As the name implies, the information technology major teaches students the fundamentals of technology, including computer science and engineering, as well as a rigorous grounding in the principles of management. This broad-based knowledge allows them to better understand and manage the impact that technology has on business operations, planning and execution.
The information technology (IT) major deals with the capturing, storing, managing and delivering of information regardless of source or format (data, paper documents, electronic files, audio, video, databases, Web interfaces and other virtual media). IT also encompasses a range of information management activities such as archiving and deleting.
IT is the set of hardware, software and telecommunications systems that allow people to collect, process, store, manage and deliver information within an organization. IT grew out of traditional data management, which was the storage and maintenance of physical media such as tapes and discs.
It’s important to distinguish between information management (IM) and knowledge management (KM). IM is the process of collecting, organizing and storing information; KM is about creating and distributing information.
Many businesses and government organizations struggle with information management. Common issues include a large number of disparate information systems with little integration and coordination; a high volume of unstructured content; poor quality information; decreased user acceptance of IT and a reliance on legacy applications that must be replaced. Successful information management depends on strong leadership that defines a clear direction and that implements many small changes in parallel.
