The information communications technology sector represents a minefield for most people, as the industry has taken it upon itself to baffle, bedazzle and confuse the market with gadgets, gizmos, widgets and jargon.
So we are going to bring you some weekly insights into the industry, what is happening on the news front and how that will affect you, as well as a quick look at some of the more interesting techno bits being released.
The goal of this section is to not only bring you closer to technology and the industry in which it lives, but to remove the confusion, debunk the myths and slay the dragons that insist you “need to know” what drives the unwieldy techno-beast.
First off let us take a closer look at the acronym ICT, or information communications technology. Its former, and possibly less attractive, grandparent is IT, which took us long enough to get our heads around, as we moved from IS (information systems) to DP (data processing). The reality is that they feed into the same pot, sing off the same song sheet and equally intend to confuse.
ICT is merely the acknowledgement that the communications space and, more specifically, the telecommunications space is converging more rapidly with the technology field. Ah, the boulder drops — my late Scottish grandfather would have retorted merely with something on the lines of “it is enough to make a man long for a whisky and wish for an island”.
The question one should ask when getting one’s toes wet in the technology world is how much of the technology do I really need to understand? Do you know what technology drives your television remote? Do you want to know? Do you, more importantly, need to know? But you know its application and its uses.
Don’t feel alone, the ICT world is finally growing up, is starting to take better cognisance of the fact that ponytails and pocket protectors are a thing of the past and is applying itself more effectively into the world of the business process.
So although for years it has gotten away with calling me a TCPIP Girly (ask me later) the reality is that on a global scale the industry has been through as much turmoil economically as the motoring and mining industries.
But life is about choices, or so some fancy campaign jingle would have us believe, so let’s not keep this section stagnant. I need your feedback on what you want and where you would like us to go with this. We will be occupying this space weekly and although we are all envious of the travel writer’s job, let’s make this work.
Charlene Carroll edits Domain.