The concept of information technology. Types of information technologies

In order not to get drowned in the flow of information, quickly find it and use it wisely, there is a whole field of activity - IT technologies. What this means can be guessed by expanding the abbreviation IT - Information Technology. Everything related to information - search, storage, transmission - refers to IT technologies.

In ancient times, IT technologies also existed. Knowledge was recorded on parchment, papyrus, and paper. carried out by messengers, pigeon mail, in the 19th century, humanity mastered radio and telegraph. Information was stored in libraries and archives.

But of course boom information technologies occurred in the 20th century with the advent of computing technology. Computer systems have shown the greatest efficiency when working with information, therefore, when speaking about IT, computer technologies are often meant.

Data transfer

The exchange of information reached a new level after the discovery of electricity. The ability to transmit data via electrical signals has become the most important achievement of IT technology. What did this give to ordinary people?

Our contemporaries can now communicate with each other from anywhere. There is an opportunity to get an education without leaving home. The Internet has largely replaced traditional sources of knowledge. Digitization of paper books, chronicles, and documents is in full swing. Digital copies of priceless works become available to everyone.

At the dawn of the Internet, the amount of information transmitted was very limited. For example, it took 15 minutes to download a music recording to your computer. Improvements in data transmission methods have made it possible to increase the speed of data exchange hundreds of times. This has opened up new opportunities - such as video conferencing, webinars, online viewing of TV programs, and IP telephony.

Data storage

Data transmission and storage are closely interconnected. If it is not possible to store large volumes of information, then powerful communication channels will also not be in demand. And great progress has been made in this area. Price hard drive changes little, but the amount of information that can be recorded on it has increased tenfold over the decade.

For comparison, the memory capacity of a hard drive in 1995 was about 500 MB, in 2005 it was already 80 GB, and in 2015 the majority exceeded 1 terabyte. On the Internet, servers are used to store data. Essentially, these are ordinary personal computers designed for data storage. For greater efficiency, they are combined into data centers - the brainchild of IT technology. What is this if not one of the symbols of post-industrial society? There can be hundreds of servers in one room. The amount of electricity they consume can reach the output of a small power plant.

Database

Data storage and transmission are, of course, very important, but only if the necessary information is quickly found and processed. Much progress has been made here too. To store information, databases have been developed that allow you to process and retrieve information in an optimal way. Computer databases have entered all spheres of human activity. They are located both at the ticket office and at the medical register; with their help, the lesson schedule at school is drawn up.

There are free and commercial databases, both for a single user and those that allow many people to access them at the same time. Accordingly, programming languages have been created that allow you to create databases for different situations.

Data Search

IT technologies also help us not to get lost in the stormy ocean of information. What are these names - Google, Yandex, Rambler - probably all Internet users know. The huge amount of information accumulated on the World Wide Web makes finding the necessary information a non-trivial task.

It is impossible to review every document from start to finish, otherwise each request would take weeks to process. Therefore, search engine developers resort to various tricks. For example, each site has keywords that are searched for first. In addition, the found pages need to be sorted by importance so that the user can extract the maximum useful information from the first sites found.

Also, the search engine should cut off resources that artificially inflate their rankings. Search engines developed by large teams of programmers. Their founders become billionaires, and the cost of advertising increases home page The search engine costs astronomical sums - all because millions of users visit it every day.

Let them teach me

How can you get a profession in IT technology? These are primarily universities. Professions related to computer technology, programming, and information technology are in great demand now. New departments have appeared at institutes and universities to provide the labor market with specialists in the field of IT technology. Training traditionally focuses on theory. On the one hand, this knowledge is quite abstract, and it is difficult to directly apply it in practical activities. On the other hand, the profession of an IT specialist involves lifelong learning, and the foundation laid at the university will help the graduate quickly master the latest developments.

There is another way to become a professional in this field. Currently, a lot of literature has been published on IT technology. “For Dummies” is the name of probably the most popular series of books devoted to the basics of programming, database design, web design, network technologies and so on. Studying from this kind of literature also has its advantages. Almost always it is of a purely applied nature, written in easy, intelligible language. Having taken the first steps, you can start earning your first money on the freelance exchange, completing simple tasks for ridiculous money, but gaining invaluable experience. With due diligence, you can achieve noticeable success in 5 years.

Both approaches have a right to exist, especially since sometimes studying at a university becomes inaccessible for financial reasons. The development of IT technology is so rapid that university education simply cannot keep up with it. It gives a certain foundation, but many things will have to be learned again. And in general, the specificity of an information technology specialist is such that you will have to study constantly in order to remain in demand in the labor market.

Promising developments

Among the latest developments and trends in IT technologies, cloud technologies can be noted. If previously a user installed the necessary applications on his computer for work, now more and more services are appearing on the Internet. Graphics and video processing directly in the browser no longer surprises anyone. Accounting and management programs are appearing that allow you to keep abreast of events away from the workplace.

