Introduction to Information Technology Management

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Introduction to Information Technology Management
01.01.01
5/13/02
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Topics Well Address Today

• General IT Issues and Management
• Planning
• Project Management
• Purchasing
• Electronic Communication
• Networking
• Data Systems
• Technology in Learning
• Support and Training

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Information technology (IT) can include...

• PCs and related hardware and software
• Mainframes, fileservers, other hosts
• Computer networks
• Phones, voice mail, related infrastructure
• Data systems and software
• Industry-specific (e.g., church oriented)
  technology

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IT work can include...

• Management and planning
• Electronic communication (e.g., web site
  maintenance)
• Network administration and infrastructure
• Data system development, maintenance, and support
• PC hardware and software service

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Mainframe Era IT History

• Early commercial mainframes (1950s)
• Multi-processing and telecommunications (1960s)
• Minicomputers (1970s)

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The PC Era

• Word processing (1970s - 1980s)
• The PC revolution (1980s)
• GUI interface (early 1990s)
• The Internet (late 1990s)
• ??? (2000s)
• Churches and schools slow adopters

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Technology Adoption Lifecycle

• Stage Who Adopts
• Buck Rogers Nobody
• Introduction Early adopters
• Mainstream Many
• Imperative Most
• Legacy Almost none
• Historical Nobody

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Best Practices

• Each area of IT management has best practices
  that have been found to produce the best results.

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Best Practices

• Organize for Effective IT Support
• Develop a Strategic Technology Plan
• Ensure Good Project Management
• Provide Standard PC Hardware and Software to All
• Replace PCs on Planned Cycle
• Buy Using Group Discounts

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Best Practices (cont.)

• Maximize Electronic Communication
• Develop an Enterprise Network
• Invest in Your Data Systems - But Avoid Custom
  Software Development
• Provide Adequate Training and Support for PC Use
• Proactively Manage IT Service Delivery

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Organize for Effective Support

• Single IT Manager
• Steering Committee
• Specialized Staff
• Full or part-time employees
• Volunteers
• Vendors
• Backups

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IT Management Issues

• Who will serve as the IT manager?
• Who will provide your day-to-day support?
• Should you have an ongoing IT oversight committee?

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General IT Resources

• Non-profit Technology Use
• Techsoup www.techsoup.org
• Entech (UWM) http//epic.cuir.uwm.edu/fatica/webdo
  ts

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General IT Resources

• General IT news - ComputerWorld
  www.computerworld.com
• IT management issues - CIO www.cio.com
• Networking - Network Computing www.nwc.com

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General IT Resources

• PC technology - PC Magazine www.pcmag.com
• Glossary of terms - Whatis.com www.whatis.com
• All major technology vendors have sites (e.g.,
  www.microsoft.com)