What term describes the activities focused on maintaining the integrity of IT products and systems throughout their lifecycle?

The correct term that describes the activities focused on maintaining the integrity of IT products and systems throughout their lifecycle is configuration management (CM). Configuration management encompasses a set of practices aimed at establishing and maintaining the consistency of a product’s performance and functional attributes with its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its lifecycle.

In software development and IT operations, configuration management is crucial because it ensures that all aspects of a system, including hardware, software, and documentation, are properly aligned and managed. This includes version control, maintaining documentation, tracking changes, and ensuring that any modifications do not compromise the integrity of the system. By having robust configuration management practices in place, organizations can effectively manage system integrity, which is essential for security and operational effectiveness.

The other options pertain to different aspects of data processing and management. Data protection involves safeguarding information from unauthorized access and corruption but does not directly address the overarching lifecycle management of IT products. Data modeling is related to the structure and organization of data but does not specifically focus on maintaining the integrity of IT systems. Data mining refers to the process of discovering patterns and knowledge from large amounts of data, which is not about managing or monitoring system integrity.