# INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP

Summary updated: 2026-03-19T00:51:16.804496Z
Canonical: https://finbar.com/research/companies/international-business-machines

## Overview

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), incorporated in 1911, is a global technology company focused on helping enterprises use hybrid cloud and artificial intelligence to modernize operations and drive digital transformation. IBM describes itself as a software-led, fully integrated platform company whose capabilities combine software, consulting services, mission-critical infrastructure and research. Its core activities include software platforms for hybrid cloud and AI, consulting services spanning strategy, experience, technology and operations, infrastructure offerings such as on-premises and cloud-based servers and storage for mission-critical and AI workloads, and financing that helps clients acquire IBM hardware, software and services. [1](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-6dbb852e79ab45eab1b9fd5d52692540)[2](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-0eb63d2e38a44ec990b4ea51d2a9e185)[3](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-7248055b6c6c433c9d355174e8de38fe)[4](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-a75b2d3d85b7433b8b17ad9e19303d94)[5](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-47a84ea81fd54f23a86e6e83ca31ee6e)

IBM operates on a broad international footprint, doing business in more than 175 countries, with more than 60% of its revenue generated outside the United States. The company states that it aims to create sustained value for clients by helping them leverage hybrid cloud and AI. For 2024, IBM reported about $62.8 billion in revenue and employed approximately 293,400 people, indicating substantial global scale. [6](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-80d1b31b16ac45ccb4ba20d587e8fe83)[1](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-6dbb852e79ab45eab1b9fd5d52692540)[7](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/international-business-machines-full-2024-105024724.html)[8](https://www.tradingeconomics.com/ibm:us:employees)
[1](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-6dbb852e79ab45eab1b9fd5d52692540)[2](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-0eb63d2e38a44ec990b4ea51d2a9e185)[3](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-7248055b6c6c433c9d355174e8de38fe)[4](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-a75b2d3d85b7433b8b17ad9e19303d94)[5](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-47a84ea81fd54f23a86e6e83ca31ee6e)[6](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-80d1b31b16ac45ccb4ba20d587e8fe83)[7](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/international-business-machines-full-2024-105024724.html)[8](https://www.tradingeconomics.com/ibm:us:employees)

## Products & services

IBM’s software products span AI, data, integration, automation and security. The watsonx portfolio includes watsonx.ai Studio, which IBM describes as an end-to-end AI development studio with interfaces, workflows, APIs and SDKs, plus collaborative tools for data preparation, visualization, streaming ingestion and model training; watsonx Assistant for building conversational interfaces across applications, devices and channels; and watsonx.data for unified data access and automated governance for AI and BI workloads without replatforming.[9](https://www.ibm.com/products/watsonx-ai)[10](https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/ws-and-kc?topic=services-watsonxai-studio)[11](https://cloud.ibm.com/catalog/services/watsonx-assistant)[12](https://www.ibm.com/products/watsonx-data) IBM also sells middleware and platform software including API Connect for API lifecycle management across hybrid and multicloud environments, MQ for secure, reliable messaging with exactly-once delivery and cloud-native resiliency, Db2 for low-latency transactional and real-time analytics workloads, and Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud as a managed OpenShift offering.[13](https://www.ibm.com/products/api-connect)[14](https://www.ibm.com/products/mq)[15](https://www.ibm.com/products/db2-database)[16](https://www.ibm.com/products/openshift)

Other named software products include Instana for full-stack observability, Turbonomic for application resource management and automated resource optimization, QRadar for threat detection and response, Verify for identity and access management, and Guardium Data Security Center for data discovery, monitoring, assessment and protection.[17](https://www.ibm.com/products/instana)[18](https://www.ibm.com/products/turbonomic)[19](https://www.ibm.com/products/qradar)[20](https://www.ibm.com/products/verify)[21](https://www.ibm.com/products/guardium-data-security-center)

