IT management is the discipline whereby all of the information technology resour

ces of a firm are managed in accordance with its needs and priorities. These res
ources may include tangible investments like computer hardware, software, data,
networks and data centre facilities, as well as the staff who are hired to maint
ain them.
Managing this responsibility within a company entails many of the basic manageme
nt functions, like budgeting, staffing, change management, and organizing and co
ntrolling, along with other aspects that are unique to technology, like software
design, network planning, tech support etc.[1]
Contents [hide]
1 Overview
2 IT infrastructure
3 IT management disciplines
4 IT managers
5 Disadvantages of IT management
6 Cases of IT management deficiency
7 See also
8 References
Overview[edit]
The central aim of IT management is to generate value through the use of technol
ogy. To achieve this, business strategies and technology must be aligned.
IT Management is different from management information systems. The latter refer
s to management methods tied to the automation or support of human decision maki
ng.[2] IT Management refers to IT related management activities in organizations
. MIS is focused mainly on the business aspect, with strong input into the techn
ology phase of the business/organization.
A primary focus of IT management is the value creation made possible by technolo
gy. This requires the alignment of technology and business strategies. While the
value creation for an organization involves a network of relationships between
internal and external environments, technology plays an important role in improv
ing the overall value chain of an organization. However, this increase requires
business and technology management to work as a creative, synergistic, and colla
borative team instead of a purely mechanistic span of control.[3]
Historically, one set of resources was dedicated to one particular computing tec
hnology, business application or line of business, and managed in a silo-like fa
shion.[4] These resources supported a single set of requirements and processes,
and couldn t easily be optimized or reconfigured to support actual demand.[5] This
led technology providers to build out and complement their product-centric infr
astructure and management offerings with Converged Infrastructure environments t
hat converge servers, storage, networking, security, management and facilities.[
6][7] The efficiencies of having this type of integrated and automated managemen
t environment allows enterprises to get their applications up and running faster
, with simpler manageability and maintenance, and enables IT to adjust IT resour
ces (such as servers, storage and networking) quicker to meet unpredictable busi
ness demand.[8][9]
IT infrastructure[edit]
The term IT infrastructure is shown in a standard called Information Technology
Infrastructure Library (ITIL) v3 as a combined set of hardware, software, networ
ks, facilities, etc. (including all of the information technology), in order to
develop, test, deliver, monitor, control or support IT services.[10]
IT infrastructure refers to the composite hardware, software, network resources
and services required for the existence, operation and management of an enterpri
se IT environment. It allows an organization to deliver IT solutions and service
s to its employees, partners and/or customers and is usually internal to an orga
nization and deployed within owned facilities.
IT management disciplines[edit]
The below concepts are commonly listed or investigated under the broad term IT M
anagement:[11] [12] [13] [14]
Business/IT alignment
IT governance
IT financial management
IT service management
Sourcing
IT configuration management
IT managers[edit]
IT managers have a lot in common with project managers but their main difference
is one of focus: an IT manager is responsible and accountable for an ongoing pr
ogram of IT services while the project manager's responsibility and accountabili
ty are both limited to a project with a clear start and end date.[15]
Most IT management programs are designed to educate and develop managers who can
effectively manage the planning, design, selection, implementation, use, and ad
ministration of emerging and converging information and communications technolog
ies. The program curriculum provides students with the technical knowledge and m
anagement knowledge and skills needed to effectively integrate people, informati
on and communication technologies, and business processes in support of organiza
tional strategic goals.[16]
Graduates should be able:
to explain the important terminology, facts, concepts, principles, analytic tech
niques, and theories used in IT management.
to apply important terminology, facts, concepts, principles, analytic techniques
, and theories in IT management when analyzing complex factual situations.
to integrate (or synthesize) important facts, concepts, principles, and theories
in IT management when developing solutions to IT management multifaceted proble
ms in complex situations.[17]
The importance of IT management is to understand the managing data. There are al
so difficulties IT managers overcome. The amount of data is increasing, most of
the data in is separated between the organizations and collected by different de
partments. They may not be using the same method or procedure. Data security, qu
ality and integrity is most informant in receiving information. The sources have
an impact also on the sources obtained; they may be internal or external. When
the information structures do not transfer properly with each other, that can re
sult in unreliable data. An important part to understand in an IT management is
Data Governance. It is an approach to managing information across the entire org
anization or company. Many will also need to know master data management, which
is a process that spans all of the companies processes and business. Without a s
tructure your company will not be able to function properly. Applying these proc
esses in Data bases, it is your job to be able to communicate with other departm
ents systems and develop precise communication and holding your organization acc
ountable of certain data issues. Your design and programs helps increase design
and technical knowledge throughout the business.
