Introduction to Business Information and Technology

What you’ll learn
Fundamentals of information technology.
The basics of IT security.
The hardware and software components that underpin the technology you use daily.
To identify the objectives, inputs and outputs of an information system.
What metadata is, and why you should care about it!
Confidentiality, privacy, rights management, and why they matter to you.

Requirements
Internet access.
A desire to learn to “talk tech.”

Description
This course is a primer on information and technology in business. It’s intended for those who wish to increase their IT skills either for personal or business use, to enhance their ability to collaborate with IT professionals, or who wish to pursue IT certifications. At the end of this course, you’ll be able to “talk tech” and you’ll have a solid grasp of the fundamentals of information technology.

This course begins by introducing the information and Big Data life cycles, information technology (hardware, software, storage, and services), and information control (security, confidentiality and privacy, availability, and processing integrity) using a single unifying framework. This framework is used in information systems courses for business majors at the undergraduate level. It includes all of the topics covered in an introductory university course.

The first module in this course introduces the framework and explains how economic forces, such as compliance, the business model, and risk, govern the role of information and technology in a business environment. Each of the remaining ten modules focuses on one of the building blocks of the framework

Information and Big Data life cycles

Computer hardware

Open source software

Operating systems

File and database storage

Kernel and web services

Data security

Confidentiality & privacy

Data and systems availability

Data entry and processing integrity

Course image by Jeroen Bennink, some rights reserved under license CC BY 2.0

Who this course is for
Anyone interested in understanding the basics of information technology and developing the vocabulary to “talk tech” with others.
Individuals interested in developing problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
Those who wish to increase their IT skills either for personal or business use.
Those wishing to pursue IT certifications.
Those looking to enhance their abilities to collaborate with IT professionals.