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What is Mission Information Technology (IT)?????
It is the use of Information Technology in Christian Missions. Because Missions are located all over the globe there are some peculiar problems associated with computers and information systems and technology.
- Computers are subject to extremes of heat, cold, humidity and dust.
- Internet access may not be available or reliable.
- In some countries security is literally a matter of life or death.
- Computers may be cheap in some countries, but Windows operating system prices remain high and so legal copies may be out of the price range of some local people.
- Shortage of staff means that people with little or no skill are left to support systems themselves.
- Due to shortage of money cheaper software products are preferable to standard, but expensive ones.
People in Mission Information Technology
Find out more about the people involved in Mission Information Technology - MissionITPeople.
On the other end of the spectrum are the end users and their needs MissionITUsers
Find out which missions need IT people on our Positions Vacant page.
Mission Information Technology Help
I'm looking for Mission IT Help for our mission
I want to Help out on a Short Term Trip.
I would like information on Sample missions IT Infrastructures
More about Mission Information Technology
Missions use a whole raft of different Technologies. There are also a wide variety of Mission IT Roles.
Mission Information Technology covers a whole raft of uses:
Back Office
This covers the day-to-day admin stuff like:
- Donor Management
- Financials and Accounting
- Enterprise Resource Planning
- Contact Management
- Training Management
- Word Processing
- Desktop Publishing
- Newsletter Publishing
- Servers
- Virtual Servers
- Office Servers
- Firewalls
- Web Sites
- FileSharingandDistribution
- Presentation Software
- Remote Assistance
- Databases
- Network and Workstation Management
- Network Cabling
- Calendaring
- International ISPs
- and so on.
Tools
There are a whole raft of IT tools that missionaries use:
- Translation Software
- Dictionary Software
- Communications this includes VOIP etc. Perhaps the next couple should be linked from this page
- Satellite Communications
- HF Wireless Communications
- Mapping
- Research
- Security Privacy Tools
- Online Education
- Laptops
- Audio Editing & Recording
- Video Editing & Recording
- Low Cost Computers
Policies and strategy
It is very useful for missions to have policies for the use of IT and strategies for future use. These may cover areas such as
- Backups - covered in Office Servers
- Disaster recovery
- Hardware acquisition and Equipment lifetime - how often do you replace?
- Software acquisition and development - "buy or build?" for example
- Operating system policy - Windows or Linux?
- Equipment usage policy - e.g. use of phones or email for private use.
- Privacy policy
- Anti-virus - covered in MinimalDesktopSecurity
- Mission application of Gartners Key Predictions in IT for 2008
Front Line
Information Technology is being used in the front line of missions. Some areas are:
Get Involved
Join a Short Term Trip or check out the Positions Vacant
History
Mission IT History is the history of the use of computers in Christian Missions.