The Role of Information Technology in Business

Information Technology is the study or use of systems especially computers and telecommunications to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data, often in the context of a business or other enterprise. Information technology prepares students to meet the computer technology needs of business, government, healthcare, schools, and other organizations.

Technologies like slide rule and difference engine which tabulated polynomial equations using the method of finite differences were invented. Pascaline was a very popular mechanical computer which was invented by Blaise Pascal. Technology has important effects on business operations, for instance information technology is used in a number of different departments including human resource finance manufacturing and security. The use of information technology enables businesses have the ability to view changes in the global markets far faster than they usually do.

No matter the size of your enterprise technology has both tangible and intangible benefits that will help you make money and produce the results your customers demand. Information and communication technology is a broad subject which deals with technology and other aspects of managing and processing information especially in large organizations to be precise it is considered a sub discipline of computing

Technological infrastructure affects the culture efficiency and relationships of a business at large. Any business is a risky venture with an uncertain life expectancy. It has always been and should remain a driver of innovation a creator of wealth a harbinger of economic freedom. The fundamental role of business has remained relatively constant: providing the goods and services that people want.

When technology improves overtime smaller businesses can compete with large businesses by being more swift and agile and responding to change faster. Furthermore technology can improve a company’s efficiency and decrease human error by developing automated processes. Information technology has a couple of roles for instance resource management and globalization. Resource management plays a crucial role in business success.

These resources may include tangible financial or human resources. Information technology has played a vital role in automating such complex problems by introducing user-friendly solutions. Businesses are also affected by changes in the technological environment. Technology is simply the application of knowledge to control or change our environment. Some businesses can leverage changing technology to improve products and processes or even create new products and processes that will expand markets and profits.

The field of information ethics was established by mathematician Norbert Wiener in the 1940s. Some of the ethical issues include: Hackers accessing online databases, website installing cookies or spyware to monitor a user’s online activities, unsolicited emails, Breaches of copyright by those downloading files stored without the permission of the copyright holders and employer’s monitoring their employee’s emails and other internet usage.

References

 “Free on line dictionary of computing (FOLDOC)” 9 February 2013.

 Butler, Jeremy G.,A history of information technology and systems University of Arizona, retrieved August 2012

Chandler, Daniel; Munday, Rod, ‘Information Technology”, A dictionary of media and communication (first ed.), Oxford university press, retrieved 1 August 2012

The Manchester Mark 1, University of Manchester, achieved from the original on 21 November 2008 retrieved 24 January 2009

 “America’s events- video animation on the world’s technological capacity to store communicate and compute information from 1986b to 2010. The Economist. Achieved from the original on 18 January 2012