The 15 Best Free Online IT Management Courses

IT, short for information technology, deals with several areas. The first is hardware, such as a physical computer sitting on a desk. Software, such as widget tracking programs and spreadsheets, is another part of information technology. Finally, this topic deals with networks, which connect all of these digital tools and users. Someone needs to make sure that all the parts work together, and this is where IT management comes into play. Free online IT Management courses, such as those included within this list, aid learners in developing the skills necessary to carry out an IT Manager’s duties. IT management concerns itself with the monitoring and administration of information technology within a business or organization. The IT Manager’s role is to grease the wheels and make all of these systems work together and run as frictionless as possible. These systems include both tech systems and the people who utilize them.

Free Online IT Management Courses

The simple description noted above contains many moving parts, proving the necessity for information provided within this list of free online IT Management classes. One must deal with mobile applications and technologies and traditional computers, routers that allow access to the system, cloud versus physical data storage, and much more. Classes such as Cybersecurity, Data Mining, and Artificial Intelligence are integral to the knowledge base of a successful IT Manager. However, IT Management isn’t solely about technology. It’s also about the people involved and the choices they make. Classes in ethics and business analytics offer a foundation for making both wise and just decisions. One must also balance all of this with budgeting and support services to make it all work within a functioning organization’s parameters.

There are many reasons that IT Management is key to the success of any organization. Perhaps the most glaring example is productivity. The adage, time is money, takes on new import when one considers sources such as a Ponemon Study on the cost of data breaches. Based on this study, the average cost of a data breach for companies in the United States is almost four million dollars. Emergencies such as this, along with daily inefficiencies, have a severe impact on the bottom line. Free online IT management classes like Cybersecurity form a potentially crucial foundation for anyone interested in this field.

Methodology

The methodology used to determine which free online IT management courses to highlight in this list consists of locating free upper-level classes on leading MOOC websites, including Coursera and edX. Class selection is further honed based upon providing a wide range of topics within IT management and affiliation with the country’s top business schools.

#1 Artificial Intelligence – University of Virginia

Titled Artificial Intelligence in Marketing, This free online IT Management course approaches AI through the lens of marketing and is designed for those with little to no knowledge of the subject matter. The class covers both the good and bad of incorporating AI into a business plan. Students learn about algorithms, networks, and data. Additionally, they can see concrete examples of how successful companies such as Netflix and Ford use AI successfully and in innovative ways. That being stated, what is AI. Most probably get their definition from movies such as Terminator or 2001 A Space Odyssey, where AI is a thinking computer that challenges humanity for supremacy of the world. The Brookings Institute approaches its understanding of AI a bit differently. Darrel West, the author of the article titled What is Artificial Intelligence, sees three qualities as defining AI. The first is intentionality, where systems both analyze data and make informed decisions based on it. The second is intelligence. Intelligent decision making is a combination of machine learning and data analytics. The third part is adaptability, where AI systems learn and adapt as they put all of this information together. Harvard Business Review concludes that AI makes things less expensive and more valuable to society. It can get rid of day-to-day busywork such as data entry, answering basic questions, and pulling data from documentation. All of this frees employees from basic tasks and allows them to be more productive and creative.

This free online IT Management course in artificial intelligence is available due to the University of Virginia and its partnership with Coursera. It is taught by Business Administration professor Raj Venkatesan. U.S. News & World Report recognizes the AACSB accredited Darden School of business school as #11. The University offers more than 50 free online classes through Coursera. Among these classes, students may choose from topics such as Business Strategy, Marketing Analytics, Strategic Planning, and Digital Product Management. The University hosts more than two million online learners, many of whom earn degrees such as the online MBA and expand their executive education through leadership, marketing, and management courses.

Course Name: Artificial Intelligence in Marketing
Business School: Darden School of Business

#2 Business Analytics – Duke University

Ever wondered what business analytics is? Well, wonder no more with a free online IT management course titled Business Metrics for Data-Driven Companies. In this eight-hour course, students learn how to sift out the metrics that matter from the raw data. Once that is done, the class teaches how to best use the crucial data to become both more competitive and more profitable. This free online IT management class then exposes students to the varying roles of data analysts and scientists, and it seeks to show what skills are necessary to get a job in one of these roles. The course is rounded out with a primer on recognizing companies that have excelled in using big data. Business analytics involves gathering a bunch of data, putting it together in a usable model, and using it to aid in decision making. That may sound easy enough, but it takes a skilled professional to examine all that information and make sense of it in a way that proves useful. Business analytics may be defined in three ways. There’s descriptive analytics, which is involved in historical trends; predictive analytics, which is similar to numbers based fortune-telling; and prescriptive analytics, where the decision-making part comes into play. This free online IT management class shows how companies like Amazon, Uber, and Airbnb disrupt entire industries through their use of data. Companies that don’t utilize business analytics are being left in the proverbial dust.

