IBM is an abbreviation for “International Business Machines.” The company was incorporated in 1911 as the Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation. This incorporation was a merger of four existing corporations. The most technologically important of the four original corporations was the Tabulating Machine Company, which developed and manufactured punch card processing equipment.

IBM adopted its present name in 1924. It currently employs 425,000 people in 200 different countries. It employs more than 100,000 people in the United States.

The company is often known as the “Big Blue.” It is thought that this nickname may derive from the color of the mainframe computers it introduced in the 1960s.

IBM Research and Innovation

From its inception, IBM has been a leader in business machine innovation. Some of the major inventions introduced by the company include:

• ATM machines
• Hard disk drive
• Magnetic stripe card
• Universal Product Code (UPC)
• Floppy diskettes
• Digital Random Access Memory (DRAM)

The company operates nine primary research facilities worldwide. It holds more patents than any other U.S. company. Employees of the company have received five Nobel prizes, nine National Medals of Technology, and four Turing Awards. Its computers were involved with the United States space program from its earliest days.

IBM Sales and Profits

Gross revenues in 2010 were $99.87 billion. Net income was $14.8 billion. Sales were $86.33 per share, while earnings were $12.27 per share.

Corporate Governance

The corporation is presently governed by a board of directors of 12 people and a team of 20 executive officers, led by a Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO. The members of the Board are representatives of major institutions, corporations, and non-profit research organizations, including the presidents and CEOs of Dow Chemical, The Boeing Company, and American Express. The directors meet as required by the company to conduct its business and review its operations.

How to Buy IBM Stock

You can buy IBM stock through a stock broker or any financial institution that offers stock brokerage services. The corporation's transfer agent is Computer share Trust Company, which also administers the IBM Investor Services Program including a purchasing service.