The following

outline Outline or outlining may refer to: * Outline (list), a document summary, in hierarchical list format * Code folding, a method of hiding or collapsing code or text to see content in outline form * Outline drawing, a sketch depicting the outer edge ...

is provided as an overview of and topical guide to information technology:

Information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of Data (computing), data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information te ...

(IT) –

microelectronics Microelectronics is a subfield of electronics. As the name suggests, microelectronics relates to the study and manufacture (or microfabrication) of very small electronic designs and components. Usually, but not always, this means micrometre-s ...

based combination of

computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and development of both hardware and software. Computing has scientific, ...

and

telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and Reproducibility, reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in me ...

to treat

information Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random ...

, including in the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information. It is defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) as "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based

information system An information system (IS) is a formal, sociotechnical, organizational system designed to collect, process, store, and distribute information. From a sociotechnical perspective, information systems are composed by four components: task, people ...

s, particularly toward software applications and computer hardware."

Different names

There are different names for this at different periods or through fields. Some of these names are: * ICT – Information and communication technologies * IT –

* DCT – Data Communication & technology * CDT – Creative digital technology * DT – Design & technology *

Communication technology Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that ...

Underlying technology

* MOSFET (MOS transistor) **

Semiconductor device fabrication Semiconductor device fabrication is the process used to manufacture semiconductor devices, typically integrated circuit (IC) chips such as modern computer processors, microcontrollers, and memory chips such as NAND flash and DRAM that are p ...

** PMOS (p-type MOS) ** NMOS (n-type MOS) ** CMOS (complementary MOS) **

Floating-gate MOSFET The floating-gate MOSFET (FGMOS), also known as a floating-gate MOS transistor or floating-gate transistor, is a type of metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) where the gate is electrically isolated, creating a floating no ...

(FGMOS) **

Silicon-gate In Semiconductor device fabrication, semiconductor electronics fabrication technology, a self-aligned gate is a transistor manufacturing approach whereby the gate (transistor), gate electrode of a MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effec ...

transistor (SGT) ** Power MOSFET ** Multi-gate field-effect transistor (MuGFET) ***

FinFET A fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) is a multigate device, a MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor) built on a substrate where the gate is placed on two, three, or four sides of the channel or wrapped around the channel, ...

(fin field-effect transistor) **

Thin-film transistor A thin-film transistor (TFT) is a special type of field-effect transistor (FET) where the transistor is thin relative to the plane of the device. TFTs are grown on a supporting (but non-conducting) substrate. A common substrate is glass, becaus ...

(TFT) * Integrated circuit (IC) **

Hybrid integrated circuit A hybrid integrated circuit (HIC), hybrid microcircuit, hybrid circuit or simply hybrid is a miniaturized electronic circuit constructed of individual devices, such as semiconductor devices (e.g. transistors, diodes or monolithic ICs) and pa ...

(HIC) **

Monolithic integrated circuit An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of tiny M ...

(IC) chip *** Planar process ***

MOS integrated circuit upright=1.6, gate (G), body (B), source (S), and drain (D) terminals. The gate is separated from the body by an gate oxide">insulating layer (pink). The metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET, MOS-FET, or MOS FET), also ...

(MOS IC) ***

technology (SGT) MOS IC **

Three-dimensional integrated circuit A three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D IC) is a MOS (metal-oxide semiconductor) integrated circuit (IC) manufactured by stacking as many as 16 or more ICs and interconnecting them vertically using, for instance, through-silicon vias (TSVs) or ...

(3D IC) *

Computer memory In computing, memory is a device or system that is used to store information for immediate use in a computer or related computer hardware and digital electronic devices. The term ''memory'' is often synonymous with the term '' primary storag ...

** Semiconductor memory **

Random-access memory Random-access memory (RAM; ) is a form of computer memory that can be read and changed in any order, typically used to store working data and machine code. A random-access memory device allows data items to be read or written in almost the ...

(RAM) ***

Static random-access memory Static random-access memory (static RAM or SRAM) is a type of random-access memory (RAM) that uses latching circuitry (flip-flop) to store each bit. SRAM is volatile memory; data is lost when power is removed. The term ''static'' differe ...

