What is information technology?
Information
technology is simple words in
a process that uses a combination of means and methods of data collection,
processing, and transmission to obtain new quality information about the state
of an object, process, or phenomenon. The purpose of information technology is
the production of information for analysis by people and decision-making on the
basis of it to perform an action
Information of technologies (IT)
The
introduction of a personal computer in the field of information and the
application of telecommunication media have determined a new stage in the
development of information technology. Modern IT is information technology with
a "friendly" user interface using personal computers and
telecommunication facilities. The new information technology is based on the
following basic principles.
1. Interactive (dialogue) mode of
working with a computer.
2. Integration with other software
products.
3. Flexibility in the process of
changing data and task definitions.
As
a set of information technology tools, many types of computer programs are used:
word processors, publishing systems, spreadsheets, database management systems,
electronic calendars, and functional purpose information systems.
Information technology history
Information
has always been a very valuable resource for human beings, but never before
have they been able to produce and manage it so easily and in such large
dimensions. In fact, the history of information technology begins with the
invention of writing, around 3000 BC. C. when the Mesopotamian cultures
invented what is thought to be the first ancient written record system, useful
for keeping track of herds, raw materials, or other countable assets.
This
primitive system of markings on some surfaces was the first known information
technology, and over the centuries it evolved into the various types of writing
known today. Writing became so important that it forced humanity to design new
supports, more resistant, lighter, and more comfortable, in which to work with
it.
The
paper was, for thousands of years, the ideal support for manual writing, made
with ink or graphite, until the invention of the printing press in the 15th
century, which allowed texts to be spread easily and quickly never before seen,
what It took a group of monks from the Middle Ages a year to transcribe, a device
could do it in just a few weeks. Lithography and other ways of reproducing
images on paper were later added to this invention.
The
next milestone occurred in the 20th century, with the invention of typewriters,
And
above all with the creation of the first electromagnetic supports, that is, the
first computers and digital systems. In the mid-20th century, it became clear
that the calculating machines available to date were just the beginning of what
humanity could achieve in terms of information storage and processing.
In
fact, the second half of the 20th century and the first decades of the 21st
century witnessed an unprecedented transformation in human capacities to
produce and store data, with the emergence of new and more powerful generations
of computers. Hard drives, mobile media (floppy disks, laser discs, flash
drives), and computer networks maximized the amount of information that could
be stored accurately and retrieved quickly.
Hence,
current times are called the "Information Age": human beings produce,
store, and transmit in an ordinary way much more information than that
produced, stored, and reproduced in all previous eras of history.
STAGES OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
It
is believed that computing began to develop after the advent of computers. But
actually, its history goes back to primitive times, when people shared data
through cave drawings.
Let's
look at the main stages of information technology development:
· Manual computing (from
antiquity to the second half of the 19th century). The main tools of
information technology at that time were the pen, the book, and the inkwell.
· The interaction between
people was carried out by sending letters, and their main objective was to
transmit information to the addressee so that they understood what was wanted
to be said.
· Mechanical computing
(late 19th century to the present). The tools are Dictaphones, telephones,
typewriters, and email. The objective and methods of communication are the same
but in a more comfortable way.
· Electrical computing
(from the 40s to the 60s). This era is characterized by the appearance of the
first computer hardware and software, electric typewriters, and portable voice
recorders. The emphasis on information technology shifts from form to content.
· Electronic computing
(from the 70s to the present). The computers of the time are increasingly
sophisticated, and automated control systems (ACS) and information retrieval
systems (IRS) are created. Emphasis is placed on creating meaningful
information.
· Computer science (from
the 80s to the present). The main tool of this technology is the personal
computer (PC) with a set of computer programs to perform tasks of different
purposes.
Features of information technologies:
·
Immateriality
The advance of the digital world
and wireless technologies allowed the data to rest on supports far from our
sight, recoverable quickly, but located in an inaccessible place. Hence the
metaphor of "the cloud" to refer to the internet: a place full of
information that is everywhere, but at the same time we cannot see or touch it.
· Interconnection
Information currently flows
without stopping, being transmitted from one geographic location to another in
a matter of seconds, but always from one end of a network to the other. To access
it we must, therefore, connect: have an artifact capable of connection.
· Instantaneity
The speed of data transmission today is only
comparable to the speed of transmission of electrical impulses between the
nerves and the brain of animals.
· Omnipresence
Information
is everywhere in the contemporary world, it is produced, collected, and
transmitted even without our realizing it.
·
Cross information
support
At
all stages of information transmission supported by an integrated database,
which provides a unique way of entering, searching, displaying, updating, and
protecting information.
• Paperless document processing during
which only the final version of the paper document is recorded, intermediate
versions, and the necessary data recorded on the media are delivered to the
user via the PC display screen.
• Interactive (dialogue) task solution
mode with a wide range of possibilities for the user.
• Collective production of a document
based on a group of computers linked by means of communication.
• Adaptive processing of the form and
modes of information presented in the problem-solving process.
Types of information technologies
The
main types of information technology include the following.
• Information technology for data
processing is designed to solve well-structured problems, the solution
algorithms for which are well-known, and for which all the necessary input data
exists. This technology is applied to the performance level of low-skilled
staff in order to automate some routine and constantly repeated operations of
administrative work.
• Management information technology is
intended for the information service of all employees of companies, related to
the acceptance of administrative decisions. In this case, the information is
usually presented in the form of ordinary or special management reports and
contains information about the past, present and possible future of the
company.
• Automated office information
technology is designed to complement the company's existing staff communication
system. Office automation assumes the organization and support of communication
processes both within the company and with the external environment on the
basis of computer networks and other modern means of transferring and working
with information.
• Decision support information
technology is designed to develop a management decision that is produced as the
result of an iterative process involving a decision support system (a computer
link and the object of management) and a person (the management link, which
sets input data and evaluates the output).
• The information technology of expert
systems is based on the use of artificial intelligence. Expert systems allow
managers to receive expert advice on any problem for which knowledge has been
accumulated in these systems.
Information Technology Application Examples
Some
examples of the use of information technologies throughout history are:
• Writing at any of its levels.
• The dissemination of advertising
content on social networks to thousands of potential users.
• The registration and study of the
stock market and financial systems (such as the stock market) through large
computers dedicated to calculation.
• The digital storage of the
historical archives of a newspaper or the archive of a nation.
• The recording of the steps taken by
a person who exercises through an app on his smartphone.
• Transactions for the purchase and
sale of financial assets through online banking portals.
• The storage of thousands of photos
on a person's hard drive
