Organizing with Tags
On this page: Function Layers, Seven IT Functions, Making Sense of IT
In today’s world, almost every aspect of a business relies on technology, making IT organizations a crucial part of any company. But what exactly do these IT teams do, and how do they manage the complexities and details of all the systems they create and manage?
This is where this Tech Job Terms website comes in.
IT Function Layers
As the Main Menu shows, we break down IT information into sections for Job Profiles, an IT Dictionary, and Tech Insights. This first-level structure for organizing IT topics is intuitive and practical.
Within the Job Profiles and the IT Dictionary sections, we then organize topics into categories that align with IT organizations, as follows:
-
IT Functions – We use seven core IT organization functions as a consistent and intuitive category structure for our IT topics.
-
IT Layers – High-level sub-functions within each core IT Function, which serve as a further breakdown for intuitive topic navigation.
Combined, we call them “Function Layers” as both functions and their layers serve to organize topics.
This approach is essential for understanding how IT organizations work and where particular topics fit.
Seven Core IT Functions
So, we are now ready to introduce the core IT Functions, and they include:
-
IT Management – Managing all aspects of the IT organization and technology
-
Solution Delivery – Delivering effective IT solutions to the business
-
Security Solutions – Ensuring the integrity and safety of IT systems
-
Business Solutions – Supporting the business with IT solutions
-
Infrastructure – Providing system platforms for business solutions
-
Physical Facilities – Managing facilities where IT components reside
-
Support Services – Supporting users and IT for best system availability
These seven categories are the “major functions” of an IT organization, and we use them to organize IT topics in the Job Profiles and IT Dictionary sections.
Now, even if an IT organization uses different names for these functions or divides them up differently, the functions should be there!
Making Sense of IT
Let’s review these IT Functions in a “story sequence” to help you understand why we identify them as the core building blocks of IT organizations.
First, a company needs an IT management team that organizes the IT functionality. This group then analyzes, designs, and creates IT solutions for the business.
Before turning them on and starting to use the IT system as a “live” production platform, IT management needs to ensure that the security works well and that only the correct people can access and work in it.
With that in place, the company now has a live Business Solution that supports the users, provides the correct functionality, and stores all the business data.
This Business solution was deployed by IT management on specific computer platforms, with servers, operating systems, and storage to make it all work. This is called “Infrastructure”.
That Infrastructure has to be located somewhere, and that is where “Facilities” play a role. Historically, companies have data centers where they house their equipment or use a service to do it for them.
Last but not least, IT management must ensure that everything works well and has proper technical support. So, there are teams to assist users, fix system issues, and monitor security to keep everything working as expected!
So, there you have it:
A complete “Intro to IT” with a breakdown into seven core Functions.
Please use the Menu links to navigate to their designated pages for more details about these core IT Functions and their Layers!