What Is IT Information Technology?
What is it? The answer is quite lengthy. It is also very vague, at best. What is it exactly is a question that continues to hover in the mind of countless computer users across the world.
Information technology (IT) is the application of computers to make, receive, process, store and transmit all types of information and data. IT is most commonly used in the context of corporate business operations rather than personal or entertainment technology. Many of us still confuse what is it with what we do – but then again, so did many of us in the not-so-distant past. Some years ago, I remember asking an acquaintance what is it, and she answered “Uh, something that allows people to communicate digitally?” I asked her to explain further, and she did. So let’s get cracking.
Let’s start by defining what is it information technology – then we can proceed to answer what is it information technology. The definition is somewhat technical, but we’ll get to that in a bit. Essentially, information is converted from one format to another, for the purpose of storing, transmitting, receiving, and editing it. In fact, we use a lot of formats for information these days. For instance, we may use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WebEx, and several other proprietary formats for putting information on the web. So when we talk about what is it information technology, we’re actually referring to the various proprietary ways we communicate information.
Now then, what is it information technology isn’t – which is probably a much more accurate definition. What is it information technology isn’t – is pretty much what we’ve been discussing so far, and that is the converting of information from one form to another. It’s a bit more involved than that, but that’s the basics of what is it information technology.
Now then, you might be asking, what is it information technology if we don’t need proprietary software? Doesn’t Microsoft sell its own software, and so forth? Well, no, not necessarily. That would be like saying that Apple doesn’t make its own hardware. That would be rather silly, and yet, sometimes people want their proprietary programs, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Still, however, what is it information technology if we don’t use proprietary software, or at least rely upon open source software? Absolutely! And why? Because proprietary software programs are rarely updated, or are rarely, if ever, maintained by their creators. Open source software, on the other hand, is developed by people all over the world, and by the thousands, every single day.
So, now you have the answer to the original question, what is it information technology? You know that it’s a bunch of things, and that it changes all the time, but what you really need to know is what it is in your business? Do you have a good idea for a new product line, or do you have an idea for a better way to do something?
If the answer to that last question is “yes”, then what is it information technology is making you money? Of course. If the answer to that is “no”, then what is it information technology is doing for you? No idea, but the answer is probably “nothing”. Consider this in 2021.
Now, what is it information technology if nothing is changing? If everything stays the same, what is it information technology doing? It’s producing a steady stream of new products in all of the markets that it serves, and it is sustaining the profit levels that it finds itself at. It will continue to do so, as long as people demand that it do. The problem with what is it information technology is that it’s not seeing more people demand for it.
What is it information technology if not advancing the state of the art of how information flows around the planet? If all of the companies that use it are still using the same software packages from year to year, what is it information technology doing? It’s producing more of it, of course. In order to make use of all the new technology and applications out there, you need a stable platform, one that you can build upon and grow.
At this point in time, Apple and Microsoft are the only companies that are really making it big when it comes to what is it information technology. Their operating systems, which they both released in the late 90s, are the only ones that really push the envelope when it comes to what is it information technology. They have the backing of the government, and they have the reputation of being the most technically advanced out there. If either of them decides to start issuing their own proprietary operating systems, they could very well make what is it information technology what we know it to be. Only time will tell.