ICT (information and communications technology, or technologies)

ICT, or information and communications technology (or technologies), is

the infrastructure and components that enable modern computing.

Although there is no single, universal definition of ICT, the term is generally accepted to
mean all devices, networking components, applications and systems that combined allow
people and organizations (i.e., businesses, nonprofit agencies, governments and criminal
enterprises) to interact in the digital world.

Components of an ICT system

ICT encompasses both the internet-enabled sphere as well as the mobile one powered by
wireless networks. It also includes antiquated technologies, such as landline telephones, radio
and television broadcast -- all of which are still widely used today alongside cutting-edge ICT
pieces such as artificial intelligence and robotics.

ICT is sometimes used synonymously with IT (for information technology); however, ICT is
generally used to represent a broader, more comprehensive list of all components related to
computer and digital technologies than IT.

The list of ICT components is exhaustive, and it continues to grow. Some components, such
as computers and telephones, have existed for decades. Others, such as smartphones, digital
TVs and robots, are more recent entries.

ICT commonly means more than its list of components, though. It also encompasses the
application of all those various components. It's here that the real potential, power and danger
of ICT can be found.

1
ICT's societal and economic impact

ICT is leveraged for economic, societal and interpersonal transactions and interactions. ICT
has drastically changed how people work, communicate, learn and live. Moreover, ICT
continues to revolutionize all parts of the human experience as first computers and now robots
do many of the tasks once handled by humans. For example, computers once answered
phones and directed calls to the appropriate individuals to respond; now robots not only can
answer the calls, but they can often more quickly and efficiently handle callers' requests for
services.

ICT's importance to economic development and business growth has been so monumental, in
fact, that it's credited with ushering in what many have labeled the Fourth Industrial
Revolution.

ICT also underpins broad shifts in society, as individuals en masse are moving from personal,
face-to-face interactions to ones in the digital space. This new era is frequently termed
the Digital Age.

For all its revolutionary aspects, though, ICT capabilities aren't evenly distributed. Simply
put, richer countries and richer individuals enjoy more access and thus have a greater ability
to seize on the advantages and opportunities powered by ICT.

Consider, for example, some findings from the World Bank. In 2016, it stated that more than
75% of people worldwide have access to a cellphone. However, internet access through either
mobile or fixed Broadband remains prohibitively expensive in many countries due to a lack of
ICT infrastructure. Furthermore, the World Bank estimated that out of the global population
of 7.4 billion people, more than 4 billion don't have access to the internet. Additionally, it
estimated that only 1.1 billion people have access to high-speed internet.

In the United States and elsewhere, this discrepancy in access to ICT has created the so-
called digital divide.

The World Bank, numerous governmental authorities and non-government

organizations (NGOs) advocate policies and programs that aim to bridge the digital divide by
providing greater access to ICT among those individuals and populations struggling to afford
it.

2
These various institutions assert that those without ICT capabilities are left out of the multiple
opportunities and benefits that ICT creates and will therefore fall further behind in socio-
economic terms.

The United Nations considers one of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to
"significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to
provide universal and affordable access to the internet in least developed countries by 2020."

Economic advantages are found both within the ICT market as well as in the larger areas of
business and society as a whole.

Within the ICT market, the advancement of ICT capabilities has made the development and
delivery of various technologies cheaper for ICT vendors and their customers while also
providing new market opportunities. For instance, telephone companies that once had to build
and maintain miles of telephone lines have shifted to more advanced networking materials
and can provide telephone, television and internet services; consumers now enjoy more
choices in delivery and price points as a result.

The significance of ICT in enterprises

For businesses, advances within ICT have brought a slew of cost savings, opportunities and
conveniences. They range from highly automated businesses processes that have cut costs, to
the big data revolution where organizations are turning the vast trove of data generated by
ICT into insights that drive new products and services, to ICT-enabled transactions such as
internet shopping and telemedicine and social media that give customers more choices in how
they shop, communicate and interact.

But ICT has also created problems and challenges to organizations and individuals alike -- as
well as to society as a whole. The digitization of data, the expanding use of high-speed
internet and the growing global network together have led to new levels of crime, where so-
called bad actors can hatch electronically enabled schemes or illegally gain access to systems
to steal money, intellectual property or private information or to disrupt systems that
control critical infrastructure. ICT has also brought automation and robots that displace
workers who are unable to transfer their skills to new positions. And ICT has allowed more
and more people to limit their interactions with others, creating what some people fear is a
population that could lose some of what makes it human.

3
Office automation
o Basic office automation tools

o Example of office automation

Office automation is the combination of hardware and software to develop, automate, and
digitally capture the information an office needs to properly execute processes and methodology.

Office automation was born in the late 1940s, but developed around the 1970s. The introduction of
word processors, which replaced typewriters in offices, had much to do with its origins.

Charles Simonyi was the creator of office automation in 1948 through the release of Microsoft Office,
with the collaboration of Richard Brodie.