(SRAM) *** Dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) *** Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) **

Nonvolatile memory Volatility or volatile may refer to: Chemistry * Volatility (chemistry), a measuring tendency of a substance or liquid to vaporize easily * Relative volatility, a measure of vapor pressures of the components in a liquid mixture * Volatiles, a gr ...

(NVM) ***

Read-only memory Read-only memory (ROM) is a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be electronically modified after the manufacture of the memory device. Read-only memory is useful for storing sof ...

(ROM) ***

Programmable ROM A programmable read-only memory (PROM) is a form of digital memory where the contents can be changed once after manufacture of the device. The data is then permanent and cannot be changed. It is one type of read-only memory (ROM). PROMs are used ...

(PROM) ***

Floating-gate The floating-gate MOSFET (FGMOS), also known as a floating-gate MOS transistor or floating-gate transistor, is a type of metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) where the gate is electrically isolated, creating a floating no ...

memory ***

EPROM An EPROM (rarely EROM), or erasable programmable read-only memory, is a type of programmable read-only memory (PROM) chip that retains its data when its power supply is switched off. Computer memory that can retrieve stored data after a power s ...

(erasable PROM) *** EEPROM (electrically erasable PROM) *** Flash memory **

Magnetic-core memory Magnetic-core memory was the predominant form of random-access computer memory for 20 years between about 1955 and 1975. Such memory is often just called core memory, or, informally, core. Core memory uses toroids (rings) of a hard magneti ...

Microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circ ...

Central processing unit A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor or just Processor (computing), processor, is the electronic circuitry that executes Instruction (computing), instructions comprising a computer program. The CPU per ...

(CPU) **

Graphics processing unit A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed to manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device. GPUs are used in embedded systems, m ...

(GPU) ** Digital signal processor (DSP) ** Image signal processor (ISP)

History of information technology

History of computing The history of computing is longer than the history of computing hardware and modern computing technology and includes the history of methods intended for pen and paper or for chalk and slate, with or without the aid of tables. Concrete devices ...

** History of computing, by subject *** History of computing hardware *** History of computing hardware (1960s–present) ***

History of computer hardware in Eastern Bloc countries The history of computing hardware in the Eastern Bloc is somewhat different from that of the Western world. As a result of the CoCom embargo, computers could not be imported on a large scale from Western Bloc. Eastern Bloc manufacturers created ...

***

History of artificial intelligence The history of artificial intelligence (AI) began in ancient history, antiquity, with myths, stories and rumors of artificial beings endowed with intelligence or consciousness by master craftsmen. The seeds of modern AI were planted by philoso ...

***

History of computer science The history of computer science began long before the modern discipline of computer science, usually appearing in forms like mathematics or physics. Developments in previous centuries alluded to the discipline that we now know as computer science ...

***

History of operating systems Computer operating systems (OSes) provide a set of functions needed and used by most application programs on a computer, and the links needed to control and synchronize computer hardware. On the first computers, with no operating system, every p ...

***

History of programming languages The history of programming languages spans from documentation of early mechanical computers to modern tools for software development. Early programming languages were highly specialized, relying on mathematical notation and similarly obscure ...

***

History of software engineering The history of software engineering begins in the 1960s. Writing software has evolved into a profession concerned with how best to maximize the quality of software and of how to create it. Quality can refer to how maintainable software is, to it ...

***

History of the graphical user interface The history of the graphical user interface, understood as the use of graphic icon (computing), icons and a pointing device to control a computer, covers a five-decade span of incremental refinements, built on some constant core principles. Se ...

***

History of the Internet The history of the Internet has its origin in information theory and the efforts of scientists and engineers to build and interconnect computer networks. The Internet Protocol Suite, the set of rules used to communicate between networks and de ...

***

History of personal computers The history of the personal computer as a mass-market consumer electronic device began with the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s. A personal computer is one intended for interactive individual use, as opposed to a mainframe computer where ...

***

History of laptops The history of laptops describes the efforts, begun in the 1970s, to build small, portable personal computers that combine the components, inputs, outputs and capabilities of a desktop computer in a small chassis. Portable precursors Portal R2 ...