Duke University offers this free online IT management course that is part of a specialization series, including four additional classes. These classes teach related topics such as using platforms like Excel, Tableau, and MySQL to wrangle data. The final free online IT management course in the series focuses on the Real Estate Industry. Duke is a respected institution, and its business school, the Fuqua School of Business, is undoubtedly a top-tier choice. Identified by U.S. News & World Report at #12, this AACSB accredited business school has a lot to offer prospective students. Multiple iterations of its MBA, Management, and Quantitative Management degrees allow students to hone in on concrete skill sets.

Course Name: Business Metrics for Data-Driven Companies
Business School: Fuqua School of Business

#3 Cybersecurity – Rochester Institute of Technology

Network Security is a free online cybersecurity class that prepares students for several stages of battle concerning digital warfare. It teaches how to test systems for weaknesses. Cyberattacks are not always obvious, and students are instructed on how to tell when an attack is underway. Once an attack is identified, students, armed with skills developed in this free online cybersecurity class, can gather evidence of an intrusion. To render all of that as unnecessary as possible, students learn how to set up defenses and stop cyber attackers in their tracks at the fortress walls. While cybersecurity may not be an army or a police force in the traditional sense, it comes with many of the same duties concerning data. Cybersecurity provides a bastion and a wall of defense against attacks, safeguarding computers, networks, programs, and systems. This digital battlefield is continuously evolving. No one is immune to attack. Whether a government, Company, or individual, all are potential targets. According to Whitehouse.gov, a typical business goes through “130 security breaches each year.” Attacks don’t always result in a prominent and easy to quantify loss. Damages can carry an extensive range of consequences, such as loss of IP, reputation, and strategic information. They are potentially very costly but also challenging to quantify.

A free class in IT management such as this provides a solid foothold into the world of digital security. Available through the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Saunders College of Business, this class is hosted on the edX platform. This AACSB accredited business school is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 100 institution, coming in at #89. Its highly rated online MBA program can be completed in as little as a year and is ranked by U.S. News as #28. Saunders business students receive a well-rounded perspective throughout their studies as they share the classroom with a diverse group that includes engineers, computer scientists, and artists. With high tech labs such as those incorporating Bloomberg financial market technology found in its center for business analytics, RIT claims to be one of the country’s most wired campuses.

Course Name: Network Security
Business School: Saunders College of Business

#4 Data Mining – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

There is a free online IT management class that covers a lot of ground, ranging from data mining to predictive analytics. In this course’s most extensive section, students are acquainted with overcoming having too much information by using data mining to make it more manageable. This intermediate-level free online IT management class requires about 24 hours of work over approximately one month. Based on available reviews, the vast majority of students found this course well worth the time and effort. There is overlap between areas such as data mining, machine learning, and data analytics. It may be unclear where one of these areas stops and another picks up. Western Governors University states that data mining is taking large amounts of data and converting it into something useful. This sifting is done through software that locates existing patterns already present within the data. Unlike machine learning, where the process is automated once it gets going, data mining depends on humans to make decisions. Data mining aids in pulling out relevant data by turning a potentially years-long endeavor into a much quicker process. Students of this free online IT management course will experience both the data mining and analytics parts of the process, aiding in understanding each and how to best exploit them for the most benefit. With so much data floating around the ether, it’s just not practical to use any of it without a process such as data mining. Taking into account business objectives, data mining pulls out the relevant data that businesses will need to make better, more informed decisions.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Higher Learning accredited institution, offers this free online IT management course through Coursera. With an online MBA available through its AACSB accredited Gies College of Business, the University is no stranger to distance education. In fact, it offers more than 150 free online courses through Coursera. Students will choose from a large variety of topics such as marketing, leadership, financial reporting, and microeconomics. Additional completely online graduate degrees are available in areas like computer science, accounting, and management.