Undoubtedly, this concept always refers to and relates to office work and the tools used to carry it out.

It was a very innovative change. In this sense, this process served to streamline office work and also
created new options for its implementation. Manual activities, which were the main ones at the time,
were replaced and some were automated.

Administrative procedures, meeting scheduling, the introduction of the Internet, the use of computers
and various processors and office components were at the center of streamlining all operations.

Basic office automation tools

These are the most obvious:

o Word Processors : Widely used in office work.

o Calculators : Elements that optimize all account processes and numbers related to the tasks
performed.

o Printer management programs : Without a doubt, an essential item in any office that needs
to turn virtual documents into physical ones.

4
 o Instant messaging programs : Very useful for communicating between employees and
transmitting instant information.

o Databases : Very important for recording data related to a company, organization or project.

o SPREADSHEETS : Something widely used for recording invoices, for example, or keeping
up-to-date account management.

o Fax machines : Like printers, fax machines are widely used in offices, sometimes both
components are included in the same device.

Office automation has been a huge advancement in office work.

Example of office automation

Programs like Excel, Word, PowerPoint have revolutionized the way we work. These programs are
included in the Office suite. This is marketed by Microsoft. However, there are similar office
automation packages that do not cost anything.

In addition, of course, the rest of the mentioned devices have managed to automate processes and
develop a more flexible method for performing office tasks.

What is a computer?

A computer is an electronic device that manipulates information, or data. It has the ability
to store, retrieve, and process data. You may already know that you can use a computer to type
documents, send email, play games, and browse the Web. You can also use it to edit or
create spreadsheets, presentations, and even videos.

Hardware vs. software

Before we talk about different types of computers, let's talk about two things all computers have in
common: hardware and software.

5
  Hardware is any part of your computer that has a physical structure, such as the keyboard or
mouse. It also includes all of the computer's internal parts, which you can see in the image
below.

 Software is any set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do and how to do it.
Examples of software include web browsers, games, and word processors.

Everything you do on your computer will rely on both hardware and software. For example, right now
you may be viewing this lesson in a web browser (software) and using your mouse (hardware) to
click from page to page. As you learn about different types of computers, ask yourself about the
differences in their hardware. As you progress through this tutorial, you'll see that different types of
computers also often use different types of software.

What are the different types of computers?

When most people hear the word computer, they think of a personal computer such as
a desktop or laptop. However, computers come in many shapes and sizes, and they perform many
different functions in our daily lives. When you withdraw cash from an ATM, scan groceries at the
store, or use a calculator, you're using a type of computer.

Desktop computers

Many people use desktop computers at work, home, and school. Desktop computers are designed to
be placed on a desk, and they're typically made up of a few different parts, including the computer
case, monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

Laptop computers

The second type of computer you may be familiar with is a laptop computer, commonly called a
laptop. Laptops are battery-powered computers that are more portable than desktops, allowing you to
use them almost anywhere.

Tablet computers

6
Tablet computers—or tablets—are handheld computers that are even more portable than laptops.
Instead of a keyboard and mouse, tablets use a touch-sensitive screen for typing and navigation.
The iPad is an example of a tablet.

Servers

A server is a computer that serves up information to other computers on a network. For example,
whenever you use the Internet, you're looking at something that's stored on a server. Many businesses
also use local file servers to store and share files internally.

Other types of computers

Many of today's electronics are basically specialized computers, though we don't always think of
them that way. Here are a few common examples.

 Smartphones: Many cell phones can do a lot of things computers can do, including browsing
the Internet and playing games. They are often called smartphones.

 Wearables: Wearable technology is a general term for a group of devices—including fitness

trackers and smartwatches—that are designed to be worn throughout the day. These devices
are often called wearables for short.

 Game consoles: A game console is a specialized type of computer that is used for
playing video games on your TV.

 TVs: Many TVs now include applications—or apps—that let you access various types of
online content. For example, you can stream video from the Internet directly onto your TV.

PCs and Macs

Personal computers come in two main styles: PC and Mac. Both are fully functional, but they have a
different look and feel, and many people prefer one or the other.

7
PCs

This type of computer began with the original IBM PC that was introduced in 1981. Other companies
began creating similar computers, which were called IBM PC Compatible (often shortened to PC).
Today, this is the most common type of personal computer, and it typically includes the Microsoft
Windows operating system.

Macs

The Macintosh computer was introduced in 1984, and it was the first widely sold personal computer
with a graphical user interface, or GUI (pronounced gooey). All Macs are made by one company
(Apple), and they almost always use the Mac OS X operating system.

Keyboard Shortcuts For Windows

Keyboard shortcuts are often used in modern operating systems and computer software programs.

Learning and using keyboard shortcuts can save you a lot of time.

