INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION SYSTEM
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)
Information is the
finished product for which data is the raw material. The dictionary defines information as processed data,
which is used to trigger certain actions or gain understanding of what the data
implies.
Information has also been defined as data that have been put into a
meaningful and useful context and communicated to a recipient who uses it to
make decisions. Information involves the communication and reception of
intelligence or knowledge. It apprises and notifies; surprises and stimulates,
reduces uncertainty, reveals additional alternatives or helps eliminate
irrelevant or poor ones, and influences individuals and stimulates them to
action. The information must be received by the recipient within the
required time frame and the information must be free from errors.
The technology plays an important role in delivering timely and error free
information to its recipients. Technology includes hardware, software,
databases, and communication system. Hardware is a set of devices such as
processor, monitors, keyboard, and printer that accept data, process them, and
display them. Software is a set of programs that enable the hardware to process
data. Database is also an integral part of IT system, which is a collection of
related files, tables, relation etc. that stores data and the association among
them. Network connects computing resources of an organization and facilitates
sharing of hardware and software. The organization processes and people are
integral part of an IT System.
Information Technology
means the collection, storage, processing, dissemination, and use of
Information. It is not confined to hardware and software but acknowledges the
importance of man and the goals he sets for his technology, the values employed
in making these choices, the assessment criteria used to decide whether he is
controlling the technology and is being enriched by it.
