ICT is an acronym for Information Communications Technology. There is no universally accepted definition of ICT, because the concepts, methods and applications involved in ICT are constantly evolving almost daily and it is difficult to keep up, but this evolution also has far-reaching effects on both business and personal life . A good way to think about ICT is to consider all the uses of digital technology that exist to help individuals, businesses and organizations use information. ICT covers any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information electronically in digital format. For example, personal computers, digital television, electronic mail, robots, etc. So ICT deals with the storage, retrieval, manipulation, transmission or reception of digital data. Importantly, it is also about how these different uses can interact with each other. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay It should be noted that in the business world, ICT is often classified into two broad types of products: (i) Computer-based technologies (things that can typically be done on a personal computer or using computers at home or at work ). (ii) Digital communication technologies (which allow people and organizations to communicate and share information digitally via emails, digital newsletters, press releases, video calls, etc. Let's take a brief look at these two categories to demonstrate the types of products and ideas covered by ICT. Traditional IT technologies - Standard office applications - Word processing: e.g. Ms Word for writing letters, reports, etc. - Spreadsheets: e.g. Ms Excel for analyzing financial data, calculations, etc. Database software: e.g. Oracle/Ms SQL Server/Access to manage data in many forms from basic lists (e.g. customer contacts to catalogues) - Presentation software: e.g. Ms PowerPoint for preparing presentations - Desktop publishing : for example Adobe Indesign/Quark Express/MS Publisher to produce newsletters, magazines and other complex documents - Graphics software: for example Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to create and edit images such as logos, drawings or images for use in DTP, websites or other publications. - Specialist applications - Accounting package: for example Sage/Oracle to manage the accounts of an organization Computer Aided Design (CAD): to assist the design process. There are specialized programs for many aspects of design, such as architectural, engineering, electronics and road design - Customer relationship management (CRM): to allow companies to better understand their customers by collecting and analyzing data such as their product preferences, purchasing habits, etc. Often linked to software applications that manage call centers and loyalty cards, for example. The first component of ICT concerns people. O'Leary and O'Leary (2007) state that people constitute the main component of ICT. Simply because they are the people who provide data, make judgments and decisions based on the results. ICT is used by two types of people in the business environment, those who work in the organization and customers who access information about the company. An exchange of information allows leaders and managers to make informed decisions. The second ICT component concerns contents. To understand the content we must distinguish between data and information. (Tutor2u, online) Please note: this is just an example. Get a personalized document from us now, 2016/17)