INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Information technology (IT) turns arduous chores into efficient tasks and corporate activities into achievable accomplishments. Online banking, electronic mail (e-mail) communications, ATM transactions, and Internet-based research are possible because of IT. IT has evolved into an essential component of everyday life.

The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) provides a concise definition of IT as, "the collection of products and services that turn data into useful, meaningful, accessible information." Tony Gunton provides a more comprehensive definition of IT as "electronic technologies for collecting, storing, processing, and communicating information … separated into two main categories (1) those which process information, such as computer systems, and (2) those which disseminate information, such as telecommunication systems" (1993, p. 150). Specific equipment (computers) and software are needed to process data so that information can be acquired. IT is reliant upon items to electronically input, output, process, store, and retrieve data. Data may include, but are not limited to, text, graphics, sound, and video. Although IT is a complex entity, it makes daily tasks easier and more efficient.

Computers, networks, satellites, robotics, videotext, television, e-mail, electronic games, and automated office equipment are some of the many tools used in IT. The IT industry uses hardware and equipment such as computers, telephones, World Wide Web sites, transaction machines, and office equipment to transfer information. Specific software and services are used to ensure rapid processing of information that is reliable and secure.

HISTORY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Although the term information technology first appeared in the 1970s, the basic concept can be traced to much earlier times, when the abacus (c. 1400), the movable press (1450s), and slide rule (1600s) were considered the first "computers." Although these tools may seem primitive, these "analog" computers provided valuable information for their users.

IT then took a huge leap as military and business industries combined their efforts in the early 1900s. Together they were a major force in IT research and development. Punched cards and electrical pulses quickly gave way to vacuum tubes and electronic digital computers.

The first electronic digital computer was designed at the University of Pennsylvania by John Presper Eckert, Jr. (1919–1995) and John W. Mauchly (1907–1980) in 1945. The electronic numerical integrator and computer, or ENIAC, was designed to discover, monitor, and predict flight paths of weapons. ENIAC was designed using 18,000 vacuum tubes that provided a week's worth of information in one hour, but was laden with maintenance problems.

The first commercial computer was the Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC), developed by Eckert and Mauchly in 1951. The UNIVAC I was used by the Census Bureau to predict the outcome of the 1952 presidential election. The development of ENIAC and UNIVAC I prompted an increase in IT research and development that continues into the twenty-first century. Computers are designed for a variety of purposes and are divided into four categories: supercomputer, mainframe computer, microcomputer, and minicomputer. The categories are defined by size, cost, and processing ability.

Supercomputers are developed for use in science and engineering, for designing aircraft and nuclear reactors, and for predicting worldwide weather patterns. These computers are of significant size and cost millions of dollars.

Information is processed quickly using multiple processors. Few supercomputers exist because of their cost.

Mainframe computers are large general-purpose computers requiring special attention and controlled atmospheres. They are used in large corporations to calculate and manipulate large amounts of information stored in databases. Mainframe computers are high-speed, multi-purpose machines that cost millions.

Microcomputers were introduced in 1975 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). These desktop computers were designed using a single-chip microprocessor as its processing element. Tandy Corporation quickly followed MIT by offering Radio Shack's first microcomputer in 1976. The Apple microcomputer was introduced in 1977. IBM introduced the first personal computer (PC) in the fall of 1981, causing a dramatic increase in the microcomputer market. The microcomputer is generally known as a PC. The cost for PCs ranges from $500 to $2,000. Because of dramatic improvements in computer components and manufacturing, personal computers do more than the largest computers of the mid-1960s at a fraction of the cost.

Minicomputers came on to the scene in the early 1980s in small businesses, manufacturing plants, and factories. Minicomputers are multitasking machines that connect many terminals to each other and a mainframe computer. As such, they are able to process large amounts of data. Minicomputer systems (desktop, network, laptop, and handheld devices) range in price from $15,000 to $150,000.

Since the 1950s, four generations of computers have evolved. Each generation reflected a decrease in hardware size but an increase in computer operation capabilities. The first generation used vacuum tubes, the second used transistors, the third used integrated circuits, and the fourth used integrated circuits on a single computer chip. Advances in artificial intelligence that will minimize the need for complex programming characterize the fifth generation of computers, still in the experimental stage.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PHASES

Information processing involves five phases: input, process, output, storage, and retrieval. Each of these phases and the devices associated with each are discussed below.

Input

Input refers to information or stimulus that enters a system. Input can include commands entered from the keyboard to data from another computer. Input devices include the keyboard, pointing devices (such as mouses), scanners and reading devices, digital cameras, audio and video input devices, and input devices for physically challenged users. Input devices are used to capture data at the earliest possible point in the workflow, so that the data are accurate and readily available for processing.

Processing

Processing occurs after data have been entered into the computer. When data are processed, they are transformed from raw facts into meaningful information. A variety of processes may be performed on the data, such as adding, subtracting, dividing, multiplying, sorting, organizing, formatting, comparing, graphing, and summarizing. Data processing includes the input, verification, organization, storage, retrieval, transformation, and extraction of information from data. Processing can also include the execution of a program.

Output

Output is information that comes out of a computer. Four common types of output are text, graphics, audio, and video. After the information has been processed, it can be listened to through speakers or a headset, printed onto paper, or displayed on a monitor. An output device is any computer component capable of conveying information to a user. Commonly used output devices include display devices, printers, speakers, headsets, data projectors, fax machines, and multifunction devices. A multifunction device is a single piece of equipment that looks like a copy machine but provides the functionality of a printer, scanner, copy machine, and perhaps a fax machine.

Storage

Storage refers to a variety of techniques and devices that retain data. Storage devices preserve items such as data, instructions, and information for retrieval and future use. Storage is measured in a hierarchy of bytes.

Bit: single unit of data coded in binary form (0 or 1)
Byte: most commonly comprised of 8 bits (combinations of 0s and 1s)
Kilobyte: 1,024 bytes
Megabyte: 1,024 kilobytes or 1 million bytes
Gigabyte: 1,024 megabytes or 1 billion bytes
Terabyte: 1,024 gigabytes or 1 trillion bytes

Devices used to store data include floppy disks, hard disks, compact disks (both read-only and disk-recordable), tapes, PC cards, smart cards, microfilm, and microfiche. Portable drives (flash drive/jump drive) can also serve as storage devices.

Retrieval

Retrieval is the ability to search for and locate information that has been stored. The information can be text, sound, images, or data. Information retrieved may include documents, information within documents, and information within a stand-alone database or hyperlinked database such as the Internet or intranets.

IT drives the educational, business, medical, and military worlds. As such, it is imperative that the relationship between and among the phases of IT work seamlessly to input, process, display (output), store, and retrieve data. Continuous research and development is needed to meet the future needs of the world.

THE FUTURE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The future of IT is promising. People use computers in new ways every day. Computers are increasingly affordable, more powerful, and easier to use. Communication needs will continue to grow; the functions of e-mail, instant messaging, Weblogs, and wireless communications will improve as the demands of informational society increase. Daily tasks will continue to be enhanced as more people use Web-based technologies.

Potential problems concerning IT center on its delicate infrastructure. Educational, business, and military systems are mindful of the underlying foundation necessary to support its respective communities. In fact, researchers are already hard at work exploring possible solutions to the infrastructure concerns. One solution offered is the creation of a "mobile Internet." Another possible solution is the automation of data integration.

What will the future hold for IT? While questions exist, one thing is certain: IT will continue to grow and adapt making life more enjoyable and efficient.