IT Systems is one of the several specializations offered in Masters of Business Administration (MBA). If you are tech savvy and have a desire to manage IT Systems, then this is an exciting career choice.

IT-Systems Management

IT-Systems Management is the administration and management of enterprise-wide information technology systems in a company. IT systems management is managed by the Chief Information Officer (CIO) or Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The department that is responsible for designing the system architecture and managing the systems is sometimes known as Management Information Systems (MIS), Information Systems (IS) or IT infrastructure and operations. The key responsibilities for this team include gathering system requirements, purchasing equipment and  software, along with distributing, configuring and maintaining the software, enhancement and service updates, setting up problem handling processes, provisioning services and monitoring IT systems performance to determine whether enterprise IT objectives are being met.

IT Sector in India

India is the world’s largest sourcing destination for the IT industry accounting for 67% of the US $124 billion market. Global IT firms are setting up their centers in India as IT services are much cheaper and better here than in the USA.

As per the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) report, IT sector had contributed to 7.7 % of India’s GDP in 2016 and is likely to double by 2020, the reason for which there is a huge demand for the fresh graduates with a specialization in IT-Systems Management. This specialization is the need of the hour as Information Technology industry is huge and is growing exponentially and will create millions of jobs every year. Opportunities related to IT make up for almost 13 % of Business Administrative jobs globally. According to NASSCOM, the domestic revenue of IT industry is approximately US $38 billion and the export revenue is around US $117 billion in FY 17.

Components of IT-Systems Management

IT Systems management is a term that refers to the centralized management of a company’s information technology assets, and it includes many different tasks required to monitor and manage IT systems and resolve IT problems. IT systems management mainly includes but is not limited to the following:

• Hardware asset inventory and configuration management: Purchase and maintenance of IT hardware systems, configuring the operating systems and managing the related licenses.
• Device Monitoring: Monitoring and management of network, server, storage, printers and client devices (desktop, laptop and mobile devices), including notification of impending or actual failures, capacity issues and other systems and network events.
• Application software: Purchase, development, usage and management of software including upgrades and license management.
• Security management: Managing enterprise wide IT security against internal and external breeches including cyber-attacks through anti-virus and malware management tools.
• Automated backup and restore: Maintaining backup up of vast amount of systems data in a central repository for storage and restoration in the event of an emergency.
• Service desk problem management: Managing a process to generate and track IT service requests and issues for quick resolution.

MBA in IT-Systems Management

This specialization allows the MBA graduates to become experts in handling administrative challenges and technology issues while solving business problems with Information Technology. The unique aspect about this specialization is that it brings managerial and technical knowledge together.

Career Opportunities

Some exciting career opportunities available for a MBA graduate to start are Business Analyst, IT Management Consultant, Digital Leader, IT Architect, Data Processing Manager, Systems Software Manager, Product Manager to name a few.

The average salary for these roles is anywhere between ₹3 – 12 lacs per annum.

Top Recruiters in IT Systems Management

Top recruiters are HCL Technologies, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Oracle, Google, Microsoft, Adobe, Amazon, Accenture, CGI and many more top tier companies.

Employment Areas for MBA Systems Management

• IT Companies
• ecommerce Firms
• Consulting Firms
• Government Organizations
• Banks & Trading Firms
• Colleges & Universities

Top MBA Institutes in IT Systems Management

• Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) – all campus
• Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon
• Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Pune
• Sikkim Manipal University

Conclusion

Most businesses today are connected by technology. As businesses grow, the IT requirements will grow as well. Since businesses now are heavily dependent on IT to run its business, it becomes extremely important to efficiently manage and safeguard IT and data assets.

Efficient systems management helps keep systems up and running, and maximize IT and employee productivity. Effective systems management help organizations move beyond fire-drill mode to provide the business with proactive guidance and support. It is exciting to be part of an IT team for not just running the business but to for growing it as well.

Good luck all the best for your future endeavors!