What The Information Technology Has To Do With…2022

What The Information Technology Has To Do With…
In these 16 years that have passed since the beginning of the 21st century, the world has been involved in a maelstrom of technological advances in all areas of science and daily life.

Information and communication technologies, known by their abbreviation as ICT, are a set of technologies required for the storage, retrieval, processing, and communication of information. 

For many people, information technology (IT) is basically synonymous with the technicians you call when you need help with a computer problem.

Although that view of information technology is not totally wrong, it minimizes the scope of this very important career field.

If you want to know better what information technology is and the many facets of this field, you have come to the right place. We have done the research for you and we have spoken with professionals from our IT department to write this article that we hope will be useful to answer your questions.

ICT Background

Information and communication date back to prehistoric times; An example of this is the cave paintings, which reveal the organization of a signal transmission system of the inhabitants of those times. 

These forms have evolved with the creation of new technologies, which facilitated the exchange of information.

 However, it was not until the 1970s that the “digital era” began; scientific advances in the field of electronics caused the push for ICT, which essentially combined electronics with software.

Already in the 90s, the research carried out allowed the convergence of electronics, information technology, and telecommunications, which made possible the interconnection between networks, and that is how ICT as we know it today emerged. 

“What The Information Technology Has To Do With“ in business

Information technology is about creating communication networks for a company, safeguarding data and information, creating and managing databases, helping employees solve problems with their computers or mobile devices, or doing a whole host of jobs to ensure the efficiency and security of the company’s information systems.

From checking email on our phones to running numbers on our laptops to hosting a teleconference through cloud-based software, it’s inevitable to highlight the importance of information technology in the workplace.

The demand for professionals in this field is high and growing, and people who enter the field can choose from a variety of career paths.

But what exactly are we talking about when we talk about IT?

The term “information technology” dates back to a 1958 article in the Harvard Business Review. Authors Harold J. Leavitt and Thomas L. Whisler defined several types of information technology:

• Techniques for the rapid treatment of information.
• The use of statistical and mathematical models for decision-making.
• The “simulation of higher order thinking by computer programs”.

Harold J. Leavitt and Thomas L. Whisler once wrote: “Although many aspects of this technology are uncertain, it seems clear that it will rapidly enter the management scene, with a definite and far-reaching impact on the management organization.”

Today, information technology (IT) refers to everything that businesses use computers for.

Regardless of the size of the company, computer systems have had tangible and intangible applications and implications in all areas of business activity.

Communications, efficiency, mobility, and company culture have been affected by the introduction of information technology.

Companies either have an in-house support team or outsource to a managed support provider to monitor their IT systems, make sure they are running efficiently, and troubleshoot any issues that may arise.

See Is technology the future? On the verge of change

How Information Technology Works

Information technology is a global concept that encompasses all devices and platforms, such as computers, software, websites, servers, and others. As you can probably tell, IT is more crucial than ever in the modern age.

But how does it work in practice? The fundamental aspects of its operation are described below:

keep everything connected

The key to information technology is to develop a system that keeps everything interconnected and running smoothly. You are probably already using some forms of IT with your email or data management.

However, having systems that work independently of each other can become a headache over time. The ability to move data from one platform to another should not be an add-on, but something that is built in as an essential component.

The more interconnected your information technology is, the better the productivity of your company and your customers.

Incorporate computer advances

Your business is not static and neither should your IT. As the devices in your home continue to get more advanced, technology at the enterprise level is advancing even faster.

Staying on top of upcoming trends and developments is crucial to the success and growth of your business. 

Although it may seem cheaper to maintain outdated systems that your company has used for years, denying progress can actually be detrimental to your bottom line.

Upgrading can mean faster speeds and smoother interaction between your systems, which means more time to spend on new business and other projects.

However, not all upgrades are worth it, and it can be hard to tell what’s useful and what’s just another sales pitch for you to buy something you don’t need.

Having an IT specialist on your staff can help you identify what’s really worth it. Someone who is intimately familiar with your business and its data can serve your needs better than a salesperson.

