Information technology

There are three known categorical definitions for the term Information technology (IT).

Information Technology (IT) is the "technology" used for the study, understanding, planning, design, construction, testing, distribution, support and operations of software, computers and computer related systems that exist for the purpose of Data, Information and Knowledge processing.

1. In terms of industry, Information Technology (IT) is the "industry" that has evolved to include the study, science, and solution sets for all aspects of Data, Information and Knowledge management and/or processing.
2. In terms of organizations or organizational structures, Information Technology (IT) is the organization in an enterprise or business that is held responsible and accountable for the technology used for planning, design, construction, testing, distribution, support and operations of software, computers and computer related systems that exist for the purpose of Data, Information and Knowledge management and/or processing.

General Information

In terms of technology, IT spans a wide variety of areas that include but are not limited to things such as Processes, Computer Software, Computer Hardware, Programming Languages, and Data Constructs. In short, anything that renders Data, Information or perceived Knowledge, in any visual format whatsoever, via any multimedia distribution mechanism, is considered to be a part of the domain space known as Information Technology (IT).

In terms of industry, IT spans a very large variety of functional areas called Information Technology (IT) Disciplines or Information Technology (IT) Competencies, that describe functional areas of the greater profession

In terms of organizations within enterprises, IT represents an operational group that helps solve such problems as those related to Data, Information and Knowledge capture, persistence, processing, brokering, discovery and rendering. Such organizations can be as small as one or two people that can be shared between multiple small business and as large as multi-billion dollar structures that are common in all Fortune 500 enterprises.

Today, the term information has ballooned to encompass many aspects of computing and technology, and the term has become very recognizable. IT professionals perform a variety of functions (IT Disciplines/Competencies) that range from installing applications to designing complex computer networks and information databases. A few of the duties that IT professionals perform may include data management, networking, engineering computer hardware, database and software design, as well as the management and administration of entire systems. Information technology is starting to spread farther than the conventional personal computer and network technology, and more into integrations of other technologies such as the use of cell phones, televisions, automobiles, and more, which is increasing the demand for such jobs.

When computer and communications technologies are combined, the result is information technology, sometimes called "infotech." Information technology is a general term that describes any technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate, and/or disseminate information.

In the recent past, ABET and the ACM have collaborated to form accreditation and curriculum standards for degrees in Information Technology as a distinct field of study separate from both Computer Science and Information Systems. SIGITE is the ACM working group for defining these standards. The Worldwide IT services revenue totaled $763 billion in 2009