History of Information Technology

The term "information technology" came about in the 1970s. Its basic concept, however, can be traced back even further. Throughout the 20th century, an alliance between the military and various industries has existed in the development of electronics, computers, and information theory. The military has historically driven such research by providing motivation and funding for innovation in the field of mechanization and computing.

The first commercial computer was the UNIVAC I. It was designed by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly for the U.S. Census Bureau. The late 70s saw the rise of microcomputers, followed closely by IBM's personal computer in 1981. Since then, four generations of computers have evolved. Each generation represented a step that was characterized by hardware of decreased size and increased capabilities. The first generation used vacuum tubes, the second transistors, and the third integrated circuits. The fourth (and current) generation uses more complex systems such as Very-large-scale integration.

Information technology today

Today, the term Information Technology has ballooned to encompass many aspects of computing and technology, and the term is more recognizable than ever before. The Information Technology umbrella can be quite large, covering many fields. IT professionals perform a variety of duties that range from installing applications to designing complex computer networks and information databases. A few of the duties that IT professionals perform may include:

  • Data Management
  • Computer Networking
  • Database Systems Design
  • Software design
  • Management Information Systems
  • Systems management

A more extensive list of related topics is provided below.


Industry organizations

Worldwide

World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is a consortium of over 60 information technology (IT) industry associations from economies around the world. Founded in 1978 and originally known as the World Computing Services Industry Association, WITSA has increasingly assumed an active advocacy role in international public policy issues affecting the creation of a robust global information infrastructure.

United States

The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) is an industry trade group for several U.S. information technology companies.

United Kingdom

The British Computer Society (BCS) is a UK body that represents those working in IT. It is the largest United Kingdom-based professional body for computing, with a world-wide membership of over 58,000 members in over 100 countries.

India

NASSCOM is the Industry body/chamber of commerce for Information Technology Companies in India. It has been instrumental in helping the Indian Information Technology Industry grow.