See 10 Reasons Why Your Business Website Never Works Out The Way You Plan

Continuous maintenance of IT

Information technology is not something that can be set up once and left to run unattended. Being such an important component of your company, it demands your attention.

In practice, there are internal flaws that need to be fixed, as well as external security threats that you’ll want to protect yourself from.

In addition, it is essential to have staff to make sure everything runs smoothly and to collaborate with non-IT staff to meet their needs.

Not only that but being able to keep track of it all can be taxing on its own. The sheer amount of data that even small businesses collect can be overwhelming.

Ultimately, not having someone implement the structure and having the ability to order everything is invaluable. It just accumulates more data, which means there will always be work to do.

See How to Improve Your Communication Skills

Why is information technology important?

In a nutshell, information technology helps build and grow the business sector and generate the highest possible returns. The time it takes for different sectors to generate business has been reduced to a minimum with the advancement of information technology:

• It provides electronic security, storage, and efficient communication.
• To get the job done, information technology needs computer applications.
• Computers connect computing with the different organizations of the world.

On the other hand, they help the employees to maintain the records of their numerous clients from various companies. 

It also helps patients to contact doctors online and get advice about their health problems. Finally, the system allows the proper management of patient records.

Programming/encryption, data conversion, retrieval and storage of data communications, and system analysis are used to collect the information.

Even the education sector has changed radically with the arrival of information technologies.

Computers, computer programs, and the Internet are of great help to manage businesses correctly and generate the expected results.

Now, companies now have databases, which is a new form of storage system that allows users to save or retrieve their documents.

Specifically, the IT department is providing a strong communication system to communicate effectively.

On the other hand, the use of computers and the internet increases the quality of education. The pedagogical method of teaching and learning has been improving and IT contributes to improving school systems, student activities, and teaching practices.

Ultimately, students are more open to learning with modern technologies and more focused on online learning.

Therefore, their learning methods depend on direct interaction with teachers and special classes for special children.

In conclusion, students are not required to use the same traditional method of learning.

And all this has been made possible by the introduction of information technology in the field of education and you can see the importance of technology.

In short, the aura of information technology can be seen in almost all fields, including work, learning, leisure, and health.

From ministries to classrooms, all sectors use information technologies to obtain the best results.

Physicians also use information technology to check patient record entries, history, and their prescribed dose and act on it.

Also, the use of information technology can be seen in agriculture to increase productivity.

Satellites are connected to agriculture to predict weather and pollution.

Thanks to drone technology, massive data collection, land surveys, pesticide use, seed sowing, irrigation, and fertilizer use are possible.

See How to Get a Team to Work Together

How to Use Information Technology

Whether you work in a large company or a small one, information technology is going to play an important role in your daily tasks to gain a competitive advantage.

Companies tend to use IT in three main ways:

• Support basic information processing tasks.
• Help decision-making.
• Support innovation.

For example, when it comes to information processes, information technology is used to streamline tasks, from computing and printing payroll to creating presentations.

They also help create websites for products and services.

When it comes to decision-making tasks, companies need to use IT to understand metrics like which customers have past due accounts or when customers show cart abandonment.

To support innovation, IT tools in the workplace enable continuous research on topics. Think about where we would be without the Internet.

Honestly, it’s hard to imagine, but this tool is a vital aspect of information technology.

Where information technology is applied

The most important examples in which information technology is used are:

• Computer programming.
• Management information systems.
• The geographic information system.
• Information security analysis.
• Database administration.
• Network administration and management.
• Cable TV.
• Video on demand.
• multimedia conferences.
• Home shopping on the web.
• ATMs.
• The electronic exchange of data.
• Telemedicine and many more in different fields.
• Human beings increasingly depend on computing devices to perform everything from simple activities, such as memorizing phone numbers, to sophisticated tasks, such as flying an airplane.

Information technology is used in almost all areas of our lives. Some of its most important uses are listed below:

science and engineering

Computers and other microprocessor-controlled technologies are almost entirely responsible for scientific development in disciplines such as biotechnology.