IBM’s infrastructure portfolio includes on-premises and cloud-based server and storage products, and the company says these are designed around security, scalability and reliability for mission-critical and AI workloads, alongside lifecycle services for hybrid-cloud infrastructure deployment.[4](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-a75b2d3d85b7433b8b17ad9e19303d94) Named systems include IBM Z mainframes, where IBM says the z17 adds AI inferencing with up to 8x on-chip AI processors per core; LinuxONE enterprise Linux servers built around the Telum processor and positioned for AI, cyber-resiliency and quantum-safe technologies; and IBM Power servers for high-performance business and hybrid-cloud workloads. Storage products include FlashSystem for all-flash and hybrid-flash storage with zero-downtime data movement and AI-driven optimization, and Storage Scale for software-defined file and object storage used in AI, analytics and high-performance computing.[22](https://www.ibm.com/products/z)[23](https://www.ibm.com/products/linuxone)[24](https://www.ibm.com/products/power)[25](https://www.ibm.com/products/flashsystem)[26](https://www.ibm.com/products/storage-scale) IBM’s service offerings are concentrated in Consulting, which the company describes as strategy, experience, technology and operations work spanning systems integration, application development, application management and business process outsourcing.[3](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-7248055b6c6c433c9d355174e8de38fe)
[4](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-a75b2d3d85b7433b8b17ad9e19303d94)[3](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-7248055b6c6c433c9d355174e8de38fe)[9](https://www.ibm.com/products/watsonx-ai)[10](https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/ws-and-kc?topic=services-watsonxai-studio)[11](https://cloud.ibm.com/catalog/services/watsonx-assistant)[12](https://www.ibm.com/products/watsonx-data)[13](https://www.ibm.com/products/api-connect)[14](https://www.ibm.com/products/mq)[15](https://www.ibm.com/products/db2-database)[16](https://www.ibm.com/products/openshift)[17](https://www.ibm.com/products/instana)[18](https://www.ibm.com/products/turbonomic)[19](https://www.ibm.com/products/qradar)[20](https://www.ibm.com/products/verify)[21](https://www.ibm.com/products/guardium-data-security-center)[22](https://www.ibm.com/products/z)[23](https://www.ibm.com/products/linuxone)[24](https://www.ibm.com/products/power)[25](https://www.ibm.com/products/flashsystem)[26](https://www.ibm.com/products/storage-scale)

## Geographic presence

IBM is headquartered in Armonk, New York, and it says it does business in over 175 countries worldwide.[27](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-db6bba71f87345368cb913adf2d57a90)[6](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-80d1b31b16ac45ccb4ba20d587e8fe83) Its customer and employee footprint is similarly broad, with the company describing a substantial workforce and clients in more than 175 countries.[28](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-14dd07aae5044451a4d6891715201c0b) IBM also indicates that about 60% of its revenue comes from sales outside the United States, showing that its revenue base is weighted toward international markets rather than solely the domestic market.[6](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-80d1b31b16ac45ccb4ba20d587e8fe83)

IBM’s facilities are globally distributed. As of December 31, 2024, it had about 41 million square feet worldwide, including roughly 17 million square feet in the United States and 24 million square feet outside the United States.[29](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-edfad99f32a5462d92684b1faf1d3f00)[30](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-400d4ca09789473780572c9d753e17ab) These sites are used for sales and distribution, manufacturing and development, data processing services including cloud centers, research, and administrative support across the company’s businesses.[30](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-400d4ca09789473780572c9d753e17ab) IBM’s careers materials also describe offices in more than 170 countries, organized across the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.[31](https://www.ibm.com/careers/locations)
[27](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-db6bba71f87345368cb913adf2d57a90)[6](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-80d1b31b16ac45ccb4ba20d587e8fe83)[28](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-14dd07aae5044451a4d6891715201c0b)[29](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-edfad99f32a5462d92684b1faf1d3f00)[30](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-400d4ca09789473780572c9d753e17ab)[31](https://www.ibm.com/careers/locations)

## Business segments

IBM reports four operating segments: Software, Consulting, Infrastructure, and Financing. Software is focused on hybrid cloud and AI platforms that support clients’ digital and AI transformation across applications, data, and operating environments. Consulting integrates strategy, experience, technology, and operations services, including systems integration, application development and management, and business process outsourcing. Infrastructure provides on-premises and cloud-based server and storage systems, along with life-cycle services for hybrid cloud infrastructure deployments. Financing provides client and commercial financing to facilitate purchases of IBM hardware, software, and services. [32](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-608a36eb66a6459eaf2bccb0b1e05de8)[33](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-532a367caf68429d8c125a80c2955d50)[34](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-9ef47727d80f401495b977f683546ebe)[35](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-f9f8a8b208f64cf296bf6806f83fd427)

