Ibm

Introduction

IBM has been known through most of its recent history as the world's largest computer company; with over 355,000 employees worldwide, IBM is the largest information technology employer in the world. Despite falling behind Hewlett-Packard in total revenue since 2006, it remains the most profitable. Since 1990, IBM's annual sales growth has trailed behind the US economic growth due to global deregulation and competition.

IBM holds more patents than any other U.S. based technology company. It has engineers and consultants in over 170 countries and IBM Research has eight laboratories worldwide. IBM employees have earned three Nobel Prizes, four Turing Awards, five National Medals of Technology, and five National Medals of Science. As a chip maker, IBM is among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders.

Then & Now

Then Now

1888

first dial recorder company

1899

Standard Time Stamp Company

1911

Computing- Tabulating- Recording Company (C-T-R)

1998

Olympic Games Web site

1988

Application System/400 (AS/400)

1928

first public address and program signaling systems

Summary

Major Players

Brian Sellwood, the general manager of IBM Global Services: responsible for delivery, operations and applications management services business across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. joined IBM and he is widely credited with turning the company around. His strategy to reverse the decision of his predecessor and re-integrate IBM's major divisions to focus on services first and products second, is often heralded as the decision that led the company from the brink of disaster and remains the fundamental underpinning of IBM's strategy today. A byproduct of that decision was a shift in focus significantly away from components and hardware and towards software and services.

Sam J. Palmisano, joining IBM in 1973, he was elected senior vice president and group executive of the Personal Systems Group in 1997, senior vice president