Course Name: Predictive Analytics and Data Mining
Business School: Gies College of Business

#5 Data Science – Johns Hopkins University

A relatively short, free online IT management course in data science is available titled A Crash Course in Data Science. In seven hours, students will complete this first part of a five-course series in Data Science. This course sticks to the basics, leaving out all of the technical stuff, in an attempt to get students quickly up to speed on what data science is all about. As technology and needs evolve, so too does data science. The University of California Berkeley points out five areas in the data science life cycle. These areas are capture, which includes data acquisition, entry, and extractions. Another step, maintenance, involves things like data warehousing, cleansing, and architecture. Processing is a step that requires data mining, modeling, and summarization. Analyzing is where predictive analysis and qualitative analysis come into play. The final stage is communicating, where business intelligence and decision making occur. Traditionally, data science involved the analysis of data, data mining, and programming. However, it goes beyond that now. A genuinely professional data scientist must possess a thorough understanding of all stages of the data science lifecycle. Data science is an integral part of companies across all industries. Forbes asks the question, “How can I know more about my processes and my ecosystem to make better decisions in a more timely fashion?” This quote illustrates the purpose of data science in the business environment. While the article takes a different approach than Berkely, one person versus a team of people with the skills needed, the result is the same. Efficiency and wise decision making are the result.

Johns Hopkins offers this free online IT management course. Perhaps best known for its medical education expertise, Johns Hopkins has much more to offer. Students will explore MBAs and several master’s degrees in finance, marketing, and information systems through the school’s AACSB accredited Carey Business School. In addition to its free online IT management class located in this list, Johns Hopkins offers more than 100 free online courses through Coursera, covering such topics as public health, contact tracing, and executive data science.

Course Name: A Crash Course in Data Science
Business School: Carey Business School

#6 Database Management – New York University

Advanced Database Administration is the third course in a series for a micro bachelors program. This free online IT management course is an undergraduate-level course, serving as an introduction to database management. The class requires five weeks and averages 7 hours per week of workload. Students learn about organization and implementation models. They will also learn about DDL, Data Definition Language. Those who opt to go the paid certificate route have the opportunity to earn college credit toward a bachelor’s degree. Database management involves more than one might think. The University of Alabama at Birmingham describes database management as controlling access to a database and ensuring that the database is secure. A database manager also defines user roles, writes code when necessary, upgrades equipment, and can clearly and efficiently communicate with colleagues and teams. The Houston Chronicle claims that databases are integral to business. They offer the ability to immediately sort and provide essential information with the click of a mouse. Additional crucial aspects of database management include tracking customers, managing inventory, and employee tracking. A well-organized database allows for the opportunity of taking all of that data and using it to predict future trends.

New York University offers this free online IT management course titled Advanced Database Administration. It is available on the edX platform for no cost. NYU is no stranger to producing successful business education programs. The AACSB fully accredits the University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report recognizes this business school at #10. Although Stern does not offer an online MBA, it does offer an online MS in Quantitative Management that students can complete in less than two years. On-campus, Stern students will choose from a range of MBAs and several master’s degrees that include risk management, global finance, quantitative finance, and business analytics. NYU provides many classes through edX in addition to its free online IT management class highlighted here. Students can take courses such as Network Security Protocols, Classical Machine Learning for Financial Engineers, Advanced Programming in C++, and Deep Learning and Neural Networks for Financial Engineers.

Course Name: Advanced Database Administration
Business School: Leonard N. Stern School of Business

#7 Decision Making – University of Maryland, College Park

Data Analysis for Decision Making is a free online IT Management course. It is an advanced course and requires a substantial commitment. Students will invest about ten hours each week for seven weeks. However, for that investment, students will walk away with some valuable new skills. This free online IT management course teaches how to utilize data like a crystal ball and make predictions on future events through data analysis. Data also allows one to compare alternative approaches to different challenges and assess them. Additionally, through the study of the data, students can distinguish authentic results and coincidence. DDDM is an acronym cited by Northeastern University. It stands for Data-Driven Decision Making. The idea is that data is the primary basis for decisions rather than gut instinct or observation. It’s easy for preconceptions and biases to affect decision-making negatively. Using data helps to overcome those shortcomings and make better decisions. A global survey tells a story about how companies make their decisions. Surprisingly, it shows that 58 percent of those companies surveyed make at least half of their choices based on gut instinct and not on hard data. Amazon and Netflix are two companies that utilize data-driven decisions. Netflix, acting on data, grew from a little DVD sharing company to a wildly successful streaming giant. Amazon, beginning as an online bookstore, now offers just about any product that one can imagine. This free online IT management class teaches how to make the best use of data and emulate those successes.

