Information technology

Academic perspective

In an academic context, the Association for Computing Machinery defines IT as "undergraduate degree programs that prepare students to meet the computer technology needs of business, government, healthcare, schools, and other kinds of organizations .... IT specialists assume responsibility for selecting hardware and software products appropriate for an organization, integrating those products with organizational needs and infrastructure, and installing, customizing, and maintaining those applications for the organization’s computer users."^[38]

Undergraduate degrees in IT (B.S., A.S.) are similar to other computer science degrees. In fact, they often times have the same foundational level courses. Computer science (CS) programs tend to focus more on theory and design, whereas Information Technology programs are structured to equip the graduate with expertise in the practical application of technology solutions to support modern business and user needs.

Commercial and employment perspective[edit]

Companies in the information technology field are often discussed as a group as the "tech sector" or the "tech industry".^[39][40][41] These titles can be misleading at times and should not be mistaken for “tech companies”; which are generally large scale, for-profit corporations that sell consumer technology and software. It is also worth noting that from a business perspective,