One Hundred Years Old

There’s a terrific article in The Economist this week, “IBM: 1100100 and counting”.  If you get a chance to read it, you won’t be disappointed.

Some great quotes from the article:

The history of computing cannot be conceived without IBM, which celebrates its 100th birthday on June 16th. Remarkably, even though to many minds Big Blue, like the objects on show at Armonk, is a relic of the 20th century, the firm remains one of the IT industry’s leaders.

…

IBM is no longer a collection of independent national subsidiaries, but a globally integrated company. It has a common IT infrastructure, which allows it to use the same accounting, procurement and other business processes all over the world.

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IBM, 100 years after its incorporation, appears to be fairly well in control of its destiny. Yet its history can be read as the result of business constraints as much as of managerial genius. From the beginning, as a maker of complex machines IBM had no choice but to explain its products to its customers and thus to develop a strong understanding of their business requirements. From that followed close relationships between customers and supplier.

When you finish reading the article, take the time to read the thoughtful user comments.

Here’s the birthday coverage in ComputerWeekly.com, Network World, and Bloomberg Businessweek.