in turn, have made our lives easier and led to the development of other advanced technologies.

1.2.4 Information Technology Defined

So, now, what is information technology?

Information technology is a combination of information and technology. IT is a subset of information systems (IS). IT is the technology aspect of systems themselves. Whereas IS incorporates the technology, people, and processes involved with technology, IT is the design and implementation of information within IS. In other words, IT can be defined as the study and use of systems (telecommunications and computers) for storing, retrieving, and sending information in various forms to different persons and places. Typically, IT includes hardware, software, and networks (see Figure 1.2), which are further discussed in Chapters 2, 3, and 4. IT is responsible for protecting an organization’s information, processing the information, transmitting the information, and retrieving it.

Figure 1.2 Information technology components.

To protect an organization’s valuable data, IT helps store the organization’s important data and protects them from unauthorized disclosure. For example, a storage system, such as vaults, can help keep information safe by only allowing certain users within a company to access, make changes, or withdraw documents. IT focuses on managing technology and improving its use to advance the overall business goals.

Information technology, therefore, is not limited to the following:

• Managing a network of computers
• Providing technical support
• Coding and decoding software

Examples of information technology are:

• Network communications equipment such as bridges, routers, and hubs
• Computers used by teachers and students for educational purposes
• The Internet used to browse for information

1.3 Origins of Information Technology

Humans have been using and advancing technology to meet their ne...