Meteorologists use supercomputers to forecast future weather by combining observations of weather conditions from various sources, a mathematical description of atmospheric dynamics, and geographic data.

In several industries, computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems have led to better products, especially if the designs are very precise.

Engineers can use computer algorithms to evaluate the plans of large buildings such as power plants and space stations.

Public administrations

The use of computers to manage transactions and services in public administrations offers citizens a connection tool with the administration, instead of conventional techniques such as paper or traveling from one department to another.

The computerization of government activities allows the administration to respond better to the needs of society. It also bridges the distance between the government and the citizen.

Touchscreen terminals, for example, help distribute information on property records, photo ID cards, outstanding bills, and more, allowing people to make better decisions.

e-Learning

Provide students with electronic content through the most accessible channels and through the use of current electronic devices, such as computers. In most primary schools in the world, the teaching of computer science is a compulsory study.

Students are increasingly relying on electronic sources of knowledge rather than physical libraries, as more material is digitized every day and made available to anyone in the world via the Internet.

The use of graphics, animations, videos, presentations, and e-learning to complement conventional approaches has changed the way classes are delivered.

Companies

Electronic commerce is an application of information technology that benefits businesses by increasing their profits and accessing new markets on a large scale, while also benefiting consumers by increasing access to basic products and services.

Most large companies store all of their employees’ employment records in huge databases controlled by computer systems.

Billing customers, tracking payments received and due, and tracking needed supplies and products manufactured, stored, transported, and sold use similar programs and databases.

In reality, almost all the information that companies need is obtained through the use of computers and information technology.

Almost the majority of financial transactions in the world are done electronically.

New technologies in different areas, such as e-commerce companies, have made it possible for almost anyone to carry out ordinary financial transactions on the go.

In addition, many companies have replaced cash registers with the point of sale (POS) terminals on a smaller scale.

When each item is sold, these POS terminals not only generate a sales receipt for the consumer but also send information to a computer database to keep track of what is in stock and what needs to be purchased.

In today’s factories, computers are also becoming more and more important. Difficult, heavy, or dangerous activities are now performed by computer-controlled robots.

e-Health

Offers expert websites in many fields of medicine, medical consultations without having to go to the doctor’s office, and information on diseases.

A scanner, for example, uses computerized axial tomography (CAT) or magnetic resonance imaging to acquire a sequence of images of the body (MRI).

The images are then processed by a computer to create detailed three-dimensional images of the body’s organs.

In addition, MRI generates images that describe changes in body chemistry and blood flow.

Most essential life support equipment is programmed to react in fractions of a second to changes in the patient’s condition, reducing reaction time and the danger of human error.

Robotic surgery, for example, is a new concept that allows surgeons to operate remotely.

Entertainment

The lifestyle of most people has changed thanks to technology.

Games, music and video streaming, digital television broadcasts, satellite radio, animated films, and other forms of entertainment have emerged as a result of the convergence of various technologies.

They can be accessed through mobile phones, tablets, laptops or wirelessly using state-of-the-art technologies such as Wi-Fi.

5 reasons why information technologies will grow in the world

Information Technologies (IT) are tools and services that help society to be better informed, interact more effectively, and even have learned just a click away.

Through devices and software, humanity is closer than ever and geographical, linguistic, and even sensory limitations are becoming smaller.

Do you want to know more? Read on below:

In the same way, the barriers between gadgets have been disappearing, which creates an information network between platforms as large as a galaxy.

To make this easier and understand the importance of IT growth, we leave you 5 reasons why it will grow worldwide in the next decade:

A less hierarchical work structure

They increase the flow of horizontal information. They eliminate inequality and lack of interaction between employees, creating an environment of greater equity and participation, resulting in more effective decisions.

Accessibility to a world of information

They collect colossal amounts of data in small spaces that are extraordinary support to the intellectual work of man. Its transmission is immediate, which provides academic, informative, useful, and easily accessible content.

