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Abstract
Information technology (IT) refers to the use of computers and software in managing information. Its also referred to as management information services abbreviated as MIS. The information technology department of a multinational firm would have the responsibility of storing information, processing the information, protecting information, relaying the information as required, and afterward retrieving information as needed ( Information Technology Definition and History 1). To perform the complex functions required of information technology departments today, the modern Information Technology Department would use computers, servers, database management systems, and crypto. (Butler 3)
The internet
Start of information technology
Many people think that Information Technology is new to this age and time. However, the Information Technology age started many years ago. Information Technology has evolved over thousands of years, starting back as early as 3000 BC up to today.
The growth
The growth of Information Technology can be broken down into four different periods: Pre-mechanical, Mechanical, Electromechanical, and Electronic (Butler 1). We are currently in the electronic age. The pre-mechanical age was from 3000 BC to 1450 AD. This was the use of basic communication; writing, pen and paper, libraries and book, and the first numbering system were all a part of this period. The next period was the mechanical period. The mechanical period was from 1450-1840. During the mechanical era the first movable metal type printing press was invented. Computers, slide rules, the pascaline and Leibnizs machine were used during this era. Charles Babbage who was an eccentric English mathematician introduced the Babbages Engines (Butler 3).
The period 1840 to 1940 was the Electromechanical Age. In this era there was need to look for ways of harnessing electricity to be used in communication. Telecommunication began and electromechanical computing was invented. The last era was the electronic age which began from 1940 until today. In this era the first high speed, general-purpose computer was invented and the first stored program computers (Butler 5).
Internet enterprise
The internet is a worldwide system of computer networks. It is a network of networks in which users at any one computer can, if they have permission, get information from any other computer and sometimes talk directly to users at other computers. The internet uses a set of protocol called TCP/IP (Transmission control protocol/internet protocol) (Definition Internet 1).
Today IT structure
At present, the Internet is a self-sustaining, cooperative, and public facility reachable to millions of the world populace. Whereas some individuals make use of Internet relay Chat for the online conversations majority are believed to be users of E-mail. World Wide Web (WWW) or sometimes called the Web, is the most used Internet part where one can access a lot of information (Definition internet 2).
Today IT Skills and certifications
IT has many skills but the popular ones are: computer networking, security of information, governance in IT, ITIL, business intelligence, Linux, Unix and project management ( Information Technology Definition and History. 4).
To progress in an information technology career, a concrete education and particular certifications are required. Today there are so many certifications in IT offered in most colleges some of them are certifications in information security, oracle DBA, Microsoft, Cisco, among others. Information technology has created many careers that are available to skilled people ( information technology- Definition and History 5).
The positives and negatives of IT
Information Technology has a tremendous positive side although it does have some negative side. This depends on how it is used. If it is properly used then it becomes good to the society while as misuse of IT make it appear a bad thing. It has made life easier and quicker and at the same time dangerous.
Information technology is of great importance to us today. It is faster, convenient, and reliable in transmission of information. This helps increase the productivity in companies. Monitoring and evaluation become easy due to the use of computer networks. With information and technology a lot of information can be accessed using the web. Students benefit a lot from this because they can do their academic research since they can access information from all over the world. In the past home works and research would consume a lot of hours to complete because you had to look for different sources everywhere but now you just log in and every source is at fingerprints. IT has created a wide variety of opportunities for skilled workers.
Information technology can foster good governance. Recently there has been an increase in the focus on e-government. Electronic Government is an initiative to provide information of the administration of a country to the citizens by use of electronic means. A lot of government services and information have been put online for both the developed and developing countries. E-Government helps in promoting transparency through reduction of corruption, and promoting citizen participation (Kamar & Ongondo 1)
Whether information technology is good or bad depends on a personal perspective. Today, however, more people work in nontraditional, less structured ( non-Dilbertian ) environments, carry always-on devices, and dont make as much of a distinction between work and personal life ( Is information technology change good? 6). Workers tend to waste a lot of time, which in turn increases the production cost.
Not all the information found on the internet is educative; most youths waste a lot of time browsing pornographic sites and this increases immorality in the society for example, currently there has been an increase in the number of rapes and same sex marriages all over the world. Primary school girls are getting babies at a very early age and dropping out of schools.
The future of technology
Technology today is at its advanced stage. Most activities are carried out through the internet. Employers use the internet to advertise jobs while the unemployed people spend most of their time on the internet searching for jobs. It has also become a medium for advertising used to launch new products in the market.
In years to come technology will have swept away all the old means of communication such as use of books, pens, rulers, calculators, libraries among others Every thing will be computerized; students will attend classes online and will have a society that is more dependent on the computer. Most of the work which is done manually will be done using computers.
In conclusion, IT technology has its structure, skill levels, and certifications that are all required for a job in the field. Though it has its good points and bad, it depends on how one uses it. We have become a society that is very dependent on Technology. This has increased the need to study IT to compete with the growing world.
Works Cited
Butler, Jeremy. Information Technology History . University of Arizona, 1997. Web.
Definition Internet. TechTarget, 2000-2010. Web.
Information Technology Definition and History. About. 2010. Web.
Is information technology change good? InfoWorld, 2005. Web.
Kamar, Nerisa & Ongondo, Millicent. Impact of e-Government on Management and use of Government Information in Kenya . Durban, South Africa 1, 2007. Web.
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