Technology is the total combination of any systems, human abilities, systems, skills, or processes employed in the achievement of specific goals, including scientific investigation, or in the creation of new products or services. Technological change is a general term that is used to describe a range of new and potentially advanced practices and systems. It also includes the application of technology to new domains (such as information technology, engineering, and medicine), and to systems that already exist. Technologists are involved in many areas of human endeavor.

Some sectors of technology are basic, necessary for all society. A computer, for example, is an essential part of everyday life and its operations. All other technologies are specialized, benefiting specific fields of study. The most widely known sectors of technology include information technology, engineering, computer sciences, and medicine.

Computer systems are the devices and mechanisms involved in executing programs. It also includes memory, storage, input/output devices, microprocessor, hard disk, video display, sound card, personal computer, networking, Personal Information Manager (PIM), personal computer network, printer, and network router. These have become much more sophisticated over time, as computers have increased in speed and complexity. Computers and their related technologies are used in all aspects of everyday life; from making and buying automobiles to using the Internet to communicate with others. In addition, there are a variety of software, apparatus, and devices that make up the computer system.

The Internet, which has become one of the most vital components of modern society, is another aspect of technology. The Internet uses networks to store data and to distribute it in networks of connections, called hyperlinks. Hyperlinks are nothing more than sequences of digital information that allows communication between various electronic devices. The most commonly used Internet technologies include e-mail, file server, content management system, information access, information distribution, network infrastructure, application service, email, operating system, programming language, database management, desktop publishing, voice over protocol (VoIP), and standard protocols on network communications (CPC).

Information technology also includes computer systems. Computer systems are complex combinations of hardware, memory, input/output devices, applications, memory management devices, input and output devices, local area network (LAN) interfaces, network servers, and communication services. A computer system is usually comprised of a central processing unit (CPU), a non-volatile memory such as random access memory (RAM), and an embedded operating system. Unlike a computer at home, in a corporate office environment, the computer system is much larger. Modern technologies even allow for the use of a remote computer server for storing data that must be accessed from another location.

Computers and their associated technologies have changed tremendously since their inception. Much of this change has been due to the explosive growth of the Internet and the ability to communicate information across international borders and among vastly different user groups with very little expense. Advances in chip and microprocessor design have also resulted in increased speed, efficiency, reliability, power consumption, and storage capacities. All of these advances have resulted in computer systems that are much more capable than they were not so long ago. Today’s computers and their associated technologies provide people with many more opportunities than ever before.