The University of Maryland, College Park is a vital institution accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. It’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is further distinguished through its AACSB accreditation. U.S. News & World Report also highlights the success of the business school through its #44 ranking. Additionally, U.S. News awards a #10 ranking to Maryland’s online MBA. Free online IT management courses are just the tip of the iceberg regarding what the school has to offer students. With nearly 100 additional free online programs available on edX alone, business students will find the University overflowing with educational opportunities.

Course Name: Data Analysis for Decision Making
Business School: Robert H. Smith School of Business

#8 Emerging Technologies – Rutgers the State University of New Jersey

This free online IT management class is not meant to grant expertise in any particular area. It aims to impart general knowledge about emerging technologies. Titled New Technologies for Business Leaders, this course uses specific emerging technologies such as Blockchain, augmented reality, AI, and cryptocurrencies to illustrate how these new areas can benefit businesses by forming better customer relationships. Over five weeks and about eighteen hours, students examine case studies that utilize successful implementation of new technologies as a backdrop for learning how to be successful in a quickly changing world. Emerging technologies may be thought of very differently depending upon one’s perspective. Independence University offers a definition of emerging technologies that has two parts. The technology is in development or will be developed in five to ten years. The second part is that it has long-term economic or social effects. Some of the examples given include gene therapy, in vitro meat, and artificial intelligence. Bloomberg lists some of these technologies like Blockchain, augmented reality, and driverless cars. Depending on industry or point-of-view, these technologies can be very different. However, they have in common the goal of making the world a better place, benefiting both businesses and citizens.

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, provides this free online IT management class through Coursera. Rutgers has two distinguished business schools within its system. The School of Business at Rutgers Camden is fully accredited by the AACSB and boasts an online MBA rated by U.S. News & World Report at #69. Additionally, Rutgers Business School of Rutgers New Jersey-Newark and New Brunswick is also AACSB accredited. This business school is recognized by U.S. News at #56 and offers many additional graduate degrees from which one can choose. There are various MBAs, including an EMBA based in Singapore. Students can earn master’s degrees in several accounting disciplines and other areas such as supply chain management, quantitative finance, and digital marketing. Additionally, students can earn a Doctor of Business Administration. More than thirty courses are available on the Coursera platform, free online IT management classes, and nearly every aspect of the supply chain that one can fathom.

Course Name: New Technologies for Business Leaders

#9 Ethics – University of California, Davis

Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Ethics is an available free online IT management class. This beginner-level class is part of a series in computational social science and takes about eleven hours to complete. The course posits that 99% of mediated information is in digital format, and 98% of the world’s population uses digital technology. That being said, there is a lot of information floating around the ether. With all of that information available through tools like machine learning, many ethical boundaries must be recognized. Students will utilize IBM Watson to paint a picture of peoples’ personalities from their digital footprints. Additionally, they will make use of teachable Google machines to experience the power of machine learning. Forbes likens all of that data out there to a treasure chest. The article stresses that consumers can see through shallow attempts to use that data superficially. Therefore, businesses must take an ethical approach when making use of it. Doing so has a considerable upside, which is likely to create a customer that becomes hugely loyal. Six methods for incorporating ethics into this relationship need to be followed. The first step is to inform and receive consent. Next, there must be privacy protection. There must be transparency on both sides of the relationship. Rules must be in place and respected. Privacy should be built into the initial design of any platform used. Finally, AI is limited to the data put into it, and ethical guidelines need to be considered and evaluated to make sure that data is not limited by human bias or mistakes.

The University of California, Davis is accredited through the WASC Senior College and University Commission. The University’s Graduate School of Management is further set apart through its AACSB accreditation. The Mike and Renee Child Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is incorporated into the business school and brings investors, students, and researchers together to create many opportunities. It’s responsible for the launch of more than 50 companies and raising more than $200 million. Additional free online IT management courses from UC Davis include computational social science, social networks, and computer simulations.