Wide communication and coverage

The constant evolution of the media has given us channels such as the Internet that currently allow us to contact any person or institution on a global level, eliminating limits such as distances or languages.

Task automation

Artificial intelligence, whether in agendas, cell phones, email, or conversational bots, some even with humor, performs tasks that are so repetitive and impossible for a person to perform. They thus create a variety of solutions for the user.

Growth of companies and businesses

The use of the cloud, operations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, automation of manual processes, and proximity to the client through online platforms save money, man-hours, and resources. They thus achieve greater administration and better service.

In 2018, a 5% growth in the IT industry is estimated ( “The IT Industry Outlook 2018” by CompTIA), which will affect high-level executives to smaller providers.

However, most citizens do not have access to these tools due to their cost.

However, various organizations seek to bridge this technological, social, and economic gap through donations and training.

Become part of this technological movement and break the old paradigms with the UIN Degrees in Computer Science and Information Technology as well as Telematics and Security Systems engineering.

Dare and change the world of technology.

Use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in medical residencies

Examples and characteristics of ICT

There are multiple examples of ICT such as the telephone, cell phones, printing, mail, and computers, but, without a doubt, the one that has caused the greatest impact on the development of societies is the Internet.

The internet is more than a platform for exchanging data: it is the global network that allows access to information from anywhere in the world and makes communication possible from different places without the need to be face to face. 

All of this happens in almost instantaneous time, making it easy to share and retrieve information almost immediately.

Some of the fundamental characteristics of ICTs are: 

• Immateriality, its raw material is information in multiple codes and forms.
• Interconnections, although they are presented independently, can be combined and expand their connections.
• Interactivity allows the interaction of the subject with the machine and, thus, the adaptation of these to various educational and cognitive areas of people.
• Instantaneity facilitates the speed of access and exchange of information.
• Image and/or sound quality, which gives reliability and fidelity to the transferred information.
• Penetration into various sectors of society: health, education, economy, etc.

Use of ICT in education

Information and communication technologies can contribute to universal access to education, equality, and the exercise of quality teaching and learning; they facilitate expanding information, improving quality, and guarantee integration (UNESCO, 2015).

The technology that currently influences society represents new challenges, especially in education, since ICTs have been integrated into the educational teaching-learning processes over time, generating influence in the acquisition and strengthening of knowledge by students and teachers.

The impact of ICT in improving education depends on various factors, but the most important is accessibility to basic materials, such as a computer with Internet access, and the ability of the teacher and student to manage these technologies.

The quality of teachers and their permanent professional training is essential to achieving quality education. With the emergence of ICTs, training, updating, and distance training processes were mediated. Anyone who has the technological infrastructure can enter it. 

“What The Information Technology Has To Do With” in medical education

UNAM medical residencies

The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), through the Faculty of Medicine, grants university endorsement to 78 medical specialties, all of them included in the Single Plan for Medical Specializations (PUEM), with a total of 620 courses distributed in 114 locations belonging to different health institutions.

The health institutions that have courses endorsed by UNAM are the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers (ISSSTE), Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), Secretary of Health (SSa) Federal, Ministry of Health of Mexico City (SSaCDMX), private institutions, Mexican Red Cross, Social Security Institute of the State of Mexico and Municipalities (ISSEMyM), Integral Development of the Family (DIF) and UNAM. ⁶

The entity in charge of supervising, evaluating, and supporting postgraduate courses is the Coordination of Academic Subcommittees, with the support of the members of the 46 Academic Subcommittees.

 These supervisions are in order to ensure that the specialty courses adhere to the guidelines indicated in the PUEM and have the infrastructure for the delivery of the course; other parameters evaluated are research, teachers, and the opinion of students.

In terms of infrastructure, during the visits, it has been documented that around 50% of the sites do not have free wireless internet access, or only have limited internet access in the hospital library.

 In addition, there is a shortage of computer equipment for use by resident doctors. 

However, residents try to remedy these deficiencies by using their own technological resources such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops, and even hiring an external wireless network.

