Discover the scope of IT management and how it works within an organization.
IT (information technology) management is a broad term for how teams or individuals within an organization make information systems function effectively. Think of IT management as the way technology and business operations align to meet business objectives.
IT management includes the following disciplines:
Business and IT alignment: Integrating business objectives with IT systems to improve an organization’s outcomes
Business intelligence: Technologies that turn raw data about an organization into meaningful information in the form of charts, dashboards, reports, and tables
Web and application development: Building web-based software to enhance customer experience
Virtualization: Helping organizations achieve faster backup and recovery of data
Cloud computing: Helping organizations mobilize a remote workforce, store and sync data, automate processes, and manage customer relationships
IT finance management: Calculating the cost of delivering IT services and monitoring how an organization uses them
Project management: Planning, scheduling, and executing IT projects within an organization
Sourcing: The process of sourcing IT systems that an organization does not develop internally
IT systems management: The process of making sure IT systems consistently perform as expected
IT infrastructure and technology management: All the tools used to operate IT within a company, including software and hardware
"I’ve been applying the new skills and knowledge I’ve gained from all my courses to my work and it’s helped me be a better IT professional."
— Munifa M., on completing the Google IT Support Professional Certificate
With businesses’ increasing reliance on technology, IT management is vitally important to the health of an organization and the ability to execute business strategies.
According to Statista, spending on data migration, enterprise software, and other IT systems topped $5.1 billion in 2024 and is projected to keep growing [1]. In terms of priorities, investing in AI, clouds, security, and data continues to be among the top tech trends that Pluralsight outlined for 2025 [2].
With a solid IT management team or process, businesses can reduce costs, improve data management, and make it easier for employees to collaborate, transfer data, and store and protect information.
Did you know? IBM studied 500 data breaches and found that the average cost of a data breach reached a record high in 2024, $4.88 million. According to the 2024 Report, the average cost savings for companies that used AI and automation for IT security was $2.22 million [3].
Given the range of services IT management covers, an IT management team can include technologists in various roles with various skills. While organizations’ IT needs may differ from one to the next, here are some IT management roles and skills you may see across industries:
IT management roles | IT management skills | Average US Salary |
---|---|---|
IT manager | Knowledge of computer systems, security, network, systems administration, databases, data storage, etc. | $110,423 [4] |
IT project manager | Project management, mentoring and training others, technical expertise | $90,330 [5] |
IT security analyst | Patch management, penetration testing and techniques, mitigating network vulnerabilities | $108,854 [6] |
IT director | Compliance, computer science, auto delivery, vendor management, project management | $164,826 [7] |
Chief technology officer | Switching between executive and technical tasks, fluency in programming languages and systems | $193,909 [8] |
Chief information officer | Fluency in programming languages and systems, cloud and system architecture, machine learning, consulting, software analysis | $206,538 [9] |
Taking online courses can be a great way to learn more about IT management and discover career opportunities. To learn general IT skills, explore the Google IT Support Professional Certificate or IBM Technical Support Professional Certificate. To learn industry-specific skills, explore Johns Hopkins University’s Healthcare IT Support Specialization or IBM’s IT Fundamentals for Cybersecurity Specialization.
Statista. “Information technology spending forecast worldwide from 2012 to 2023, by segment, https://www.statista.com/statistics/268938/global-it-spending-by-segment/.” Accessed January 29, 2025.
Pluralsight. “Pluralsight 2025 Tech Forecast Reveals Path Forward for IT Professionals Amid Concerns About AI, https://www.pluralsight.com/newsroom/press-releases/pluralsight-2025-tech-forecast-reveals-path-forward-for-it-profe.” Accessed January 29, 2025.
3. IBM. “Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024, https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach.” Accessed January 29, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does an IT Manager make? https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/it-manager-salary-SRCH_KO0,10.htm.” Accessed January 29, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does an IT Project Manager make? https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/united-states-project-manager-salary-SRCH_IL.0,13_IN1_KO14,29.htm.” Accessed January 29, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does an IT Security Analyst make? https://discountnewyear.top/articles/it-management.” Accessed January 29, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does an IT Director make? https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/us-information-technology-director-it-director-salary-SRCH_IL.0,2_IN1_KO3,46.htm.” Accessed January 29, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does a Chief Technology Officer make? https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/united-states-chief-technology-officer-salary-SRCH_IL.0,13_IN1_KO14,38.htm.” Accessed January 29, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does a Chief Information Officer make? https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/united-states-chief-information-officer-salary-SRCH_IL.0,13_IN1_KO14,39.htm.” Accessed January 9, 2025.
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