IBM

About IBM

 

History of IBM

The character of a company — the stamp it puts on its products, services and the marketplace — is shaped and defined over time. It evolves. It deepens. It is expressed in an ever-changing corporate culture, in transformational strategies, and in new and compelling offerings for customers. IBM’s character has been formed over nearly 100 years of doing business in the field of information-handling. Nearly all of the company’s products were designed and developed to record, process, communicate, store and retrieve information — from its first scales, tabulators and clocks to today’s powerful computers and vast global networks.

IBM helped pioneer information technology over the years, and it stands today at the forefront of a worldwide industry that is revolutionizing the way in which enterprises, organizations and people operate and thrive.

The pace of change in that industry, of course, is accelerating, and its scope and impact are widening. In these pages, you can trace that change from the earliest antecedents of IBM, to the most recent developments. You can scan the entire IBM continuum from the 19th century to the 21st or pinpoint — year-by year or decade-by-decade — the key events that have led to the IBM of today. We hope that you enjoy this unique look back at the highly textured history of the International Business Machines Corporation.

Terms and conditions

Statement of intent

It is the intent of the IBM Corporate Archives to make selected information publicly available on this Web site in order to advance the study of science, information technology, and the IBM Corporation. The image and text files on the IBM Corporate Archives Web site are made available for noncommercial, educational, and personal use only. Copyright or redistribution in any manner for commercial use is not permitted. Commercial publication or exploitation of the IBM Corporate Archives Web site and analog files is specifically prohibited. Users may download these files for their own use, subject to all applicable federal and state statutes. Fair educational use of the contents of this Web site is permitted. Specifically, an internet user may download images and text files and share them with others for limited noncommercial and educational purposes only. Click here for IBM Corporation’s Legal information.

Permissions to use and requests for information

Anyone wishing to use any of these files or images for publication, commercial use, or any purpose not expressly permitted must request and receive prior permission from IBM Corporate Archives. Permission for such use is granted at the sole discretion of the IBM Corporation. To request material from the IBM Corporate Archives, please write to the IBM Corporate Archives, IBM Corporation, LS 119/CSB, Route 100, Somers NY, 10589. All requests should include the following information: a description of your request in as much detail as possible; a beginning and end date for the material to be identified; a description of how you intend to use the material you are asking for, particularly if it is to be published in print, broadcast, or online form; a date when you need this material by; and your complete return contact information (name, telephone, fax, email, address). Click here for IBM Corporation’s Privacy Policy.

Service levels

The IBM Corporate Archives will make every effort to respond to all public inquiries within two working days of the receipt of the request. The actual provision of information may take longer, particularly during high volume request periods. Most documents are available only in hard copy form, and therefore will be mailed to the requester from our New York offices. Extensive requests – defined as those which can only be fulfilled by the commitment of significant financial and/or staff resources by the IBM Corporate Archives – will be declined, and the requester will be encouraged to visit the IBM Corporate Archives in person in order to obtain the desired information. In addition, the IBM Corporate Archives retains the right to deny requests for the provision of material that conflicts with the business interests of the IBM Corporation, poses the risk of violating federal or state statutes, or interferes with the Archives’ ability to adequately service the internal needs of the corporation.

User conditions

By requesting material from the IBM Corporate Archives, you are indicating your awareness that you are responsible for conforming to copyright, right-to-privacy, libel, slander, and any other applicable statutes. Furthermore, you are agreeing to indemnify and hold harmless the IBM Corporation and any of its related entities, their officers, employees and agents from any and all claims resulting from the use of the materials provided to you by the IBM Corporate Archives. Click here for IBM Corporation’s Copyright information.