Disadvantages of IT management[edit]
The more technology improves,everyday tasks that used to be performed by human e
mployees can now be carried out by computer systems. Telephone answering systems
replacing live receptionists is one example of such substitution. It is, howeve
r, important to understand that often these changes can lead to issues as well a
s benefits. Losing personal communication with clients, security issues, etc. ma
y have a heavy impact in company value. Such aspects must be considered before,
during and after all decisions and implementations for IT management to be succe
ssful.
Even though information technology systems allow businesses to be conducted at a
faster pace, that quicker pace is not without its flaws. Information technology
systems are extremely vulnerable to security breaches. For the most part inform
ation technology systems are most vulnerable when they can be accessed through t
he Internet. If certain measures are not in place to prevent security breaches,
unauthorized individuals could gain access to confidential data. Information can
be altered, permanently destroyed or used for unsavory purposes. Additionally,
sensitive information being leaked can cause a business to lose money and can pe
rmanently damage its reputation in the eyes of potential customers.
Cases of IT management deficiency[edit]
Target Corporation, 2013
Target's security and payments system was broken into by hackers, who installed
malware with the intent of stealing Target s customers' information. The malware t
argeted 40 million credit card numbers and 70 million addresses, phone numbers, and
other pieces of personal information . About six months before this happened, Tar
get invested 1.6 million dollars to install the malware detection tool made by F
ireEye, whose security product is also used by CIA. It is reasonably reliable so
ftware and it spotted the malware, but it was not stopped at any level in Target s
security department. The malware successfully came away with all the informatio
n it wanted. Target s unresponsiveness to the alerts resulted the exposure of the
confidential information of one in three United States consumers.[18]
See also[edit]
Information Resources Management Journal
References[edit]
Jump up ^ McNurlin, Barbara; et al. (2009). "Information Systems Management in P
ractice (8th ed.)". Prentice Hall.
Jump up ^ O Brien, J (1999). Management Information Systems Managing Information T
echnology in the Internetworked Enterprise. Boston: Irwin McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07
-112373-3.
Jump up ^ Bird, M. (2010). Modern Management Guide to Information Technology. Cr
eate Space.
Jump up ^ Talbot, Chris, HP Adds to Converged Infrastructure Lineup, ChannelInside
r, June 7, 2011.
Jump up ^ Gardner, Dana, "Converged Infrastructure Approach Paves Way for Improv
ed Data Center Productivity, Butts, February 9, 2010, IT Business Edge
Jump up ^ Huff, Lisa, The Battle for the Converged Data Center Network, Data Cente
r Knowledge, August 18, 2011.
Jump up ^ Harris, Derrick, "Can Open Converged Infrastructure Compete?" GigaOM,
October 10, 2010.
Jump up ^ Oestreich, Ken, "Converged Infrastructure," CTO Forum, November 15, 20
10. Archived January 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ Golden, Bernard, "Butt Computing: Two Kinds of Agility," CIO, July 16,
2010.
Jump up ^ Veen, Annelies van der; Jan van Bon (2007). Foundations of ITIL V3. Va
n Haren Publishing. ISBN 978-90-8753-057-0.
Jump up ^ 28 Nov. 2008 http://www.gartner.com/it/products/research/topics/topics
.jsp
Jump up ^ 28 Nov. 2008 http://www.gartner.com/it/products/research/research_serv
ices.jsp
Jump up ^ McKeen, James D., and Smith, Heather A., Making IT Happen: Critical Is
sues in IT Management, Wiley Series in Information Systems, 2003
Jump up ^ CIO Wisdom: Best Practise from Silicon Valley's Leading IT Experts, La
ne, D. (ed), Prentice Hall 2004
Jump up ^ Thomas, Rhan (June 15, 2009). "IT Managers and Project Management". PM
Hut. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
Jump up ^ "Master of Management (Information Technology)". Charles Sturt Univers
ity. Retrieved 2014-09-03.
Jump up ^ "Journal - Knowledge of Management, Economics and Information Technolo
gy" (PDF). scientificpapers.org. Retrieved 2014-09-03.
Jump up ^ Riley, M., Elgin, B., Lawrence, D., & Matlack, C. (2014, March 13). Mi
ssed Alarms and 40 Million Stolen Credit Card Numbers: How Target Blew It. Bloom
berg Businessweek. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-03-1
3/target-missed-alarms-in-epic-hack-of-credit-card-data
[hide] v t e
Management
Outline of business management Index of management articles
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of organization
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gement Scientific management Social entrepreneurship Team building Virtual manag
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scholars
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on PhD in management Organizational studies
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s Model of Managerial Discretion Theory of constraints Pointy Haired Boss
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Categories: Information technology management