Introduction to Information Systems: Information Technology Essentials, #1

1.0 Introduction

Hello everyone, and welcome to Information Technology Essentials. I have put this book together as a part of a series of books for entry-level computer science students. Becoming a software developer requires much more than just knowing how to write programs. This is the first book in the series and starts with the basics of information technology. This book contains the material that a typical entry-level class, for a first-year computer science student, would take.

This book will start with a history of computing and will also include information about the IT industry in general. Following this, I have included a lesson to give you a basic understanding of how a computer functions from the hardware standpoint. After looking at computer hardware, we will look at the basic operations of a computer network and how the Internet is structured.

After looking at basic hardware operations, we will then look at computer software. We will look at the software development life cycle, which software development teams use to build software. We will also see how the computer operating system functions, which is the primary software that runs your computer.

The next section will cover cloud computing and why it is essential in the IT industry today. We will discuss primary definitions of cloud computing and also look at some of the top cloud computing companies in the market today.

I have also included a section on basic computer security. Computer security has become increasingly important in the computer science field and touches almost everyone daily. We will look at the primary threats out in the market today, and the general strategies for securing computers.

In the final section, we touch on the future of computing. We will look at some emerging technologies and some of the hot areas of information technology today. By the end of this class, you should have a firm grasp of the basic concepts of information technology. It will give you an excellent introduction and provide you some great background before you start studying more detailed computer science subjects.

2.0 Background

The information technology business today has become one of the most important industries in our worldwide economy. Computers and automation touch almost every aspect of our modern lives. The adoption of the cell phone has been the fastest adoption of technology the world has ever seen. All major corporations in the world today utilize large-scale IT operations to run their businesses. And most of us utilize computers and software in our personal lives.

In this chapter, I will drill down into more detail about information technology in general. I will start with a discussion of why you would want to study information technology and the benefits behind it. In the next discussion, I will present a brief history of computing and describe some of the significant milestones achieved along the way. This material will lay out a foundation I will build on for the remainder of the topics in this book.

2.1 Why Study Information Technology?

In this section, I will discuss why you would want to study information technology. I will talk about some of the market factors that make information technology such an important subject, and why you would want to study the subject. So, let’s get started.

So, why study information technology? You are part of the most connected society of all time. The amount of interaction we have with computer systems, in our daily lives, has grown dramatically over the last few years. Particularly with younger generations, computers are used by most people throughout their daily routine. Information technology touches almost every aspect of your life.

Most workers today interact with computers as part of their job. Personnel who do not work in an IT position still, generally, depend on information systems to perform their job functions. Even if you are not intending to become part of the IT industry, having a basic knowledge of information systems and information technology will help you to become an informed user. Informed users make better choices and become more valuable to the company.

If you intend to become part of the IT industry, there are many career opportunities and a wide variety of jobs. In many areas of the world, there is a shortage of qualified personnel to fill IT positions. Understanding information technology is a critical first step in becoming a skilled IT worker.

Even if you do not work in an IT company or organization, you will have IT projects and operations, and it is likely that you will, at some point, become involved with them. Again, understanding information systems will help you become a more effective team member in these projects.

Computing has changed dramatically over the last few years, and devices that were only science fiction ten or twenty years ago are now commonplace. One term that defines the modern world is ubiquitous computing, that is, computing that is made to appear anywhere at any time. Most people in developed countries, in the world, now have multiple computing devices such as cell phones, tablets, wearable devices, desktop computers, and other types of systems. Also, there are now many smart devices on the market, and the list of these is growing every day.

Many computer systems are now at work twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This has created a large demand for data center personnel to maintain these systems.

Many devices are also coming online through a technology called the Internet of Things or IoT. These devices allow computer systems to control a large variety of devices including kitchen appliances, lights, manufacturing equipment, etc. Because of this, there is an increased demand for software for command control systems to run these devices.

Younger generations have grown up with this technology and have developed their lifestyle around using mobile devices on the Internet. This lifestyle is causing a significant demand for information technology development and services.

The market for information technology systems is enormous. As of 2016, there were over two billion smartphones in use worldwide. Also, as of 2000, 80 percent of US households had a personal computer. These statistics would have been unimaginable thirty years ago. Besides, the price of computer hardware has dropped dramatically, so now devices are becoming more and more affordable, as the cost of computer hardware continues to decline.

Due to this increased market demand, IT companies have grown considerably. Google, Apple, and Microsoft are three of the top valued companies in the world. Information Technology services and software development make up much of our economy. With all this growth in demand, there are great opportunities for information technology workers. In many areas of the world, there is a shortage of personnel, and filling jobs is difficult. To fill these shortages, private training programs, such as IT developer boot camps, are growing to fill the void. In addition, pay for information technology workers remains relatively high. Computer programmers made an average salary of $84,360 in 2015. I should note, this is from an article I found in US news, and it is only for US-based workers. Salaries depend highly on the part of the world you live in and the part of the country you live in as well. So, even if wages are lower in other parts of the world, the demand for computer programmers and information technology workers remains strong.

And so, even if you were not intending to become an