Nowadays, information transmitted electronically is present almost everywhere. Our daily lives are marked by ICT. Whether in professional environments, in universities or in training or research centers, we always use ICT to communicate and to save data.

To find out more about ICT, we invite you to consult this article.

What is Information and communication technologies (ICT)

The expressions of new information and communication technologies (NICT), information and communication technologies (TIC), or even information technologies (IT) designate all the techniques used to manipulate and transfer information, particularly in the field of computing and telecommunications.

But, what are the ICT tools? These bring together the resources required to manipulate information such as computers, programs, and networks to convert it, save it, manage it, transmit it, and retrieve it.

For those who do not know what the term ICT means, it is quite simply the acronym for information and communication technologies for education. This acronym designates operations and projects that aim to introduce new technologies into the field of education.

ICT: a little overview of the history

After the emergence of the printing press, the first steps towards a modern and information society were marked by the use of the electric telegraph, the telephone, and radiotelephony. Mobile telecommunications, the Internet, and GPS have come to assemble the image with the text. Television and cameras have become accessible on cell phones.

The evolution of information and communication technologies in the last decade of the 20th century was marked by the reduction in the size of components, used to create multifunctional devices at affordable prices, from the beginning of the 2000s.

Since then, the use of ICT has become very frequent, particularly in developed countries. From precision agriculture to environmental preservation, including the field of commerce and telemedicine, ICT tends to take a prominent place in our daily lives.

Why is technology for information and communication important?

According to recent OECD studies, ICT contributes greatly to the economic growth of countries and to increased business productivity.

Without further ado, we present to you the privileges of investing in ICT.

1. At the information system level

Investing in ICT has several advantages in terms of information systems, such as:

Increased productivity, due to the performance of materials and the organization of work tasks

Decentralization of production in companies (for example, call centers).

Better control of the environment and biodiversity

Faster response to climate and global warming issues

2. At the level of the organization of work tasks and the structure of companies

Investment in ICT provides numerous advantages in terms of business structure and work organization. Among them :

Less hierarchical internal organization

Sharing and transmission of information

Better manage human resources (assignment of tasks, hiring).

3. Education

Improvements in data input and output device quality and communication speed have led to the development of more efficient teaching strategies. The range of successful educational programs is expanded by the ability of students to access courses from any location with internet access through the use of contemporary technology and communication devices.

4. At the commercial level

Investing in information and communication technologies (ICT) provides numerous commercial benefits:

The emergence of a new production circuit thanks to the emergence of electronic commerce

Minimizing procurement costs

Service innovations to better meet consumer needs

Improvement of corporate brand images (they become innovative companies)

Which are the principal elements of information and communication technology?

An ICT system consists of six primary parts. These are:

• Data:

By giving information and communication systems the information they need to produce an output, facts and figures allow them to operate. Data also aids in the creation of context, which gives actions taken by ICT users and creators meaning.

• Information:

For particular uses, users and systems transform unprocessed data into forms that are usable.

• Hardware:

The actual parts that make information and communication technology possible are called this. Processors, memory cards, sound and video cards, keyboards, webcams, and microphones are a few typical hardware components of ICT.

• Software:

These are the computer programs that tell the hardware how to work so that information and communications technology (ICT) can be used. Software applications are typically created by programmers using particular programming languages, and each one has a distinct purpose.

• Procedures:

Individuals who use information and communication technology (ICT) and the software tools that support it typically need to follow particular protocols that specify the sequence of steps that each user must take in order for an ICT system to function as intended.

• People:

The users of an ICT system are the last essential component. They obtain the necessary information from raw data, input it into specialized software applications using hardware (keyboards, for example), and then use predetermined protocols to send it to recipients who are connected to an ICT system but are located in different geographic locations.