Work is actively underway to recognize human voices and images. If a computer learns to recognize an image, it will be another breakthrough in IT technology. Photos from documents can be checked automatically. This will be a great help for law enforcement agencies and border guards. In the future, confident recognition of human speech will make it possible to control a computer in the most familiar way to a person.

Thousands of articles, websites, books are devoted to IT technology. What it is? It cannot be fully conveyed in one review. But if you are interested in the world of information technology, then the task of the article can be considered completed.

We are starting a series of articles about modern sectors of the economy. So that during professional self-determination, adolescents and their parents can receive more relevant information:

In this series we will talk about each sector of the economy: what is the situation in it now, what are the prospects for the future and what global trends can be traced.

What is the IT sector (Information Technology)
Information technology and communications is an industry that is responsible for collecting, storing and transmitting information using technical devices and, in general, for communicating between people at a distance. A real boom in information technology occurred in the 1990s due to the spread of personal computers, the Internet and personal mobile phones. Today in Russia approximately 89% of young people constantly use the Internet and mobile phones. Information technology (or IT, Information Technology) is the most rapidly developing sector of the world economy.

What is included:

software

Examples of professions:

Today no industry can do without information technology specialists: collection and analysis of statistics, rapid transfer of information have led to qualitative changes in almost every industry. Automation in production, electronic document management in public administration and medicine, distance education are striking examples of the widespread implementation of information and communication technologies.

IT sphere today
The number of IT workers in Russia is approximately 850 thousand people, that is, 1% of the country’s total working population. This, by the way, is significantly less than in the leading countries in software development and technology implementation: in the USA, Great Britain and Germany, the share of IT specialists exceeds 3.5% of the total working population. The Russian Ministry of Communications is developing strategies and educational programs to increase the number of professionals in the field of information technology: Russia's first IT cluster for education and business opened in Skolkovo in 2011.
In our country, information technology is a young and actively developing field. Among Russian IT companies there are several brands that are widely known abroad: Yandex, Kaspersky Lab, Softline, Abbyy, Telegram, etc.
The IT sector is attractive for its internationality: many companies have offices in different countries and recruit the most qualified performers to their teams around the world. That's why IT specialists can work anywhere in the world where the Internet is available. Another feature characteristic of this industry is dynamism. Changes in the field of computer technology occur every 6 months, that is, new types of information transfer are invented, unique systems and services are put into operation. A true IT specialist must always keep his finger on the pulse and be aware of changes in the industry.

The future of IT
Global computer networks create a parallel reality: already now people communicate on the Internet, watch movies, read books, buy goods and products, even commit crimes online. This means, like in a real city, the network infrastructure will only flourish: social media, shops, online cinemas, cyber police. Every thing in the house will be connected to the Internet. In the future - thanks to the Internet of Things technology - a person from work will send a message (text, voice or mental), and by the time he arrives home, the refrigerator will buy food, the stove will cook, and the TV will select a new movie to watch.

How to develop in the IT field?
The IT sector is one of the most promising industries in the global economy. If you like to do computer science, program at school and at home, if you want to create computer programs and games, launch your service on the Internet or come up with a new application for mobile devices, then it’s worth taking a closer look at education in this direction.
What will help a teenager develop in IT:

✔ Attend clubs on programming, robotics and 3D modeling. During the classes you can gain knowledge of technology, experience in project work and creating the first IT products.
✔ Worthwhile for exams choose computer science.
✔ Learn English: it is needed not only as a language of international communication, but also for reading numerous technical documentation.
✔ Participate in the professional camp "Professionals of the Future". iSmena and TechSmena are specifically designed for immersion into the world of information technology under the guidance of IT experts. At thematic sessions you can not only gain new knowledge in programming and electronics, but also find like-minded people - friends who are close to you in spirit, with whom you can implement projects in the future.
✔ Sign up for an internship at an IT company: Employers in this field are always looking for talented and motivated interns, who will make good specialists in the future. An internship will help you see the inner workings of IT companies, understand the positions and determine what you should strive for when you receive a specialized education.
✔ Take online courses in programming from Russian and foreign universities. As we said, programming is international, and online courses for programmers from the universities of Harvard, Stanford, and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) are publicly available. Having mastered these courses, you will grow head and shoulders above your peers who are interested in programming.
✔ Set big goals: participate and win in computer science Olympiads, participate in hackathons and developer sports competitions held by major brands - Google, Yandex, Facebook, Telegram. With the help of such competitions, you can not only deepen your knowledge and improve your skills, but also find a job in your dream company.

