IS and IT

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A key point in differentiating between these two terms is that an IS may or may not contain IT.

Also, IT by itself cannot constitute an IS.

Ward & Peppard (2002) state, "it should be remembered that IS existed in organisations long before the advent of IT and, even today, there are still many IS present in organisations with technology nowhere in sight".

When we refer to IS therefore, must realize that IT can only be a component of it rather than equal to it.

According to Ward & Peppard (2002) "IT refers specifically to technology, essentially hardware, software and telecommunications networks", which is used to support aspects of IS through acquiring, processing, storing, delivering and sharing information.

The characterisation of an IS goes beyond mere technology. A key feature of an IS is that it involves people, often employing some form of IT, to gather, store, process, disseminate and utilise information.

Managers taking decisions about IS therefore need to consider not only the technology required but perhaps more important, the people who will use the technology, the context in which they operate and to what purpose they employ the technology.

Some authors use the terms IT and IS interchangeably not because they believe the terms refer to the same thing but probably because distinguishing them is not necessary for their specific purpose.

When you find the terms used interchangeably, it is important for you to discern the context in which this is done.

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Reference(s)
	Book		Ward, J. & Peppard, J. (2002) Strategic Planning for Information Systems. 3rd Edition. John Wiley & Sons: United Kingdom (UK), England, West Sussex, Chichester. [ISBN: 9780470841471]. [Available on: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NgTQZB].

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Reference (or cite) Article
	Kahlon, R. S. (2013) IS & IT [Online]. dkode: United Kingdom, England, London. [Published on: 2013-01-21]. [Article ID: RSK666-0000068]. [Available on: dkode | Ravi - https://ravi.dkode.co/2013/01/is-it.html].

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