Information Technology Services

In life there are some things that everyone else seems to understand to the extent that you feel rather foolish asking about them. We’re going to try to explain one of them, namely IT (Information Technology) services, so here we go.

Let’s get past the first part, IT. It’s in capitals because it’s an abbreviation of ‘information technology’, and there’s a vague phrase if ever there was one. The phrase and initial definition was apparently coined in 1958 in an article published in the Harvard Business Review. Its authors, Leavitt and Whisler, confronted the fact that new technology of the time didn’t have a single all-encompassing name. As a result, they suggested it be termed information technology or IT.

What is Information Technology?

The International Foundation for Information Technology (IF4IT) gives three different definitions for information technology. Information technology is broadly recognisable as the study and understanding of computers and computer related systems. This includes their planning, design, construction, testing, maintenance, distribution, support and software usage. As an industry, information technology has evolved to encompass the study, science, and solution provision. This is for all things related to the processing and management of data and information. Information Technology is used to define the organisation or department responsible for; the technology used for planning, design, construction, testing, distribution, support and operation of software, computers and computer related business systems.

It’s clear that information technology is a rather wide ranging term. Its scope actually grows daily as technology develops. With the advent of smartphones and mobile devices, IT has broken out of the office and home and is no longer just about computers. With the array of devices that are becoming internet enabled, from televisions to refrigerators, the scope of IT has widened a great deal since 1958 and shows no sign of slowing.

What do Information Technology services include?

So now we can see just how wide ranging the term IT is, we can now start to fathom out what IT services actually consist of. Getting away from the dry dictionary definitions and moving into the real world applications, IT services are likely to include simple things we take for granted, such as support for a particular device.

You know the feeling, when you should be able to do something on that new phone or laptop but it just won’t play ball? Is it the hardware or software that has the problem, or just the person operating it? Network installation, computer upgrades, software installation and even training on how to use it are all part of the process, as is data recovery. When that computer crashes and just refuses to come back to life, the loss of the data it contains can have a catastrophic effect on a business. But why wait for the catastrophe? Plan to have your IT infrastructure serviced annually to ensure optimal performance and increase the lifespan of the assets you’ve invested in.

So in summary, what are IT services?

If it’s a computer, or it connects or communicates with a computer of any kind, then its supply, maintenance, integration and any related training is part of our IT service, so give Bean IT a call on 01827 68613 and see what we can do for you.