Its use has changed the lives of all people, as it is applied in all areas of daily life. However, companies have been the most benefited by its evolution and implementation, as it has favored their management, growth, positioning and marketing.
Technology is part of people's daily dynamics, as it is present in any activity, including those related to the business field. In this sense, organizations need to have up-to-date information, review what is happening with their operations, analyze how markets behave, determine the strategies most used by the competition and discover new trends. Therefore, the use of information technology (IT) is crucial.
In this way, companies use the resources offered by information technology, considering different systems that monitor and obtain data and information from their areas. Therefore, it is important to strengthen the capacity to design business processes and create new services, based on the information collected. Therefore, it is essential to know in detail what information technology means.
What are information technologies?
It is a set of devices, services and activities that rely on computing equipment to transform data into digital information . For this reason, knowing what these devices involve, as well as the diversity of applications, facilitates their successful implementation within organizations.
The term "information technology" was first used in a 1958 Harvard Business Review article by Harold J. Leavitt and Thomas L. Whisler . The authors posited that information technology cpa b2b list could be viewed as various techniques for rapid information processing , such as the use of statistical and mathematical models for decision making , or the simulation of higher-order thinking through computer programs .
More than six decades later, Leavitt and Whisler 's view is that information technology is the way to build communication networks for a company. But it is also used to protect data, to create and manage databases, to help employees solve problems with their equipment, or to perform a variety of other tasks that ensure the efficiency and security of business information systems.
Read on to find out what information technology management is.
Types of information technologies
As explained by Mariagrazia Fugini , Piercarlo Maggiolini , Daniele Pagani and Ramón Salvador Vallés in their book Information Systems and Technologies in Organizations (2018), IT can be distinguished and classified into three main categories. In the first of these, IT is part of the production process, in the second, the management of the production process and in the third, when technologies are components of what is produced. Each type is detailed below:
IT as part of the production process. In this case, technology is part of the process that generates a good or service, such as robots, machines that calculate and control processes, computers that diagnose or control quality, ATMs, points of sale, and even the Internet of Things.
IT for production process management. This is used to support production, such as accounting applications, staff management programs, email, web pages, spreadsheets, support systems, and systems for the electronic market and customer relationship management.
IT as a component. Technology is becoming an essential element in new products or services, such as smartwatches that monitor people's vital parameters, GPS technology in vehicles, automatic payment or cash withdrawal systems, environmental sensors and the development of applications for fintech.