Chapter 2: Getting out of the digital terminology zoo IT, ICT, and Information Systems 1. What is the difference between IT and ICT? The term ICT (information communications technology) is sometimes used interchangeably with IT. It refers to the convergence or integration of IT with audiovisual technologies and telephone networks (e.g., media broadcasting technologies, audio and video transmission, and telephony). Thus, the term ICT can be thought of as an extended synonym for the term IT. 2. What is the difference between IT and Information Systems? Although people use the terms IT and IS interchangeably, information technology is actually a subset of information systems. As a subset, it typically only focuses on the technology component of information systems. IT specialists focus on ensuring the organization has the right hardware and software products, installing them, customizing them, integrating them with existing products, maintaining them, supporting users to use them, and ensuring that the security, availability, and accessibility of each product (and of the information system as a whole) is optimized. IT specialists typically require degrees in information technology or computer science. Within such degrees, they often specialize in hardware and/or software areas such as network design, hardware design, software design, software development, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things (IoT). They enter jobs such as network architects, software developers, IT systems analysts, security analysts, web developers, systems administrators, software product man- agers, and IT managers.
3. Is Information Systems a part of IT or is IT a part of information systems? Does it matter which is a part of which? IT is part (or a subset) of information systems. Yes, it matters as it can lead to misunderstandings, trivialization of the importance of one or all terms, and feelings