Information Technology
Information technology at UBC
Today, the term Information Technology has ballooned to encompass many aspects of computing and technology, and the term is more recognizable than ever before. The Information Technology umbrella can be quite large, covering many fields. IT professionals perform a variety of duties that range from installing applications to designing complex computer networks and information databases. A few of the duties that IT professionals at UBC perform may include:
History of Information Technology
A particularly important aspect of contemporary technological innovation is the quest for new ways to capture, store, process, transport and display information. Although the prevailing expectation is that progress in this field will have a profound impact on societies, expert opinions differ about whether this impact will be positive or negative. In fact it is difficult, if not impossible, to foresee the future social and economic implications of the adoption and proliferation of new information and communication technologies, and this creates a serious problem for policy makers. In the following pages, a case is made for accepting the ambiguities inherent in the current process of technological change and giving concerted attention to specification of the social and institutional changes that will be required to strengthen its potential for social development.
The term "information technology" came about in the 1970s. Its basic concept, however, can be traced back even further.
The first computer at UBC was the ALWAC III-E.