IBM Overview

IBM

Introduction

Having global operations in more than a hundred and seventy one nations, the tech giant IBM is a multibillion dollar firm which has its head office in the town Armonk, NYC. An entrepreneur and technologically advanced individual, Charles Ranlett Flint, established the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company in 1911. Subsequently, the brand moniker underwent a modification to “International Business Machines.” It became officially registered in New York.  It is a firm which delves into the manufacturing, marketing and selling of computer devices and software-related infrastructures. In addition to that, it delves into consultation, along with hosting services. It is a significant exploration group that has, for 29 years running (as of 2021), created the most annual U.S. patents of any firm. With over 282,100 workers as of 2022, IBM is one of the 30 corporations that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It sits among the top employers globally.

Roots of The Company

The very prestigious IBM has its roots from a company established in 1911 in New York. The name of the company is mentioned above. With corporate activities in more than 170 nations, IBM is a multi-billion dollar information technology firm that has become very widespread.

Technologies that would eventually make up the foundation of IBM first appeared in the 1880s (IBM). The dial recorder was created by Alexander Dey in 1888, the computing scale by Julius E. Pitrap was developed in 1885, the electric tabulating machine by Herman Hollerith (1860–1929), and the time clock by Willard Bundy in 1889. Charles Ranlett Flint merged their four businesses on June 16, 1911 creating the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR). With locations in Endicott and Binghamton, New York, Dayton, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan, Washington, and Toronto, the five amalgamated businesses employed 1,300 people.

The history of this reputable firm cannot be valid without making mention of Thomas Watson.

 Thomas J. Watson, Sr was relieved of his duties by his boss John Henry Patterson in National Cash Register Company. The sacked employee talked to Flint and was given a job offer at CTR in 1914. Thomas began working for CTR in the seat of the general managerial position before being promoted to chairman once the criminal proceedings involving his employment at NCR became settled. After learning about Patterson’s innovative operational techniques, Watson went on to give CTR’s businesses the NCR seal of approval. He instituted sales contracts, huge sales impulse, a concentration on client satisfaction, and a stern enthusiasm for fostering business pride and allegiance in every employee. His most-loved catchphrase, “THINK,” became the firm’s staff’s ethos. Revenues for Watson peaked $9 million after his initial four years as president, and the company’s business activities were extended to Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia. The cumbersome term “Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company” was never Watson’s favorite, so on February 14, 1924, he opted to modify it with the more comprehensive moniker “International Business Machines,” The majority of the subdivisions had joined forces to form IBM by 1933.

Notable dates in IBM’s history

The company has had a lot of astonishing achievements since its commencement. Some of the very notable and memorable events are;

In 1952, it made available the IBM 701, a vacuum tube-based stored-program computer. The hard disk drive was first used in 1956 with the IBM 305 RAMAC, making 1956 the year hard disk drive was birth into technology.

When Arthur L. Samuel of IBM’s Poughkeepsie laboratory in NYC programmed an IBM 704 to do more than just play checkers but also acquire knowledge from its own experience in 1956, the corporation showed the first real-world use of artificial intelligence. The well-known FORTRAN language (Formula Translator), was created in 1957 and in 1961, the company launched the wildly popular Selectric typewriter and created the SABRE reservations system for American Airlines.

NASA was able to follow the Mercury astronauts’ orbital flights in 1963 thanks to IBM workers and computers. IBM continued to assist space research in the second half of the 1960s, taking part in the lunar mission in 1969, the Saturn flights in 1966, and the Gemini missions in 1965. The equipment unit for the Saturn V and the guiding computers for the Apollo spacecraft were both designed and produced by IBM.

The IBM System/360 was the first computer system family to be released by IBM on April 7, 1964. It covered the entire spectrum of scientific and commercial applications, both big and small, enabling businesses to upgrade to models with more computing power for the first time without having to rebuild their applications. In 1970, the IBM System/370 came after it. All through this time and into the early 1980s, the 360 and 370 together established as the most widely used mainframe devices. As a result of this, the company was crowned the leading computer platform.

The United States of America claimed in 1969 that IBM had breached the Sherman Antitrust Act by trying to dominate or attempting to monopolize the market for general-purpose electronic digital computer systems, specifically computers generally intended for corporate activities. It also claimed that IBM had broken the law in its actions against leasing companies and plug-compatible peripheral producers. Soon after, in what many analysts considered to be directly in response to the case, IBM unbundled its software and services, fostering competition in the software sector. The complaint was dismissed as “without merit” by the Department of Justice in 1982.

The magnetic stripe card, which would later be widely used for credit/debit/ATM cards, driver’s licenses, rapid transit cards, and a plethora of other identity and access control applications, was created by IBM engineer Forrest Parry in 1969. These cards were first produced by IBM, and for the majority of the 1970s, IBM computers were the only ones running the data processing systems and software for these applications.

The company recorded its highest loss in 1993, IBM’s $8 billion loss was the largest in business history in the United States. To revive the business, RJR Nabisco, who was the CEO was replaced by Lou Gerstner, who emerged as the company’s new CEO.

The corporation sold its personal computer division to Lenovo, a Chinese technology company, in 2005, and then bought tech firm SPSS Inc. in 2009.

All these notable moments are very few compared to the large amount of acquisitions the company has invested in in recent times.

Headquarters

The headquarters of IBM is located in Armonk, New York, a town 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Midtown Manhattan. [90] The business is known as the “Colossus of Armonk.” The business’s main structure, known as CHQ, is a 283,000-square-foot (26,300 m2) glass and stone structure situated on a 25-acre (10 ha) plot amidst a 432-acre old apple orchard that was bought by the corporation in the middle of the 1950s. The North Castle office, which once housed IBM’s corporate headquarters, and the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., Center for Learning (previously known as IBM Learning Center (ILC)), a resort hotel and training facility with 182 guest rooms, 31 meeting rooms, and various amenities, are the two other IBM buildings located somewhat close to the CHQ.

Products and Services

The array of goods and services offered by IBM is extensive and varied. In terms of services as of 2016, these can be divided into the following groups: cloud computing, AI, manufacturing and sales of hardwares and softwares, data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), IT infrastructure, mobile, digital workplace, and data security.

Conclusion

IBM is a billion dollar company that generated $57.3 billion in revenue as of 2021. It has acquired many companies and spun-off a numerous amount of subsidiaries scattered across the globe. All these subsidiaries is headed by the general CEO and chairman of the company, Arvin Krishna.