Course Name: Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Ethics
Business School: Graduate School of Management

#10 Innovation – Boston University

One course that is part of two MicroMasters programs is titled Driving Digital Innovation through Experimentation. It’s a free online IT management class, and it is designed to last six weeks. This advanced class posits that experimentation is crucial for businesses to succeed. Students learn how to achieve the results they want through utilizing the experimentation cycle. They will learn how to create Small-loop and Big-loop experiments and recognize the risks that accompany them. These experiments focus on layers of digital business. Technical infrastructure and the organizational layer allow for experimentation at a scale that gives rise to transformation. Forbes defines innovation in the context of comparing it to change. While these terms are often used synonymously, they are not the same thing. Innovation takes a process that already exists and remakes it. It is a catalyst for change. An example highlighted in the article is social media, which changed the landscape of marketing forever. Innovation is usually something that happens suddenly, like a lightning strike. In contrast, transformation is typically a slow process that occurs incrementally and is often the result of innovation. Innovation is an essential aspect of business. It can turn an entire industry on its head and opens up markets up to competition, ultimately benefiting consumers who get better products and services as a result. With new technologies and trends developing quickly worldwide, companies’ innovation is key to remaining relevant.

Boston University offers this free online IT management class on edX. The University’s AACSB accredited Questrom School of Business is rated by U.S. News & World Report at #48. Additional free online IT management courses that are part of BU’s Digital Leadership MicroMasters program include Digital Transformation Strategy, Platform Strategy for Business, and Leading in a Digital Age. The Digital Product Management MicroMasters Program offers free online IT management classes such as Platform Strategy for Business, Business Analytics for Data-Driven Decision Making, and Product Management with Lean, Agile, and System Design Thinking. Questrom’s recent launch of a digital hub, Insights@Questrom, highlights new ideas on emerging business topics through articles, videos, webinars, and the school’s latest research findings.

Course Name: Driving Digital Innovation through Experimentation
Business School: Questrom School of Business

#11 Management Analytics – University of Pennsylvania

Students have the opportunity to take free online IT management classes that are part of a Business Analytics Specialization. This third class in the series is titled People Analytics. This nine-hour course does not grant expertise to the extent that someone can jump right in and make use of complex data analysis. Traditionally, hiring, performance, promotion, and other career-related milestones were mainly based upon personal relationships. However, that’s not necessarily the case anymore. Data provides a crucial resource to aid in making these decisions. This free online IT management course provides the building blocks necessary to make these data-based decisions by offering the soft-skills needed to move in that direction. Harvard Business Review writes that an early innovator in the use of management analytics was Google. Google’s Project Oxygen was used to locate successful practices and use them for training others who needed help. Over 70% of companies today believe that these people analytics are essential. HBR identifies relational analysis as perhaps the most critical part of this type of analysis. Data is obtained through a company’s “digital exhaust,” which includes things like e-mail, chats, and file transfers. With the right data, management analytics offers a way to make evidence-based decisions about workers to create a better company.

The Wharton School is the best there is, according to U.S. News & World Report. This AACSB accredited #1 ranked business school resides at the University of Pennsylvania. Wharton has been around since 1881, making it the oldest business school in the U.S. The only business school that is larger is Harvard’s. Wharton’s analytics efforts combine seven existing school programs, among which are AI for Business, Customer Analytics, and Wharton Sports Analytics. Many of these classes are available as free online IT management courses and are available on the edX platform. The overall goal is to make a mark on society through the use of analytics. More than 60 additional free online classes are available on Coursera from the University of Pennsylvania and Wharton. The classes range from Business and Financial Modeling to Social Entrepreneurship.

Course Name: People Analytics
Business School: The Wharton School

#12 Network Administration – University of Chicago

This free online IT management course takes eight weeks to complete and requires 32 hours of commitment. This network administration class hones in on software and how it relates to networking. Austin Community College describes network administration as dealing with the installation and support of computer systems and networks. These networks can be either LANs (local) or WANs (wide area). This free online IT management class deals with software-defined networking (SDN). Stanford calls SDN a new paradigm. Essential features of an SDN are the separation of data and control plane. SDN is very popular due to the competition and innovation that it spurs. Additionally, network operators utilizing SDN can lessen large, long-term capital expenses and day to day operating expenses. IBM highlights additional benefits that come along with SDN. The first is security. SDN takes the challenges inherent in virtual machines, firewalls, and personal devices and creates a centralized control point. It also allows the IT department to tweak the network configuration without sacrificing network stability. Lastly, SDN can make systems run more efficiently and quicker.