Basic Shortcuts

Description Windows
Edit menu Alt + E
File menu Alt + F
View menu Alt + V
Select all text Ctrl + A
Copy text Ctrl + C
Find text Ctrl + F
Find and replace text Ctrl + H
New Document Ctrl + N
Open a file Ctrl + O
Print options Ctrl + P
Save file Ctrl + S
Paste text Ctrl + V
Cut text Ctrl + X
Redo text Ctrl + Y
Undo text Ctrl + Z

Text Editing
Description Windows
8
Cursor Movement

Go to the right or to the beginning of next line break Right Arrow

Go to the left or to the end of previous line break Left Arrow

Go up one row Up Arrow

Go down one row Down Arrow

Go to the beginning of the current line Home

Go to the end of the current line End

Go to the beginning of the document Ctrl + Home

Go to the end of the document Ctrl + End

Move up one frame Page Up

Move down one frame Page Down

Go to beginning of previous word Ctrl + Left Arrow

Go to beginning of next word Ctrl + Right Arrow

Go to beginning of line break Ctrl + Up Arrow

Go to end of line break Ctrl + Down Arrow

Text Selection

Select characters to the left Shift + Left Arrow

Select characters to the right Shift + Right Arrow

Select lines upwards Shift + Up Arrow

Select lines downwards Shift + Down Arrow

Select words to the left Shift + Ctrl + Left

Select words to the right Shift + Ctrl + Right

Select paragraphs to the left Shift + Ctrl + Up

Select paragraphs to the right Shift + Ctrl + Down

Select text between the cursor and the beginning of the current line Shift + Home

Select text between the cursor and the end of the current line Shift + End

9
Select text between the cursor and the beginning of the document Shift + Ctrl + Home

Select text between the cursor and the end of the document Shift + Ctrl + End

Select one frame at a time of text above the cursor Shift + Page Up

Select one frame at a time of text below the cursor Shift + Page Down

Select all text Ctrl + A

Find text Ctrl + F

Text Formatting

Make selected text bold Ctrl + B

Make selected text italic Ctrl + I

Underline selected text Ctrl + U

Make selected text superscript Ctrl + Shift + =

Make selected text subscript Ctrl + =

Text Editing

Delete characters to the left Backspace

Delete characters to the right Delete

Delete words to the right Ctrl + Del

Delete words to the left Ctrl + Backspace

Indent Tab

Outdent Shift + Tab

Copy text Ctrl + C

Find and replace text Ctrl + H

Paste text Ctrl + V

Cut text Ctrl + X

Redo text Ctrl + Y

Undo text Ctrl + Z

10
Web Browsers

Description Windows
Navigation

Scroll down a frame Space or Page Down

Scroll up a frame Shift + Space or Page Up

Go to bottom of the page End

Go to top of the page Home

Go back Alt + Left Arrow or Backspace

Go forward Alt + Right Arrow or Shift + Backspace

Refresh a webpage F5

Refresh a webpage (no cache) Ctrl + F5

Stop Esc

Toggle full-screen F11

Zoom in Ctrl + +

Zoom out Ctrl + -

Zoom 100% (default) Ctrl + 0

Open homepage Alt + Home

Find text Ctrl + F

Tab / Window Management

Open a new tab Ctrl + T

Close current tab Ctrl + W

Close all tabs Ctrl + Shift + W

Close all tabs except the current tab Ctrl + Alt + F4

Go to next tab Ctrl + Tab

Go to previous tab Ctrl + Shift + Tab

Go to a specific tab number Ctrl + 1-8

Go to the last tab Ctrl + 9

11
Reopen the last closed tab Ctrl + Shift + T

Open a new window Ctrl + N

Close current window Alt + F4

Go to next window Alt + Tab

Go to previous window Alt + Shift + Tab

Reopen the last closed window Ctrl + Shift + N

Open links in a new tab in the background Ctrl + Click

Open links in a new tab in the foreground Ctrl + Shift + Click

Print current webpage Ctrl + P

Save current webpage Ctrl + S

Address Bar

Cycle between toolbar, search bar, and page elements Tab

Go to browser's address bar Ctrl + L or Alt + D

Focus and select the browser's search bar Ctrl + E

Open the address bar location in a new tab Alt + Enter

Display a list of previously typed addresses F4

Add "www." to the beginning and ".com" to the end of the Ctrl + Enter
text typed in the address bar (e.g., type "w3schools" and
press Ctrl + Enter to open "www.w3schools.com")

Bookmarks

Open the bookmarks menu Ctrl + B

Add bookmark for current page Ctrl + D

Open browsing history Ctrl + H

Open download history Ctrl + J

12
Screenshots
Description Windows
Save screenshot of the whole screen as file

Copy screenshot of the whole screen to the clipboard PrtScr (Print Screen) or Ctrl + PrtScr

Save screenshot of window as file

Copy screenshot of window to the clipboard Alt + PrtScr

Copy screenshot of wanted area to the clipboard

Save screenshot of wanted area as file

13