***

History of video games The history of video games began in the 1950s and 1960s as computer scientists began designing simple games and simulations on minicomputers and mainframes. '' Spacewar!'' was developed by MIT student hobbyists in 1962 as one of the first s ...

***

History of the World Wide Web The World Wide Web ("WWW", "W3" or, simply, "the Web") is a global information medium which users can access via computers connected to the Internet. The term is often mistakenly used as a synonym for the Internet, but the Web is a service tha ...

** Timeline of computing *** Timeline of computing hardware 2400 BC–1949 ***

Timeline of computing 1950–1979 1950s 1960s 1970s See also * Information revolution Notes References External links ''A Brief History of Computing,''by Stephen White. A computer history site; the present article is a modified version of his timeline, ...

*** Timeline of computing 1980–1989 *** Timeline of computing 1990–1999 *** Timeline of computing 2000–2009

Information technology education and certification

IT degrees

* BSIT or B.Sc IT –

Bachelor of Science in Information Technology A Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, (abbreviated BSIT or B.Sc. IT), is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the information technology. The degree is normally required in order to work in the Information tec ...

* M.Sc. IT, MSc IT or MSIT –

Master of Science in Information Technology A Master of Science in Information Technology (abbreviated M.Sc.IT, MScIT or MSIT) is a master's degree in the field of information technology awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. The MSIT degree is de ...

* BCA –

Bachelor of Computer Applications A Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, (abbreviated BSIT or B.Sc. IT), is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the information technology. The degree is normally required in order to work in the Information tec ...

* MCA – Master of Computer Applications

Vendor-specific certifications

Amazon Web Services Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to individuals, companies, and governments, on a metered pay-as-you-go basis. These cloud computing web services provide d ...

has 5 certifications *

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company ...

– sponsors the Apple certification program * Avaya Professional Credential Program *

Cisco Systems Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, ...

– sponsors the Cisco Career Certifications program * Citrix Systems – sponsors the

Citrix Citrix Systems, Inc. is an American multinational cloud computing and virtualization technology company that provides server, application and desktop virtualization, networking, software as a service (SaaS), and cloud computing technologi ...

Certified Administrator program * Hewlett-Packard – sponsors the HP-CP certifications related to HP Technologies * Dell – sponsors the Dell Certified Systems Expert program with Associate and Master levels *

Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ( ; ) is a Chinese multinational technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, produces and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics and various smar ...

– sponsors certifications * IBM – sponsors certifications *

Juniper Networks Juniper Networks, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. The company develops and markets networking products, including routers, switches, network management software, network security product ...

– sponsors the Juniper Networks Technical Certification Program *

LANDesk Ivanti () is an IT software company headquartered in South Jordan, Utah, United States. It produces software for IT Security, IT Service Management, IT Asset Management, Unified Endpoint Management, Identity Management and Supply Chain Manageme ...

– sponsors the Certified LANDesk Administrator and Certified LANDesk Engineer program *

Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washingt ...

– sponsors the

Microsoft Certified Professional Microsoft Certified Professional was a certification program from Microsoft. Overview Microsoft Certifications are earned by passing exams aligned to a specific certification. The process of earning certification has changed multiple times sinc ...

program *

MySQL MySQL () is an open-source relational database management system (RDBMS). Its name is a combination of "My", the name of co-founder Michael Widenius's daughter My, and "SQL", the acronym for Structured Query Language. A relational database ...

(as part of Oracle Corporation now) – sponsors a certification program *

NetApp NetApp, Inc. is an American hybrid cloud data services and data management company headquartered in San Jose, California. It has ranked in the Fortune 500 from 2012–2021. Founded in 1992 with an IPO in 1995, NetApp offers cloud data service ...

– sponsors the NetApp Certification program *

Nortel Nortel Networks Corporation (Nortel), formerly Northern Telecom Limited, was a Canadian multinational telecommunications and data networking equipment manufacturer headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in Montreal, Quebec, ...

– sponsors the Nortel Certifications program * Novell – sponsors a certification program *

Object Management Group The Object Management Group (OMG) is a computer industry standards consortium. OMG Task Forces develop enterprise integration standards for a range of technologies. Business activities The goal of the OMG was a common portable and interoperab ...