If you feel a calling to become a programmer, web designer, or software specialist information security and other “IT” specialties, take our free test “Information and Technology Profile”. Its results will determine your readiness for this direction of development.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

CONCEPT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Definition of information technology

Technology when translated from Greek (techne) means art, skill, skill, and these are nothing more than processes. A process should be understood as a certain set of actions aimed at achieving a set goal. The process must be determined by the strategy chosen by the person and implemented using a combination of various means and methods.

Material production technology is understood as a process determined by a set of means and methods of processing, manufacturing, changing the state, properties, form of raw materials or materials. Technology changes the quality or original state of matter in order to obtain a material product:

Information is one of the most valuable resources of society, along with such traditional material types of resources as oil, gas, minerals, etc., which means that the process of its processing, by analogy with the processes of processing material resources, can be perceived as technology. Then the following definition is valid.

Information technology- a process that uses a set of means and methods for collecting, processing and transmitting data (primary information) to obtain new quality information about the state of an object, process or phenomenon (information product).

The purpose of material production technology is to produce products that satisfy the needs of a person or system.

The purpose of information technology is the production of information for human analysis and decision-making based on it to perform any action.

It is known that using different technologies from the same material resource, you can get different products. The same will be true for information processing technology.

Example To complete a test in mathematics, each student uses his own technology for processing initial information (initial task data). The information product (results of solving problems) will depend on the solution technology that the student chooses. Manual information technology is usually used. If we use computer information technology capable of solving such problems, then information product will have a different quality.

The introduction of the personal computer into the information sphere and the use of telecommunications have determined a new stage in the development of information technology and, as a consequence, a change in its name by adding one of the synonyms: “new”, “computer” or “modern”.

The adjective "new" emphasizes the innovative rather than evolutionary nature of this technology. Its implementation is an innovative act in the sense that it significantly changes the content of various activities in organizations. The concept of new information technology also includes communication technologies, which ensure the transmission of information by various means, namely telephone, telegraph, telecommunications, fax, etc.

New information technology- information technology with a “friendly” user interface, using personal computers and telecommunications.

The adjective "computer" emphasizes that the main technical means its implementation is a computer.

Remember! Three basic principles of new (computer) information technology:

Interactive (dialog) mode of working with a computer;

Integration (interconnection, interconnection) with other software products;

Flexibility in the process of changing both data and task statements.

Note. The term NIT, which appeared relatively recently, is gradually beginning to lose the word “new”, and information technology is beginning to be understood as the meaning that is put into NIT. In the further presentation, for simplicity, we will omit the adjective “new”, giving its meaning to the term “information technology”.

Information technology tools,

Information Technology Toolkit- one or more interrelated software products for a specific type of computer, the operating technology of which allows the user to achieve the goal set by the user.

The following common types of software products for a personal computer can be used as tools: word processor(editor), desktop publishing systems, spreadsheets, database management systems, electronic notebooks, electronic calendars, functional information systems (financial, accounting, marketing, etc.), expert systems, etc.

TYPES OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OF DATA PROCESSING

Characteristics and purpose

Information technology for data processing is designed to solve well-structured problems for which the necessary input data is available and algorithms and other standard procedures for their processing are known. This technology is used at the level of operational (executive) activities of low-skilled personnel in order to automate some routine, constantly repeating operations of managerial work. Therefore, the introduction of information technologies and systems at this level will significantly increase the productivity of personnel, free them from routine operations, and perhaps even lead to the need to reduce the number of employees.

Example Examples of routine operations:

The operation of checking for compliance with the standard stock level of the specified goods in the warehouse. When the stock level decreases, an order is issued to the supplier indicating the required quantity of goods and delivery time;

The operation of selling goods by a company, as a result of which an output document is generated for the buyer in the form of a check or receipt.

An example of a control report, a daily report on cash receipts and withdrawals by a bank, generated in order to control the cash balance. Example of a query: a query to a personnel database that will allow you to obtain data on the requirements for candidates for a specific position

There are several features related to data processing that distinguish this technology from everyone else:

Performing data processing tasks required by the company. Every firm is required by law to have and maintain data on its activities, which can be used as a means of establishing and maintaining control within the firm. Therefore, any company must have an information processing system and develop the appropriate information technology;

Solving only well-structured problems for which an algorithm can be developed;

Perform standard processing procedures. Existing standards define standard data processing procedures and require their compliance by organizations of all types;

Performing the bulk of work automatically with minimal human intervention;

Using granular data. Records of the company's activities are detailed (detailed) in nature, allowing for audits. During the audit process, the company's activities are checked chronologically from the beginning of the period to its end and from the end to the beginning;

Emphasis on the chronology of events;

Requiring minimal assistance in solving problems from specialists at other levels.

Main components

Let us present the main components of information technology for data processing and give their characteristics.

Data collection. As a firm produces products or services, each action is accompanied by corresponding data records. Typically, a firm's actions that affect its external environment are specifically identified as operations carried out by the firm.

