IBM helped pioneer information technology and for years was the acknowledged leader of the computer industry. It slipped badly in the early 1990s and there were those that actually forecast its complete demise or at least a necessary break-up of the company into as many as thirteen separate organizations. Lou Gerstner was hired as the first ever outsider to head the company and is credited with repositioning IBM to a very strong position within the industry.
Numerous articles and several books have been written about Gerstner, his approach and the results of his many efforts. Gerstner retired in March 2002 and was replaced by Sam Palmisano. The general feeling is that the challenges faced by a company are on-going which is characteristic of the dynamics of the computer (IT) industry.
IBM should still be viewed as an information technology (IT) company. Its portfolio of capabilities ranges from services that include business transformation consulting to software, hardware, fundamental research, financing and the component technologies used to build larger systems. These capabilities are combined to provide business insight and solutions in the enterprise computing space. IBM's clients include many different kinds of enterprises, from sole proprietorships to large organizations, governments and companies, representing every major industry and endeavor. It addresses all of this with 320,000 employees on a world-wide basis.
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