Man is designed to work and experiment. This attitude has led him to great discoveries that have revolutionized the whole of humanity, such as the invention of information and communication technology (in acronym ICT or ICT, from English information and communications technology).
At the end of the eighteenth century, we began to talk about the industrial revolution for the first time, a moment that marked the history of all of us and defined the guidelines of the world as we know it today. In those years, the steam engine was invented, to give an example, and the textile and metallurgical sectors were revolutionized.
One hundred years later, humanity experienced the second industrial revolution, which introduced innovations into everyday life without which we could no longer imagine our life. Electricity, information technology, and telecommunications were invented. Why this brief introduction? Because the course of history repeats itself, leading us today towards a different but no less critical revolution, which concerns information and communication technology.
What is ICT, what areas it concerns, and what technologies are involved will be the subject of this guide. For now, know that the ICT sector is so important that it impacts our daily lives precisely as the revolutions of the last two hundred years have been.
The ICT sector changes the way we live and how we work. Today, all companies should be interested in this technological branch to ensure success in the future and the present.
Hence, agencies specialized in ICT consultancy such as Nextre Engineering have arisen. We have been working for over 15 years in technologies and digital tools. Our team of professionals is competent and constantly updated on the latest news in the sector to allow our customers, whatever their business, to be competitive on the market. Now let’s find out what ICT is and why your business needs it.
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What Is ICT, And What Does It Mean
ICT is the acronym of the English term Information and Communications Technology, information and communication technology. We want to identify the science that studies all the activities and techniques that allow information to be received, transformed, and transmitted with this acronym. In a nutshell, we are talking about the study of how the technologies that form IT (Information Technology), both as regards the software (programs) and the hardware (physical parts), can interact with telecommunications to allow professionals to use the vast amount of information circulating on the web today.
Giving an exact definition of what ICT is is difficult. It is an inclusive term that cannot be clarified with a dry notion. A list of the main components of the industry can therefore help, including software, hardware, cloud computing, internet access, data management, transactions, and communication technologies. Today, it is essential for companies and professionals to obtain and manage information through technology. Just think about how much advertising has improved by studying the choices and behaviors of a user to show him precisely the products that might interest him based on his habits.
What are the two main areas that deal with receiving, processing, and exploiting information today? Certainly information technology and telecommunications. ICT services nowadays range from computers to distribution, from computer systems to digital devices, to genuine ICT consultancy. Thanks to this science, many technologies are emerging, and others are improving. If computers have already been widespread among the population for decades, smartphones and robots are much more modern. But let’s see what ICT is and a hint of its evolution.
A Little History Of ICT
Since the 20th century, man has understood the great importance of knowing how to manage information. We can realize this today as the data of each of us is required for a myriad of operations and registrations. Before the advent of computers, large computers had been created. We have seen a rapid (although not as fast as today) technological evolution that has passed through microcomputers and personal computers. This means we have been talking about ICT since at least the 1950s.
A decade later, information technology began to merge with telecommunications for the first time, although we had to wait until the 1970s to read information technology for the first time.
The real boom then took place in the 90s with the birth of the www, that is, the World Wide Web. In this historical period, both digitization and telephone networks became more and more widespread. Humanity has experienced globalization and a constant connection to networks that have gradually become wireless.
Continuing in time, we arrive up to the new millennium, a period in which the ICT we know today was born. In the 2000s, IT, that is, information technology, and CT, the communications technology, came together. In the beginning, we talked about a third industrial revolution, which is more of a digital process. We talked about the phenomenon precisely because the spread of devices and systems was so sudden and global that it changed every individual’s life forever.
What Are ICT Technologies?
After seeing what ICT is and how it has evolved, it is time to find out what new ICT technologies are of interest to this science today. There are many, and we will see them shortly, but first, we must talk about what are the underlying technologies that have allowed all the others to be born:
- Telecommunication networks: networks are how information is shared, and they too have significantly evolved. Among them, we find first fixed telephones, then mobile telephones, digital television, satellite and that via cable, up to the network as we know it today, namely Wi-Fi;
- Devices: among the electronic, physical instruments we find, among others, televisions, game consoles, MP3 players, computers, and smartphones;
- Web services: not only physical tools are essential but also intangible services such as search engines, video on demand, e-mail, and the inevitable social media. They are so vital that they have created parallel worlds that no one can see but in which we all enter several times a day and in which we want to assert ourselves.
What are the leading technologies related to ICT today? Mobile apps, to name one that we all constantly use every day of our lives. But also the Internet of Things, a technology that helps companies to obtain more and more information from their customer’s thanks to the combination of the Internet and the world of objects. It seems obvious now to talk to a smart speaker. But still, let’s think about the enormous step forward for humanity that was the cloud, today security for professionals and not. And together with all these technologies, there are many others, such as extensive data analysis and user experience.
An Example Of ICT?
A striking example of ICT is that it applied to business and, in particular, to the banking sector. Banks in large parts of the world today rely on ICT for their operations. And, even in developing countries, this implementation is already being tested. What more do banks do thanks to ICT services? First of all, they stay in touch with their customers more efficiently. This means responding promptly to meet needs and always being available when a problem arises. But it certainly does not stop there because thanks to ICT, it has been possible to create those banking services that are now so convenient as debit and credit cards, ATMs (present practically all over the world), and Internet banking.
How easy is managing your account and carrying out transactions with a few clicks instead of queuing for hours at the physical office? For customers, this was an unprecedented revolution. Still, it was also for banks because it made it possible to reduce costs while offering a much higher service than the previous one. Also, a customer can access their account to check their balance and movements wherever they are, only needing an Internet connection. Every technology also has a downside, and, in this case, it is that of the safety factor. However, experts worldwide are working every day to make the systems more and more secure and performing.