Data processing. To create information from incoming data that reflects the activities of the company, the following typical operations are used:

Classification or grouping. Primary data is usually in the form of codes consisting of one or more characters. These codes, expressing certain characteristics of objects, are used to identify and group records.

Example When calculating wages, each entry includes the code (personnel number) of the employee, the code of the department in which he works, his position, etc. In accordance with these codes, different groupings can be made.

Sorting, which arranges a sequence of records;

Calculations involving arithmetic and logical operations. These operations performed on data make it possible to obtain new data;

Consolidation or aggregation, which serves to reduce the amount of data and is implemented in the form of calculations of totals or averages.

Data storage. Much data at the operational level must be stored for later use, either here or at another level. Databases are created to store them.

Creation of reports (documents). In information technology for data processing, it is necessary to create documents for the management and employees of the company, as well as for external partners. In this case, documents can be created either upon request or in connection with a transaction carried out by the company, or periodically at the end of each month, quarter or year.

Characteristics and purpose

The goal of management information technology is to satisfy the information needs of all employees of the company, without exception, who deal with decision making. It can be useful at any level of management.

This technology is focused on working in the environment of a management information system and is used when the problems being solved are less structured when compared with problems solved using information technology for data processing.

Management information systems are ideal for meeting similar information needs of employees of different functional subsystems (divisions) or levels of company management. The information they provide contains information about the past, present and probable future of the company. This information takes the form of regular or special management reports.

To make decisions at the level of management control, information must be presented in aggregated form so that trends in data changes, causes of deviations and possible solutions can be seen. At this stage, the following data processing tasks are solved:

Assessment of the planned state of the control object;

Assessment of deviations from the planned state;

Identification of causes of deviations;

I analysis possible solutions and actions.

Management information technology is aimed at creating various types of reports,

Regular reports are generated according to a set schedule that determines when they are generated, such as a monthly analysis of a company's sales.

Special reports are created at the request of managers or when something unplanned happens in the company.

Both types of reports can take the form of summative, comparative and extraordinary reports.

In summary reports, data is combined into separate groups, sorted and presented as subtotals and final totals for individual fields.

Comparative reports contain data obtained from various sources or classified according to various characteristics and used for comparison purposes.

Emergency reports contain data of an exceptional (extraordinary) nature.

The use of reports to support management is particularly effective when implementing so-called variance management.

Deviation management assumes that the main content of the data received by the manager should be deviations of the state of the company's economic activities from some established standards (for example, from its planned state). When using the principles of deviation management at a company, the following requirements are imposed on the reports created:

The report should only be generated when a deviation has occurred;

The information in the report should be sorted by the value of the indicator critical for a given deviation;

It is advisable to show all deviations together so that the manager can grasp the connection between them;

The report must show a quantitative deviation from the norm.

Main components

The main components of management information technology are shown in Fig. 3.13.

Input information comes from operational level systems. The output information is generated in the form of management reports in a form convenient for decision-making.

The contents of the database, using appropriate software, are converted into periodic and special reports that are sent to specialists involved in decision-making in the organization. The database used to obtain this information must consist of two elements:

1) data accumulated based on the assessment of operations carried out by the company;

2) plans, standards, budgets and other regulatory documents that determine the planned state of the management object (division of the company).

OFFICE AUTOMATION

Characteristics and purpose

Historically, automation began in manufacturing and then spread to the office, with the initial goal only of automating routine secretarial work. With the development of communications technology, the automation of office technologies has become of interest to specialists and managers, who saw in it an opportunity to increase the productivity of their work.

Office automation is not intended to replace the existing traditional personnel communication system (with its meetings, phone calls and orders), but only to complement it. Used together, both of these systems will provide rational

automation of managerial work and the best provision of managers with information.

An automated office is attractive to managers at all levels of management in a company not only because it supports intra-company communication between staff, but also because it provides them with new means of communication with the external environment.

Automated office information technology - organization and support of communication processes both within the organization and with the external environment based on computer networks and other modern means of transmitting and working with information.

Office automation technologies are used by managers, specialists, secretaries and clerical workers, and are especially attractive for group problem solving. They can increase the productivity of secretaries and office workers and enable them to cope with an increasing volume of work. However, this benefit is secondary to the ability to use office automation as a problem-solving tool. Improving the decisions made by managers as a result of their improved communication can ensure the economic growth of the company.

Currently, there are several dozen software products for computers and non-computer hardware that provide office automation technology: word processor, spreadsheet processor, e-mail, electronic calendar, audio mail, computer and teleconferencing, video text, image storage, as well as specialized management programs: maintaining documents, monitoring the execution of orders, etc.

Non-computer means are also widely used: audio and video conferencing, fax, copier and other office equipment.

Main components

Database. A mandatory component of any technology is a database. In an automated office, the database concentrates data about the company's production system in the same way as in data processing technology at the operational level. Information in the database can also come from the external environment of the company. Specialists must be proficient in basic technological operations for working in a database environment.

