The Practical Information Technology Taxonomy

This is a taxonomy of Information Technology organized not to be exhaustive but to be practical. There are theoretical models out there, but this is meant to help you think about the stuff one actually works with when in IT.

Servers

• On-Site
  • Dell
  • HP
• Hosted
  • DigitalOcean
• Cloud
  • Azure
  • AWS

Server OS

• Windows
• Linux

Data Storage

• Hardware
  • Internal
  • Network Attached Storage (NAS)
  • Direct Attached Storage (DAS)
  • Storage Area Network (SAN)
    • iSCSI
    • Fiber
• Software
  • File System
    • NTFS
    • ReFS

Backups and Disaster Recovery

• Local
• Hosted
• Cloud

Security

• Security Gateways and Firewalls
• Intrusion Prevention System
• Intrusion Detection System
• Endpoint Protection
• Server Protection
• Cloud Security

Server Rooms

• Cooling
• Environment Sensors
• Racks
• Cabling
• KVM
• Security
• Uninterrupted Power Supplies (UPS)

Networks

• Switches
• Routers
• Wireless Access Points
• Mesh Networks
• Internet Service Providers
  • DSL
  • Cable
  • Fiber
  • Cellular

Communications

• Email
• Chat
  • Slack
  • Google Hangouts
• Video
  • Google Hangouts
• Conferencing
• Voice
  • PBX
    • On-Site
    • Cloud
  • Phones
  • Auto Attendants
  • Voicemail

Client Systems

• Workstations
  • Desktops / Towers
  • Laptops
  • Tablets
  • Thin Clients
• Software
  • Office Productivity
  • Image Editing
  • Video Editing
  • Audio Editing
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
  • Document Management
  • Financial/Accounting
  • Project Management
  • Business Intelligence

Components

• Hard Drives
• CPUs
• RAM (Memory)
• Motherboards
• Power Supplies
• Network Interface Cards (NICs)
• USB Ports
• Thunderbolt Ports
• Batteries
• Removable Media
• Video/Graphics Cards
  • Video Output Ports
    • HDMI
    • VGA
    • DVI
• Peripherals
  • Keyboards
  • Mice
  • Speakers
  • Docking Stations
• Monitors
  • Built-In
  • External

Printing, Copying, Faxing, Scanning

• Networked
  • Wired
  • Wireless
• Multi-Function
• Special Purpose
  • Check Scanners
• Toner
  • Ink
  • Laser
  • Other
• Print Servers

Systems Management

• Software
  • Asset Management
  • Remote Access
  • Configuration Change Database
  • Network Monitoring
  • Deployment
  • Help Desk

Virtualization

Introduction

This is a compilation of blog posts, articles, etc. that I believe provide invaluable knowledge to the IT pro and are well worth spending time reading. Don’t worry about reading them all at once. Over time as they become outdated I plan on replacing them with more current articles. If you have an article you believe is particularly helpful, shoot me an email and let me know.

General

• Dan Sullivan. Major IT Technologies You Should Know. tom’s IT PRO, 2013. – Trying to get your mind around the ever growing field of IT? Sullivan’s slideshow is a good overview of some major issues, though it is already becoming dated.

Security

• SSL: Matthew Prince. “Announcing Keyless SSL(tm): All the Benefits of CloudFlare Without Having to Turn Over Your Private SSL Keys.” CloudFlare Blog, Sept. 18th, 2014. – I don’t post this here b/c of Cloudflare’s keyless SSL – though it is pretty cool – but b/c it does a good job picturing some of the challenges of maintaining security and also illustrative materials on SSL.
• DNS and DNSSEC: Nick Sullivan. “DNSSEC: An Introduction.” CloudFlare Blog, October 7th, 2014. – A decent introduction to DNS/DNSSEC, though it lacks info. on the cryptographic portion to really make DNSSEC understandable to those w/out a prior understanding of cryptography.

Programming

• API: Brian Cooksey. “An Introduction to APIs.” Zapier Learning Center. – Great series of articles on how an API works beginning with the very basics and moving up to creating a hypothetical API.

Beginner Level

• Curt Franklin. How Routers Work. HowStuffWorks, 2000. – Quite date, but good overview. Age shows on first page in its portrayal of all communications being broadcast to all devices on a network segment.
• David Jacobs. Ethernet Networking: Where It Is Today and What’s Next. TechTarget SearchNetworking. – Good article on where ethernet came from and where it is going.
• Jeff Tyson. How LAN Switches Work. HowStuffWorks, 2001. – Unfortunately, this is quite dated, but still a good overview. The age of the material shows most clearly when addressing network topologies, hubs, and network speeds.
• Dr. Roy Winkelman. An Educator’s Guide to School Networks. Florida Center for Instructional Technology, 1997-2013.
• Matt Butcher. The Children’s Illustrated Guide to Kubernetes. DEIS, 2016.