Practical 03
Practical 03
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
What Is Information Technology?
Information technology (IT) is the use of computer systems or devices to access information.
Information technology is responsible for such a large portion of our workforce, business operations
and personal access to information that it comprises much of our daily activities. Whether you are
storing, retrieving, accessing or manipulating information, IT greatly impacts our everyday lives.
Information technology drives much of what we do in our personal and professional lives. It is the
foundation of our communication, technological advancement, innovation, sustainability and
recreation. We use information technology on a personal level to connect and communicate with
others, play games, share media, shop and be social.
From a career perspective, information technology is largely responsible for much of our business
operations and spans nearly every industry. From healthcare to food services, manufacturing to
sales, and beyond, we rely on IT to help connect us to others, store and manage information and
create more efficient processes.
IT Career Opportunities
According to Cyberstates 2020, there were 12.1 million technology-based jobs in 2020, which
continues to grow year over year. Careers in IT span many different areas, from computer hardware
and software development to networking, computer repair, technical support, cybersecurity, cloud
computing, artificial intelligence, data science and so much more. What originally began as a siloed
department, information technology is now considered a critical business function that impacts
nearly every aspect of an organization.
Examples of IT Jobs
IT jobs run the gamut. Here’s a brief rundown of some IT job possibilities. Keep in mind that these
positions can also be industry specific, so you could work one of the following roles in an industry
of your choice.
Software developer
Software engineer
Programmer
Mobile application developer
Web developer
Product owner/support
IT jobs that involve data protection or incident response fall under cybersecurity and may include
the following:
Cybersecurity specialist
Cybersecurity analyst
Cybersecurity architect
Forensic analyst
Incident responder
Malware analyst
Pen tester/ethical Hacker
Threat hunter
Jobs in information technology that involve data collection, storage or analysis fall under data jobs,
which may include:
Data scientist/analyst
Data engineer
Database engineer
Data privacy officer
Business intelligence analyst
As with any industry, there are several IT jobs that are leadership positions. These may include jobs
such as:
The different trends within information technology include, but aren’t limited to:
Analytics
Automation
Artificial intelligence
Cloud computing
Communications
Cybersecurity
Data/database management
Infrastructure
Internet of things
Machine learning
Maintenance and repair
Networks
Robotics
Software/application development
SCADA
This list is by no means exhaustive and new applications for technology are constantly emerging.