The University of Chicago offers this free online IT management course through Coursera. Adding further credibility to this Higher Learning Commission accredited school, Chicago’s Booth School of Business is accredited through the AACSB. The Booth School is further distinguished by its #3 ranking from U.S. News & World Report. Defined by The Chicago Approach, students of the Booth school are grounded in business fundamentals such as economics, accounting, psychology, sociology, and statistics. Booth both champions the individual by supporting each student’s path to success while also encouraging collaboration in a way that both challenges and inspires. Students can choose from a variety of MBA programs located in Chicago, London, and Hong Kong. Around fifty live online executive education classes are available through Booth, such as The Power of the Entrepreneurial Mindset in Strategy, Wealth Planning Essentials, and Negotiate with Influence. In addition to the free online IT management class highlighted on this list, students can pursue free online courses through Coursera covering such topics as global warming, neurobiology, law and economics, and urban education.

Course Name: Software Defined Networking
Business School: Booth School of Business

#13 Programming – University of Michigan

Part one of a five-part series in Python for Everybody, this free online IT management class is a great place to begin for those with aspirations of learning to program. Titled Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python), this beginner class uses nothing beyond simple math and requires no background knowledge at all. Over seven weeks and about 19 hours, students will write their first program and learn to utilize variables, functions, and loops. Computer programming has progressed exponentially from the days when one used ten shoeboxes full of punch cards to write a tic-tac-toe program. However, the goals are still the same. Programming tells a computer or software what to do. Today, some of the more popular, modern programming languages are JavaScript, Python, SQL, and C++. Additionally, some of the most common tasks of a programmer include software performance testing, collaborating with others to fix IT issues, tweaking programs to make them better, and improving software problems. Rasmussen College quotes author Eva Doyle talking about IT management skills. While she doesn’t specifically mention programming, she says, “They should understand enough about the technology they’re overseeing so that they recognize nonsense when it comes their way…” So, does an IT manager need to be the best programmer in the room? While it can’t hurt to be a coding rockstar, it appears that one is well served with a solid foundation.

The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor provides this free online IT management course and more than 100 additional online gratis courses. Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business is fully accredited through the AACSB. Recognized by U.S. News as the #12 business school in the country, the Ross School of Business is a top tier institution. The Ross School stands out even more through programs such as REAL. For example, Ross MBA students participating in this program become intimately hands-on involved with a real business. They participate in the start-up phase of a business, they consult with real-world organizations, they manage an investment fund, and they aid in running a business unit with a corporate partner.

Course Name: Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python)
Business School: Stephen M. Ross School of Business

#14 Supply Chain Technology – Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Supply Chain Technology and Systems is a free online IT management class. This class recognizes that technology in today’s world advances and changes rapidly. These developments happen so fast, and so often, many are outdated in a few years or even months. With that understanding in mind, this free online IT management class focuses on three key concepts. The first is fundamentals. These fundamentals include things such as project management software, data modeling, SQL, and web services. The next area of focus is a general view of the different types of supply chain software. These types include ERP, WMS, and TMS systems. Lastly, students learn about data analysis as part of supply chains. Forbes published an article about 2020 supply chain technology trends. The article speaks to the hype surrounding some trends and how they are too new to evaluate. They refer to technologies such as Blockchain, 5G, and autonomous trucking as hyped technologies. While the article doesn’t dismiss them, it points out that their ROI is an unknown variable at this time. Other technologies are referred to as promising but still too new to evaluate thoroughly. These include technologies such as machine learning and automated storage and retrieval. Lastly, Forbes refers to High ROI technologies that are not in wide use. Included among this group are real-time location services and IoT for transportation.

MIT offers this free online IT management course on the edX platform. MIT’s Sloan School of Management mirrors the University’s respected reputation with its recognition by U.S. News & World Report as the #5 business school in the United States. This AACSB accredited business school offers graduate degrees in finance, system design, global operations, and on-campus MBAs. Additionally, MIT offers an almost overwhelming number of courses covering a wide variety of subjects through edX. These courses are all free with the option to purchase a certificate. In addition to the free online IT management class on this list, students have the opportunity to take such courses as Technology Evaluation for Global Development, Design and Development of Education Technology, Implementation and Development of Education Technology, and Supply Chain Analytics.