The lack of basic material to implement ICT (computers with Internet access) generates a deficiency in the application of new technologies to improve the teaching-learning of teachers and residents. 

Similarly, these deficiencies affect the application of resources related to biomedical informatics in the venues, such as telemedicine and distance education ( e-learning ).

Application of ICT in postgraduate courses of the Faculty of Medicine

Currently, one of the main challenges of clinical informatics is the difficulty for health professionals to distinguish between informatics and information technology.

The effective use of knowledge and information applied to patient care, public health, and clinical informatics is not just about the use of computers in medicine, but rather a body of knowledge, methods, and theories focused on the effective use of computers.

of information and knowledge to improve the quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of patient care, as well as the education of medical residents and professors.

ICT can be used in various ways in educational teaching-learning processes. Its different applications of ICT services in the postgraduate courses of the Faculty of Medicine depend on the skill or learning that you want to cover:

• Means of expression: the creation of various forms to convey information. Examples:

• Source of information and resources: obtaining large amounts of information easily and quickly. Examples:

• Communication channel: facilitation of the exchange of ideas and documents, as well as teamwork between people who are small or large distances. Examples:

• Cognitive instrument: ICT elements can support the development of cognitive processes if this is the intended purpose.

• Evaluation instrument: evaluation of people’s knowledge quickly, reducing time, even at a distance. You can follow the performance of each person. Examples:

• An instrument for processing information: the creation of databases, preparation of translations, and calculations. Examples:

See How to Develop Teamwork Skills

google in education

Currently, one of the major producers of ICT for education is the company Google, which has various applications available to users that could be applied in the medical specialty courses taught by the Faculty of Medicine.

• Google Classroom: control center for classes; you can create classes, distribute tasks, send comments and have access to the information of all the students from one place.
• Google Gmail: email.
• Google Drive: This allows you to archive documents in the cloud, access files from anywhere (smartphone, tablet, computer), share files and folders, and edit documents.
• Google Calendar: online calendar where you can add meetings, appointments, and reminders, and have it available at any time.
• Google Docs: gives the ability to create, share and access documents online from anywhere; manage documents, spreadsheets, presentations, surveys, and more.
• Google Sheets: Collaborate, create or edit spreadsheets with other users from anywhere.
• Google Slides: collaborate, create or edit presentations together with other users from anywhere.
• Google Sites: create websites for a work team where they can collect information of various types and share it with a group.
• Google Hangouts: instant messaging, voice calls, video calls. chat video chat

Advantages and disadvantages of ICT in postgraduate courses at the Faculty of Medicine 

ICTs were created in order to be valuable tools for materializing the knowledge acquired by residents.

“The rapid advances in information and communication technologies change the way knowledge is created, acquired and transmitted” (UNESCO, 1998).

Advantage

• They promote and maintain the interest, motivation, and interaction of residents and teachers.
• They develop initiative and learn from mistakes.
• They encourage communication between faculty and residents.
• They strengthen the skills of searching and selecting information.
• They contribute with a greater source of informative resources.
• They facilitate the evaluation and monitoring of residents.
• They cater to different learning styles.
• They promote self-regulated learning by residents.
• They promote cooperative work and learning between residents and teachers.

Disadvantages

• They can cause stress due to ignorance.
• They develop a dependence on computer systems.
• Computer equipment with free internet access is needed.
• There may be computer problems.

See How to Improve Language Proficiency

CONCLUSIONS

Information and communication technologies have renewed education internationally; they are valuable information tools and means to facilitate the teaching-learning process for both students and teachers.

The use of ICT in medical education is an essential tool to improve the quality of education and the training of residents in training at the different sites where the Faculty of Medicine supports by UNAM.

 However, one of the main limitations faced by residents is the lack of computer equipment with Internet access for academic use, which would facilitate access to recent articles, clinical practice guidelines that support the approach and treatment of patients, and academic platforms, among others.

Therefore, the need to provide the educational and technological resources necessary to achieve better learning and use of residents in medical specialization courses is stressed.

Source: scielo