computer personnel

People who work with or are associated with computers. In a large computer department the staff may work under the direction of an information technology (IT) manager, who supervises and coordinates the work performed. Computer personnel can be broadly divided into two categories: those who run and maintain existing applications programs (programs that perform a task for the benefit of the user) and those who develop new applications.

Personnel who run existing applications programs include systems programmers who look after the systems software: operating systems, database management systems, physical and logical computer security, and so on; computer operators who work directly with computers, running the programs, changing disks and tapes, loading paper into printers, and ensuring that all data security procedures are followed; computer engineers who repair and maintain computer hardware; file librarians, or media librarians, who store and issue the data files used by the department; and an operations manager who coordinates all the day-to-day activities of these staff.

Personnel who develop new applications include systems analysts who carry out the analysis of an existing system (see systems analysis), whether already computerized or not, and prepare proposals for a new system; and programmers who write the software needed for new systems. The entire development effort is controlled by a systems development manager.

The arrival of the Internet and electronic commerce has brought with it a number of new job functions. While it was still possible in the late 1990s for one person (a Webmaster) to look after a Web site, most sites tended to be too big and complex now to be developed by a single person. It requires teams of Web developers to create and maintain Web sites. This can involve coding of Web pages in HTML, Java, and Javascript, as well as supporting Web server hardware and software, and maintaining a database. A portal development manager is responsible for the creation and updating of Web sites that act as gateways to the global Internet and/or to corporate intranets and extranets.

Other new jobs include a customer relationship manager who builds and manages the relationship between a computer hardware, software, or services supplier and its customers; and e-commerce specialists who look after both the business and technology sides of Web-based trading. Security analysts specialize in keeping computer hardware and software safe from attack through hacking or viruses, while helpdesk administrators provide telephone, e-mail, and sometimes hands-on support to computer users. The popularity of computer games has seen the arrival of teams of around 15 (but sometimes as many as 200) developers, headed by a games producer, who is in charge of the project. The team will include games programmers, testers, games designers, who write the documentation and instructions for playing the game, as well as animators and 3D modellers, who use specialist software packages to create characters and backgrounds.