The main areas of IT and what each one does
IT is the computers, networks, software and data that support an organization's work. Large organizations split it into areas, and exam questions describe a task and ask which area owns it.
The core areas (Example = typical job titles):
| Area | Purpose | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT support (service desk) | First point of contact for users | Password resets, laptop setup, routing tickets | Help desk technician, desktop support specialist |
| Systems administration | Runs servers and operating systems | Updates, user accounts, monitoring, backups | Systems administrator |
| Networking | Connects devices, offices and the internet | Routers, switches, Wi-Fi, firewalls | Network administrator, network engineer |
| Cybersecurity | Protects systems and data | Alerts, access, weakness scans, incident response | Security analyst, security engineer |
| Database administration | Stores and protects structured data | Table design, query tuning, backups, permissions | Database administrator (DBA) |
| Data and analytics | Turns data into information for decisions | Cleaning data, reports, dashboards, trends | Data analyst, business intelligence (BI) developer |
| Software development | Builds and maintains applications | Coding, testing, fixing defects, releases | Software developer, quality assurance (QA) tester, web developer |
| Cloud and infrastructure | Computing and storage from cloud platforms | Cloud resources, deployment automation, cost control | Cloud engineer, DevOps engineer |
| IT management and governance | Plans, funds and oversees IT | Budgets, policy, projects, vendors, service quality | IT manager, project manager, chief information officer (CIO) |
Example: Monday morning at a 2,000-employee hospital:
- A nurse is locked out of the medication system: the service desk unlocks the account.
- A server fails: systems administration. A switch dies: the network team.
- A suspicious sign-in from another country: security.
For "which area owns this task", read the verb and object. Configures a switch: networking; restores a database: DBA; investigates phishing: security; resets a password: service desk.
Follow one request: support, network, server, database, application. Security guards it; IT management plans and pays for it.
Word bank
All definitions →- Database administrator (DBA)
- Designs, tunes, secures and backs up databases.
- Information technology (IT)
- The use of computers, networks, software and data to support an organization's work.
- Network engineer
- Designs, builds and maintains the networks that connect devices and sites.
- Security analyst
- Monitors for threats and responds to security incidents.
- Service desk
- The single point of contact where users report problems and request help.
- Systems administrator
- Runs and maintains servers, operating systems and user accounts.
Knowledge check
A user reports that a shared printer on the third floor no longer shows up on the network. Which IT area normally takes the ticket first?
Which task belongs to database administration?
The service desk confirms that a floor's Wi-Fi access point has failed and users there can't connect. Which team takes the escalated ticket?