Example The database collects information about daily sales transmitted by the company's sales agents to the main computer, or information about weekly deliveries of raw materials.
Information on exchange rates or securities quotes, including shares of this company, which are adjusted daily in the corresponding database array, can be received daily by e-mail from the exchange.

Information from the database is input to computer applications (programs), such as word processors, spreadsheet processors, e-mail, computer conferences, etc. Any automated office computer application provides workers with communication with each other and with other companies.

Information obtained from databases can also be used in non-computer technical means for transmission, replication, storage

Word processor. This is a type of application software designed to create and process text documents. It allows you to add or remove words, move sentences and paragraphs, set format, manipulate text elements and modes, etc. When the document is ready, the employee copies it into external memory, and then prints it out and, if necessary, transmits it over a computer network. Thus, the manager has an effective form of written communication at his disposal. Regular receipt of letters and reports prepared using a word processor allows the manager to constantly assess the situation in the company.

Email. Electronic mail (E-mail), based on the network use of computers, allows the user to receive, store and send messages to their network partners. Here only unidirectional communication takes place. This limitation, according to many researchers, is not too important, since in fifty cases out of a hundred, official telephone conversations are aimed only at obtaining information. To ensure two-way communication, you will have to repeatedly send and receive messages via email or use another method of communication.

Email can provide different experiences to the user depending on the software used. To make the sent message available to all users Email, it should be posted on a computer bulletin board, if desired, you can indicate that this is private correspondence. You can also send the item with notification of its receipt by the addressee. When a company decides to implement e-mail, it has two options. The first is to buy your own hardware and software and create your own local network computers that implement the email function. The second option is related to the purchase of an e-mail service, which is provided by specialized communications organizations for a periodic fee.

Audiomail. This is mail for sending messages by voice. It's similar to email, except that instead of typing a message on a computer keyboard, you send it through your phone. You also receive sent messages over the phone. The system includes a special device for converting audio signals into digital code and back, as well as a computer for storing audio messages in digital form. Audio mail is also implemented online.

Audio mail can be successfully used for group problem solving. To do this, the sender of the message must additionally indicate the list of persons to whom the message is intended. The system will periodically call all specified employees to send them a message.

The main advantage of audio mail compared to email is that it is simpler - when using it, you do not need to enter data from the keyboard.

Table processor. It, like the word processor, is a basic component of the information culture of any employee and automated office technology. Without knowledge of the basic technology of working in it, it is impossible to fully use a personal computer in your activities. The functions of modern spreadsheet processor software environments allow you to perform numerous operations on data presented in tabular form. Combining these operations according to common characteristics, we can identify the most numerous and used groups of technological operations: I data entry both from the keyboard and from databases; data processing (sorting, automatic generation of totals, copying and transferring data, various groups of calculation operations, data aggregation, etc.);

Displaying information in printed form, in the form of imported files into other systems,

directly to the database; w high-quality design of tabular forms for presenting data;

Multifaceted and high-quality presentation of data in the form of charts and graphs;

Carrying out engineering, financial, statistical calculations;

Carrying out mathematical modeling and a number of other auxiliary operations.

Any modern spreadsheet environment has a means of sending data over the network.

Electronic calendar. It provides another opportunity to use a network version of a computer to store and manipulate the work schedule of managers and other employees of the organization. The manager (or his secretary) sets the date and time of a meeting or other event, views the resulting schedule, and makes changes using the keyboard. The hardware and software of the electronic calendar is fully consistent with similar components of email. Moreover, calendar software is often an integral part of email software.

The system additionally makes it possible to access the calendars of other managers. It can automatically coordinate meeting times with their own schedules.

Using an electronic calendar is particularly effective for managers higher levels management, whose working days are scheduled long in advance.

Computer conferences and teleconferences. Computer conferencing uses computer networks to exchange information between group members solving a specific problem. Naturally, the circle of people with access to this technology is limited. The number of participants in a computer conference can be many times greater than in audio and video conferences.

In the literature you can often find the term teleconference. Teleconferencing includes three types of conferences: audio, video and computer.

Videotext. It is based on the use of a computer to display text and graphic data on a monitor screen. There are three options for decision makers to receive information in the form of video text:

Create video text files on your own computers;

Enter into an agreement with a specialized company to obtain access to video text files developed by it. Such files, specifically intended for sale, may be stored on the servers of the company providing such services, or delivered to the client on magnetic or optical disks;

Enter into agreements with other companies to gain access to their video text files.

The exchange of catalogs and price tags (price lists) of their products between companies in the form of video text is now becoming increasingly popular. As for companies specializing in the sale of video text, their services are beginning to compete with printed products such as newspapers and magazines. Thus, in many countries it is now possible to order a newspaper or magazine in the form of video text, not to mention current stock exchange information.

