(
Information
Technology) Processing information by computer. IT is the latest moniker for the industry as a whole, and the term became popular in the 1990s. It actually took 40 years before the industry settled on what to call itself. First it was "electronic data processing" (EDP), followed by "management information systems" (MIS) and "information systems" (IS) and finally "information technology" (IT).
IT Versus OT
Contrast information technology with "operations technology" (OT), which uses computers to control machines in manufacturing and other industrial applications. IT handles the business information derived from the products made by OT. IT and OT systems may be highly integrated or have minimal or no integration. See
IoT,
process control and
PLC.
Networking and Often Voice
IT includes networking but may exclude telephone service. Increasingly however, voice is based on the same IP networks as the company's computers, and telecom has become part of the IT world rather than an entirely separate department. See
information system and
enterprise networking.