Course Name: Supply Chain Technology and Systems
Business School: Sloan School of Management

#15 The Cloud – Georgia Institute of Technology

This six-hour free online IT management class requires only six hours to complete. It is the second class in a specialization titled System Issues in Cloud Computing. Cloud System Software is an introductory course that aims to familiarize students with programming frameworks and how to put them into play within the cloud. Students learn about distributed programming frameworks, storage systems, resource management, and virtualization technologies throughout the five weeks of this course. Microsoft describes the cloud pretty much like the internet. It’s a bunch of servers around the world that are networked together. The cloud is used to store data, run apps, deliver content such as streaming videos, and a variety of other services. The critical component of the cloud is that it is not storing information on one’s device. Information is being stored somewhere out in the vast ether of the internet. There are four types of cloud resources identified by Microsoft. The first is the public cloud that most people use in their daily lives. The next is the private cloud that limits services to a private network hosted within the organization. A third option is a hybrid cloud that combines elements from both the public and private clouds. Lastly, there is the community cloud that shares between organizations like DHS and Homeland Security. Forbes notes that there are often security concerns with the cloud, but these issues are usually client-side and not the hosts’ fault. Organizations such as the Cloud Security Alliance offer certifications involving the use of the cloud. The article points out many benefits to utilizing the cloud and stresses that those organizations who do not make use of it risk losing market share to those who do.

Georgia Tech offers this free online IT management class. The school’s College of Computing programs and Scheller College of Business are both strongly rated by U.S. News & World Report. Georgia Tech’s Computer Science program is rated #8, and the business college is ranked #27 as well as being accredited by the AACSB. Georgia Tech offers additional free online IT management classes covering networking, cloud applications, and network virtualization.

Course Name: Cloud Systems Software
Business School: Scheller College of Business

How is the field of IT changing?

Technology evolves rapidly, as highlighted in many of these free online IT management classes. However, today this is happening even more so due to the coronavirus lockdowns. Many businesses have been forced to go to a remote workforce where it is possible to do so. IT plays an integral role in making this transition not only possible but seamless. Forbes highlights many challenges that are part of this massive IT shift. As a result of professionals working more from home, the workday is changing. Whereas employees typically filed into the office at eight in the morning and left around five, the convenience of working from home uproots this routine. The workday can now be twenty-four-seven. Therefore, IT must be available twenty-four-seven to deal with any challenges that arise from potential issues such as computer technical problems or connectivity to a work network. They need to be able to do this all reliably and remotely. 

One component of this new age that is likely to see change is the network. VPNs are all well and good when everyone is on-site at an office, but they aren’t going to cut it when employees are remote. Cloud computing, as highlighted as the number fifteen free online IT management class in this list, will serve to give continued remote access that can scale to demand. The tricky part is locating a system that fits within the budget. Another challenging issue is the need for special troubleshooters such as a tier-three technician or more help desk personnel. Small businesses may not possess the budgets to afford the costs of more staff or hot-shot technicians. IT must figure out a way to make it all work within a budget. Solutions such as a sort of timeshare might fit the bill. There may not be a budget to have a permanent employee on staff, but there might be a way to have one available when needed. 

How do you become an IT manager? 

An article from Rasmussen College states that one will need on-the-job experience to be an IT manager. Rasmussen says that nearly 70 percent of employers are looking for candidates with at least six years of IT experience under their belts. Additionally, interested candidates will likely need to have some formal education. A survey cited in the article states that 94 percent of employers want a candidate with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Another option might be to free online IT management courses such as those highlighted with this list. On top of that, most of these classes provide certificates for a reasonable cost. In order to gain even more of a leg-up, someone desiring to become an IT manager may earn a master’s degree in information technology. This degree combines increased technical acumen, such as is offered by this list of free online IT management classes, with more traditional business skills and interpersonal communication skills that are a must for a successful IT manager. Alternatively, advanced degrees such as an Information Technology MBA offer similar skill sets with the prestige of having an MBA thrown into the mix. 

Are there any online degrees for prospective IT managers?

MBA Central provides a list of the ten best online Information Technology MBA degrees. These programs are rated based upon factors such as affordability, support service quality, and prestige. Undergraduate programs are also available. For example, WGU offers an online B.S. in Business Administration Information Technology Management degree program that requires no in-person learning. 

How can online classes and degrees be useful for IT managers?

A common theme among the free online IT management classes within this list is that technology is by no means a stagnant area. It changes, and it changes quickly. The brand new, shiny way of doing things can be old and outdated in a couple of years, sometimes in a matter of months. Free online IT management classes are not only useful for one attempting to ride the waves of change, but they are integral to maintaining the knowledge required to do one’s job as an IT manager. It’s likely not feasible to continually go to school while working full-time in a demanding position, but taking an online class here and there is undoubtedly much more in sync with a busy schedule.