Image storage. Any company needs to store a large number of documents for a long time. Their number can be so large that storing them even in the form of files causes serious problems. Therefore, the idea arose not to store the document itself, but its image (image), and store it in digital form.

Image storage (imaging) is a promising office technology and is based on the use of a special device - an optical pattern recognizer, which allows you to convert the image of a document or film into digital form for further storage in the external memory of the computer. An image saved in digital format can be displayed in its real form on a screen or printer at any time. Optical disks with huge capacities are used to store images. Thus, about 200 thousand pages can be recorded on a five-inch optical disc.

It should be recalled that the idea of storing images is not new and was previously implemented on the basis of microfilm and microfiche. The creation of this technology was facilitated by the emergence of a new technical solution - an optical disk in combination with digital image recording.

Audio conferences. They use audio communication to maintain communications between geographically remote employees or departments of the company. The simplest technical means of implementing audio conferencing is telephone communication, equipped with additional devices, allowing more than two participants to participate in a conversation. Creating audio conferences does not require a computer, but only involves the use of two-way audio communication between its participants.

The use of audio conferencing facilitates decision making, is cheap and convenient. The effectiveness of audio conferencing increases when the following conditions are met:

· the employee organizing the audio conference must first ensure that all interested parties have the opportunity to participate in it;

· the number of conference participants should not be too large (usually no more than six) in order to keep the discussion within the framework of the problem being discussed;

· the conference program must be communicated to its participants in advance, for example, using fax;

· before speaking, each participant must introduce himself;

· recording of the conference and its storage must be organized;

· the conference recording must be printed and sent to all participants.

Video conferencing. They are intended for the same purposes as audio conferencing, but using video equipment. They also do not require a computer. During a video conference, participants who are located at a considerable distance from each other can see themselves and other participants on the television screen. Sound is transmitted simultaneously with the television image.

Although videoconferencing can reduce transportation and travel costs, most firms use it for other reasons than this. These firms see them as an opportunity to involve the maximum number of managers and other employees geographically remote from the main office in solving problems.

The most popular three configurations for creating video conferences are:

· one-way video and audio communication. Here, video and audio signals go only in one direction, for example from the project manager to the performers;

· one-way video and two-way audio communication. Two-way audio communication allows conference participants receiving the video image to exchange audio information with the participant transmitting the video signal;

· two-way video and audio communication. This most expensive configuration uses two-way video and audio communication between all conference participants, usually of the same status.

Fax communication. This communication is based on the use of a fax machine that can read a document at one end of the communication channel and reproduce its image at the other.

Facsimile contributes to decision making by quickly and easily distributing documents to members of a problem-solving team, regardless of their geographic location.

Characteristics and purpose

Decision support systems and the corresponding information technology appeared mainly through the efforts of American scientists in the late 70s - early 80s, which was facilitated by the widespread use of personal computers, standard application software packages, as well as successes in the creation of artificial intelligence systems.

Main feature Information technology for decision support is a qualitatively new method of organizing human-computer interaction. Developing a solution, which is the main goal of this technology, occurs as a result of an iterative process (Fig. 3.15), which involves:

Decision support system as a computing link and control object;

A person as a control link that sets input data and evaluates the resulting result of calculations on a computer.

The end of the iteration process occurs at the will of man. In this case, we can talk about the ability of the information system, together with the user, to create new information for decision making.

In addition to this feature of decision support information technology, a number of its distinctive characteristics can be indicated:

Focus on solving poorly structured (formalized) problems;

A combination of traditional methods of accessing and processing computer data with the capabilities of mathematical models and methods for solving problems based on them;

Targeted at the non-professional computer user;

High adaptability, providing the ability to adapt to the features of existing hardware and software, as well as user requirements.

Decision support information technology can be used at any level of management. In addition, decisions made at different levels of management often must be coordinated. That's why important function both systems and technologies is the coordination of decision makers both at different levels of management and at the same level.

Main components

Let's consider the structure of the decision support system (Fig. 3.16), as well as the functions of its constituent blocks, which determine the main technological operations.

Software control subsystem

A decision support system includes three main components: a database, a model base and a software subsystem, which consists of a database management system (DBMS), a model base management system (MBMS) and a user-computer interface management system.

Database. It plays an important role in decision support information technology. The data can be used directly by the user for calculations using mathematical models. Let's look at data sources and their features.

1. Some of the data comes from the operational level information system.

To be used effectively, this data must be pre-processed.

There are two possibilities for this:

· use a database management system, which is part of the decision support system, to process data on the company’s operations;

· do processing outside the decision support system by creating a special database for this. This option is more preferable for companies that carry out a large number of commercial transactions. The processed data about the firm's operations forms files that are stored outside the decision support system to improve reliability and speed of access.