Based on IBM’s 2024 segment revenue, Software generated $27.1 billion, or about 43.2% of total revenue; Consulting generated $20.7 billion, or about 33.0%; Infrastructure generated $14.0 billion, or about 22.3%; and Financing generated $0.7 billion, or about 1.1%. Other revenue was $0.2 billion, so the four reported segments accounted for roughly 99.6% of total revenue. IBM also updated its segment reporting in 2024, including moving Security Services from Software to Consulting, so current segment disclosures reflect that revised structure. [36](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/51143/000005114326000010/R73.htm)[37](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/51143/000110465925022191/tm2429998d6_ars.pdf)[38](https://www.ibm.com/investor/news/ibm-provides-historical-data-as-a-result-of-2024-segment-reporting-changes)
[32](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-608a36eb66a6459eaf2bccb0b1e05de8)[33](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-532a367caf68429d8c125a80c2955d50)[34](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-9ef47727d80f401495b977f683546ebe)[35](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-f9f8a8b208f64cf296bf6806f83fd427)[36](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/51143/000005114326000010/R73.htm)[37](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/51143/000110465925022191/tm2429998d6_ars.pdf)[38](https://www.ibm.com/investor/news/ibm-provides-historical-data-as-a-result-of-2024-segment-reporting-changes)

## Company history

IBM traces its origins to June 16, 1911, when the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. (C-T-R.) was incorporated in New York through the consolidation of three businesses; financier Charles Ranlett Flint organized the merger that created the predecessor company. In 1914, Thomas J. Watson Sr. began leading C-T-R, and in 1924 the company changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation. [39](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-e81faa291ba94202b64872f96635866c)[40](https://www.ibm.com/history/ctr-and-ibm)[41](https://www.ibm.com/history/thomas-watson-sr)

Over the following decades, IBM became a central company in modern computing. It opened the Watson Scientific Computing Laboratory in 1945, an early milestone in the development of IBM Research, and in 1964 launched System/360, a major family of compatible mainframes that became one of the defining products of its history. In 1981, IBM introduced the IBM Personal Computer, extending its role from large-scale business computing into the personal computer market. [42](https://www.ibm.com/history/research-origins)[43](https://www.ibm.com/history/system-360)[44](https://www.ibm.com/history/personal-computer)

IBM’s later history included major portfolio and leadership changes. Louis V. Gerstner Jr. became CEO in 1993 during a period of restructuring, and the company later reshaped its business through large strategic transactions, including the acquisition of Red Hat in 2019 and the 2021 separation of its managed infrastructure services business into Kyndryl. [45](https://newsroom.ibm.com/former-CEOs/1000)[46](https://www.ibm.com/history/louis-gerstner)[47](https://newsroom.ibm.com/2019-07-09-IBM-Closes-Landmark-Acquisition-of-Red-Hat-for-34-Billion-Defines-Open-Hybrid-Cloud-Future)[48](https://newsroom.ibm.com/2021-11-03-IBM-Completes-the-Separation-of-Kyndryl)
[39](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-e81faa291ba94202b64872f96635866c)[40](https://www.ibm.com/history/ctr-and-ibm)[41](https://www.ibm.com/history/thomas-watson-sr)[42](https://www.ibm.com/history/research-origins)[43](https://www.ibm.com/history/system-360)[44](https://www.ibm.com/history/personal-computer)[45](https://newsroom.ibm.com/former-CEOs/1000)[46](https://www.ibm.com/history/louis-gerstner)[47](https://newsroom.ibm.com/2019-07-09-IBM-Closes-Landmark-Acquisition-of-Red-Hat-for-34-Billion-Defines-Open-Hybrid-Cloud-Future)[48](https://newsroom.ibm.com/2021-11-03-IBM-Completes-the-Separation-of-Kyndryl)

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1. [INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP — Full financial report (2024 Y)](https://app.finbar.com/go?id=P-6dbb852e79ab45eab1b9fd5d52692540)
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48. [newsroom.ibm.com](https://newsroom.ibm.com/2021-11-03-IBM-Completes-the-Separation-of-Kyndryl)

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