Site Structure

This IT Handbook is organized as a clear and connected learning system to help you understand how IT works.

It provides a comprehensive resource that combines “Guided Tour” sections, which introduce the structure of IT, with “Reference Library” sections that contain detailed information about job profiles, IT topics, and background articles.

All users have access to numerous public topic introductions and essential IT topics, which offer a solid foundation for learning and exploration.

Our site structure follows a simple and intuitive layout that reflects how people naturally learn about IT, going from an overview to the details.

• The first part provides an overview, helping you understand how IT is organized and how its major concepts fit together.
• The second part contains the detailed information, covering the jobs, topics, and general information that bring IT to life.

Each part contains three major sections in the site menu.

The first three sections, with Introductions, Concepts, and  Subjects, provide you with a Guided Tour of IT. They explain the structure, language, and logic behind the entire IT field and how it is represented across this site.

Intro

The Intro to IT pages explain the seven primary IT responsibilities (Functions) and twenty-six Core Layers that make up the foundation of IT organizations. They help you understand what IT does, how it’s structured, and how its different roles and systems connect.

Concepts

The Concepts page builds on the Intro by presenting a visual dashboard of more than 160 key Core Layer and IT Concept topics. It includes filters and live search to highlight any matching text in topic cards, which enables you to see an interactive Guided Tour of the essential building blocks of IT. Each Concept links to its detailed article in the Reference Library and is available to all users.

Subjects

The Subjects Area dashboard displays all the “Topic Families” used in this IT Handbook to group related items together, using tags. These Subject Areas represent broad areas of practice across IT and help readers see how related concepts connect. Because IT Concepts are fundamental to IT work, they work well for organizing associated items into Subject Areas, such as Agile Project Management, Data Analytics, Programming Languages, etc. We also use Subject Areas for vendor-related items, such as “Amazon Technologies” or “Oracle Technologies”. 

The second part of the IT Handbook contains detailed content, organized into sections for Job Profiles, IT Topics, and Tech Talk. They enable readers to explore key pertinent aspects of specific jobs, terminology, tools, and concepts in an understandable manner.

Profiles

The Job Profiles section describes the people who make IT work. Each profile explains the role’s primary responsibilities, tools, and processes. Many profiles also include In-Depth versions with expanded details and Term Lists. These are quick-reference sheets with approximately 35 of the most relevant IT terms and tools for that job, many of which have links to their corresponding topic page.

Topics

The IT Topics Dictionary contains concise, plain-language explanations of the terms, tools, technologies, and processes that define IT work. It includes topics across all layers and subject areas, from foundational terms to specialized concepts. Each entry is assigned to one of the 26 Core Layers in the IT org structure and connects to multiple Subject Areas for easy cross-navigation.

Talk

The Tech Talk section serves as the blog and background area of the IT Handbook. It provides engaging articles about IT companies, history, and emerging trends, helping readers gain a broader understanding of how IT has evolved and continues to shape the world of technology. All Tech Talk articles are publicly accessible.

This IT Handbook includes extensive Public Content that anyone can access without membership or a login.
This includes all Intro pages, the IT Concepts and Subject Area dashboards, all IT Core Layer and Concepts topics, all topic summaries, and every article in the Tech Talk section.

This intuitively structured IT overview information is a unique resource that enables all readers to build a strong understanding of IT without barriers.

Members gain access to all Job Profiles, In-Depth Profiles, Job Term Lists, IT Topics of any level, and additional productivity features, but the site’s foundation is openly available to all.

Tech Job Terms is structured to make IT knowledge approachable, connected, and practical.

The first part, with Intros, Concepts, and Subjects, guides you through how IT works.

The second part, featuring Profiles, Topics, and Tech Talk, provides a detailed look at what IT does.

Together, they form a complete IT Handbook that helps you see the structure, language, and people behind modern technology.

Our structure, content, and easy access enable readers to sharpen their IT Edge with every visit!