2. In addition to data on the company's operations, the functioning of the decision support system also requires other internal data, such as personnel movement data, engineering data, etc., which must be collected, entered and maintained in a timely manner.

3. Data from external sources are important, especially for supporting decision-making at upper levels of management. Required external data should include data on competitors, national and global economies. Apart from internal data, external data is usually purchased from organizations that specialize in collecting it.

4. Currently, the issue of including another source of data in the database is being widely studied - documents, including records, letters, contracts, orders, etc. If the content of these documents is recorded in memory and then processed according to some key characteristics (suppliers, consumers, dates, types of services, etc.), the system will receive a new powerful source of information.

The data management system must have the following capabilities:

Compiling combinations of data obtained from various sources through the use of aggregation and filtering procedures;

Quick addition or exclusion of one or another data source;

Construction logical structure data in user terms;

Using and manipulating anecdotal evidence to experimentally test the user's work alternatives;

Ensuring complete logical independence of this database from other operational databases operating within the company.

Model database. The purpose of creating models is to describe and optimize some object or process. The use of models ensures analysis in decision support systems. Models, based on the mathematical interpretation of the problem, with the help of certain algorithms help to find information useful for making the right decisions.

Example 3.28. The linear programming model makes it possible to determine the most profitable production program for the production of several types of products under given resource restrictions

Communications and information technologies are a relatively new industry in the Russian economy. This industry can be called new based on the fact that modern communication services are radically different from the services provided 25-30 years ago. An interesting fact is that the total volume of communication services in monetary terms is increasing every year, mainly due to the provision of new services, such as, for example, mobile communication services. But at the same time, the volume of seemingly outdated postal services remains at the same level and even grows slightly, occupying about 8% of the communications market.

At the end of 2014, the total volume of communication services amounted to 1,654 billion rubles. Compared to 2013, this amount increased by 0.5%. The largest share in turnover is occupied by mobile services mobile communications– 38.7%. This term refers to services for the provision of radiotelephone mobile communications and public mobile satellite radio communications for various subscribers. The most striking example is the provision of cellular communication services by various operators.

Of the total volume of communication services provided, 55% were provided to the population. In monetary terms, this amounts to 909.1 billion rubles. Typically, the share of communication services provided to the population has remained virtually unchanged over the past 6 years. Since 2009, this figure has remained between 54-56%. This trend indicates a uniform development of the market for communication services and information technologies.

The structure of communication services for the population itself has a slightly different form than the general one. This is primarily due to the fact that the population is practically not provided with special communications services and there are completely no services for connecting networks and transmitting traffic. The first type of communication is the delivery of various valuable cargo, weapons, cash, etc. And the second type of service is provided to telephone operators and Internet providers.

As for other types of services, the population was provided with:

Mobile communication services – 86% (RUB 553.2 billion);
Documentary communication services – 60.5% (RUB 192.6 billion);
Local telephone services – 59.9% (RUB 83 billion);
Radio and television broadcasting services – 43.4% (RUB 36.2 billion);
Postal services – 19.4% (RUB 26.1 billion);
Long-distance and international telephone services – 24.7% (RUB 17.9 billion)

Over 750 thousand people work in the communications and information technology industry. At the end of 2014, the average salary in the industry was 31,900 rubles. This is 700 rubles less than the average salary in all sectors of the economy in the Russian Federation over the past year.

At the end of 2013, 96.13 billion rubles were allocated from the budgets of the Russian Federation at all levels for the development of communications and information technologies. Of these: from the federal budget - 41.89 billion rubles. (43.6%) and from the consolidated budgets of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation - 54.24 billion rubles. (56.4%).

2014 was marked by the closure of the large-scale state program “Creation of technology parks in the Russian Federation in the field of high technologies.” The program was launched in March 2006 with the goal of accelerating the development of high-tech sectors of the economy. The result of this program was the construction of 12 technology parks on the territory of the Russian Federation, which will house more than 800 companies working in the field of high technology. The total investment volume exceeded 30.4 billion rubles. Of these, 13.4 billion were allocated from the Federal budget and 17 billion from the budgets of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The total turnover of resident companies at the end of 2014 amounted to 40.5 billion rubles, and for the entire period of implementation of the program, the total revenue exceeded 130 billion rubles. As a result of the program, more than 18.5 thousand jobs were created.

Postal service

The operator of the Russian postal network is the state company Russian Post. This organization employs slightly less than half of all employees employed in the field of communications and information technology. According to data for 2014, the staff of Russian Post amounted to 342 thousand people. The company's average annual turnover is 120 billion rubles.

Despite the fact that postal services are gradually being replaced by more modern information technologies and means of communication, the dependence of the Russian population on postal services is very high. This is especially true for residents of rural areas and hard-to-reach areas of the country. At the end of 2014, the following were sent and delivered by mail:

Printed publications – 1,050 million pieces.
Written correspondence – 1,650 million pieces.
Parcels – 73 million pieces.
Postal money transfers – 69 million. things
Pensions and benefits – 409 million.

