What is an ICT System?
An ICT system is a set-up consisting of hardware, software, data and the people who use them. It commonly includes communications technology, such as the Internet.
ICT and computers are not the same thing. Computers are the hardware that is often part of an ICT system.
This is why ICT is not just about computers but about how, why and when people use them. It is the power of computers and communications that has allowed ICT systems to become so important. Like any piece of equipment, the important thing about it is what it lets us do.
ICT Systems are used in
a number of environments, such as:
- offices
- shops
- factories
- aircraft
- ships
They're also used in fields such as Communication, Medicine and Farming.
ICT Systems are everyday and ordinary, yet extraordinary in how they can add extra power to what we do and want to do.
By using ICT systems we
are:
- more productive - we can complete a greater number of tasks in the same time at reduced cost by using computers than we could prior to their invention
- able to deal with vast amounts of information and process it quickly
- able to transmit and receive information rapidly
The three main types of ICT system are:
- Information systems- This type of ICT system is focused on managing data and Information.
- Control systems- These ICT systems mainly control machines.
- Communications systems- The output of these ICT systems is the successful transport of data from one place to another.