– sponsors the Certified Professional program for the

Unified Modeling Language The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a general-purpose, developmental modeling language in the field of software engineering that is intended to provide a standard way to visualize the design of a system. The creation of UML was originally m ...

* Oracle Corporation – sponsors the Oracle Certification Program * Red Hat – sponsors the Red Hat Certification Program *

SAP Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separ ...

– sponsors individual training and certifications *

SolarWinds SolarWinds Corporation is an American company that develops software for businesses to help manage their networks, systems, and information technology infrastructure. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with sales and product development offi ...

– sponsors the SolarWinds Certified Professional Program for network management By Shamus McGuillicuddy, SearchNetworking.com
SolarWinds offers network management training and certification
." June 24, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2009. * Sun Microsystems – sponsors the Sun Certified Professional program * Sybase – sponsors the Certified Sybase Professional program *

Ubuntu Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: '' Desktop'', ''Server'', and ''Core'' for Internet of things devices and robots. All ...

– provides Ubuntu Certified Professional program *

VMware VMware, Inc. is an American cloud computing and virtualization technology company with headquarters in Palo Alto, California. VMware was the first commercially successful company to virtualize the x86 architecture. VMware's desktop software ru ...

– sponsors certification programs (VCP & VCDX) *

Zend Technologies Zend, formerly Zend Technologies, is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based software company. The company's products, which include Zend Studio, assist software developers with developing, deploying, and managing PHP-based web applications. The company w ...

– sponsors the

Zend Certified Engineer Zend, formerly Zend Technologies, is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based software company. The company's products, which include Zend Studio, assist software developers with developing, deploying, and managing PHP-based web applications. The company wa ...

program

Third-party and vendor-neutral certifications

Third-party commercial organizations and vendor neutral interest groups that sponsor certifications include: * XML Certification Program - XML Master * Certiport – sponsors the Microsoft Office Specialist and IC3 certification (Internet and Computing Core). *

CompTIA The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is an American non-profit trade association that issues professional certifications for the information technology (IT) industry. It is considered one of the IT industry's top trade associ ...

(Computing Technology Industry Association) – offers 12 professional IT Certifications, validating foundation-level IT knowledge and skills. * European Computer Driving License-Foundation – sponsors the European Computer Driving License (also called International Computer Driving License) (ICDL) * International Information and Communication Technology Council Certification Program *

(ISC)² The International Information System Security Certification Consortium, or (ISC)2, is a non-profit organization which specializes in training and certifications for cybersecurity professionals. It has been described as the "world's largest IT secu ...

– sponsors the CISSP, SSCP and other security certifications *

Linux Professional Institute The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) is a Canadian non-profit organisation and oriented towards certifications for Linux, BSD and open-source software-based technologies. It was founded in October 1999. Linux Professional Institute Certif ...

* Majinate sponsors the

Accredited Symbian Developer Accredited Symbian Developer (ASD) was a (now defunct) accreditation program for software developers using Symbian OS, a mobile phone operating system, having been terminated in April 2011 after the closure of the Symbian Foundation. The scheme ...

scheme for

Symbian OS Symbian is a discontinued mobile operating system (OS) and computing platform designed for smartphones. It was originally developed as a proprietary software OS for personal digital assistants in 1998 by the Symbian Ltd. consortium. Symbian OS ...

* NACSE ( National Association of Communication Systems Engineers) sponsors 36 Vendor Neutral, knowledge specific, Certifications covering the 5 major IT Disciplines which are: Data Networking, Telecomm, Web Design & Development, Programming & Business Skills for IT Professionals. *

The Open Group The Open Group is a global consortium that seeks to "enable the achievement of business objectives" by developing "open, vendor-neutral technology standards and certifications." It has over 840 member organizations and provides a number of servi ...

– sponsors

TOGAF The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) is the most used framework for enterprise architecture as of 2020 that provides an approach for designing, planning, implementing, and governing an enterprise information technology architecture. TOG ...

certification and the IT Architect Certification (ITAC) and IT Specialist Certification (ITSC) skills and experience based IT certifications. * Planet3 Wireless – sponsors the Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA) certification *

SAGE (organization) LISA is the USENIX special interest group for system administrators. LISA was known officially as the System Administrators Guild until November 2003; from 2003 to 2010, it was known as SAGE. In March 2016 it was announced that LISA was bein ...