As can be seen in the diagram, since 2010 there has been a decrease in the number of postal services provided in these segments. This is primarily due to the active activities of banking institutions in these market segments. But the decrease in services for the delivery of printed publications and correspondence is directly related to the increase in the influence of the Internet.

At the end of 2014, the total cost of postal services amounted to 134.3 billion rubles. At the same time, only 26.1 billion rubles worth of services were provided to the population. In the total turnover of postal services, the largest share is occupied by operations with the receipt, forwarding and delivery of funds - more than 34%.

Information Technology

Information Technology (IT, from English information technology, IT) - a wide class of disciplines and areas of activity related to technologies for creating, storing, managing and processing data, including the use of computer technology. Recently, information technology is most often understood as computer technology. In particular, IT deals with the use of computers and software to create, store, process, limit the transmission and receipt of information. Computer hardware and programming specialists are often called IT specialists.

According to the definition adopted by UNESCO, IT is a complex of interrelated scientific, technological, and engineering disciplines that study methods for effectively organizing the work of people involved in processing and storing information; computer technology and methods of organizing and interacting with people and production equipment, their practical applications, as well as the social, economic and cultural problems associated with all this. IT itself requires complex training, high initial costs and high-tech technology. Their implementation should begin with the creation of mathematical software, modeling, and the formation of information repositories for intermediate data and solutions.

The main features of modern IT:

Structured standards for digital data exchange algorithms;
Widespread use of computer storage and provision of information in the required form;
Transfer of information via digital technologies over almost unlimited distances.

Information Technology Discipline

In a broad sense, IT covers all areas of creation, transmission, storage and perception of information and not only computer technology. At the same time, IT is often associated specifically with computer technology, and this is no coincidence: the advent of computers brought IT to a new level. Just like television once did, and even earlier printing.

Information technology industry

The information technology industry is concerned with the creation, development and operation of information systems. Information technologies are designed, based on and rationally using modern achievements in the field of computer technology and other high technologies, the latest tools communications, software and practical experience, solve problems for effective organization information process to reduce the costs of time, labor, energy and material resources in all spheres of human life and modern society. Information technologies interact and are often an integral part of the service sector, management, industrial production, and social processes.

Story

The development began in the 1960s, along with the emergence and development of the first information systems (IS).

Investments in Internet infrastructure and services sparked rapid growth in the IT industry in the late 1990s.

Technological potential and growth

Gilbert and Lopez note the exponential growth of technological progress (a kind of Moore's law) as the power density of all information processing machines doubling per capita every 14 months between 1986 and 2007; global telecommunications capacity per capita doubles every 34 months; The amount of information contributed in the world per capita doubles every 40 months (that is, every three years), and the transmission of information per capita tends to double approximately every 12.3 years.

Use of information technology in business

The interaction of information technology and business is manifested in the following: 1) IT technologies increase the efficiency and competitiveness of almost any business; 2) currently, all business is moving to the Internet, so any company needs to have a strategy for the new reality; 3) if a company does not have such a strategy, it has no future. .

Information technology as a tool for increasing the efficiency of the core business must be used thoughtfully and carefully. A positive effect is achieved only if the company's management has a clear idea of the goals of future actions. That is, if a tool appears that can benefit a business, it is necessary to foresee several steps ahead how the business itself will develop and how the use of IT technology must be developed to support the successful implementation of the business strategy. Otherwise, this very powerful tool, which is also expensive and difficult to use, will, unfortunately, not bring any benefit to the business, and funds for IT will be wasted. .

Statistics for Russia

According to data collected by Timur Farukshin (director of consulting at IDC in Russia and the CIS) for 2010, in terms of monetary spending on IT equipment, Russia was among the top ten leading countries in the world, behind developed countries Western Europe and the United States by 3-5 times in per capita IT equipment spending. Russia spends significantly less on the purchase of software per capita; in this area of spending, Russia lags behind the United States by 20 times, behind the leading countries of Western Europe by 10 times, and behind the world average by 55%. For the provision of IT services in 2010, Russia took only 22nd place and was 66% behind the world average.

According to IT specialists, the main problem in the development of IT technologies in Russia is the digital divide between different Russian regions. According to 2010 statistics, the lag in this area of such regions as Dagestan and Ingushetia, compared to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tomsk Region, Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, according to certain indicators, even tends to increase. Since the lack of IT specialists and the general educational level of the population in lagging regions compared to advanced ones, in 2010 already reached a ratio of 1/11.2; despite the fact that school access to the Internet in lagging and advanced regions had a smaller ratio - 1/2.2.

Expenditures on information and communication technologies in 2005 as a percentage of the main consumer - USA ($1,096,112,600,000)