– sponsors the cSAGE program *

SANS Institute The SANS Institute (officially the Escal Institute of Advanced Technologies) is a private U.S. for-profit company founded in 1989 that specializes in information security, cybersecurity training, and selling certificates. Topics available for t ...

– operates the

Global Information Assurance Certification Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) is an information security certification entity that specialises in technical and practical certification as well as new research in the form of its GIAC Gold program. SANS Institute founded the ce ...

program

General certification

General certification of software practitioners has struggled. The ACM had a professional certification program in the early 1980s, which was discontinued due to lack of interest. Today, the

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operat ...

is certifying software professionals, but only about 500 people have passed the exam . * The

IEEE Computer Society The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

– sponsors the Certified Software Development Professional as well as membership designations, "Senior" and "Fellow" which reflect experience and peer review qualification. * The

IET __NOTOC__ IET can refer to: Organizations * Institute of Educational Technology, part of the Open University * Institution of Engineering and Technology, a UK-based professional engineering institution ** Institute of Engineers and Technicians, wh ...

– sponsors the

Chartered Engineer Regulation and licensure in engineering is established by various jurisdictions of the world to encourage life, public welfare, safety, well-being, then environment and other interests of the general public and to define the licensure process thr ...

and

Incorporated Engineer An engineering technologist is a professional trained in certain aspects of development and implementation of a respective area of technology. Engineering technology education is even more applied and less theoretical than engineering education ...

, which can be ratified into the

European Engineer European Engineer (EUR ING) is an international professional qualification and title for highly qualified engineers used in over 32 European countries. Contemporary EUR ING engineers are degree-qualified and have gained the highest level of profes ...

* The BCS – sponsors the Chartered IT Professional (CITP) programme. * The

Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals The Institute for the Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP) is a non-profit (501(c)(6)) institution for professional certification in the Computer engineering and Information technology industry. It was founded in 1973 by 8 professional ...

sponsors the Certified Computing Professional (CCP) and Associate Computing Professional (ACP) certifications * The BDPA IT Institute – sponsors the BDPA IT Associate (BITA), the BDPA IT Professional (BITP), and the BDPA IT Master (BITM) certifications * The

Canadian Information Processing Society CIPS (Canadian Information Processing Society) is the professional association of IT professionals in Canada. Since 1958 CIPS has helped strengthen the Canadian IT industry by establishing standards and sharing best practices for the benefit of ind ...

– sponsors the

Information Systems Professional The Information Systems Professional (I.S.P), or Informaticien professionnel agréé (I.P.A. in French), is a professional designation issued by the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS). Introduced in 1989, the professional designation is ...

certification in Canada. * The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants – sponsors the Certified Information Technology Professional program. *

APICS APICS, currently known as the Association for Supply Chain Management is a not-for-profit international education organization offering certification programs, training tools, and networking opportunities to increase workplace performance. F ...

– establishes operations management standards and sponsors certification for Logistics

Information technology and society

Software Testing

* British Computer Society *

National Software Testing Laboratories National Software Testing Laboratories (NSTL) was established by serial entrepreneur Joseph Segel in 1983 to test computer software. The company provides certification (such as WHQL and Microsoft Windows Mobile certification), quality assurance ...

* American Society for Quality#Certifications *

ISTQB The International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) is a software testing certification board that operates internationally. Founded in Edinburgh in November 2002, the ISTQB is a non-profit association legally registered in Belgium. I ...

* CSTE

References

External links

/dictionary Information Technology Dictionary

Information Technology Dictionary

Information Technology Association of AmericaXML Certification Program - XML Master
{{Outline footer

information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of Data (computing), data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information te ...

Different names

Underlying technology

History of information technology

Information technology education and certification

IT degrees

Vendor-specific certifications

Third-party and vendor-neutral certifications

General certification

Information technology and society

Software Testing

Further reading

References

External links