Information Technology Industry Analysis

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is among the oldest businesses operating in the field of information technology and computers (IT). Although it is true that IBM continues to hold the top position on the market, it's difficult to say that the company is an innovator in the field of innovation. The issue is that IBM must invest more into its competitive advantage in order to remain competitive in the current IT sector. Yet, IBM is still listed as a member of the Fortune 500 among other IT and electronics companies who are leading the field (Griffith 2015). The aim of this article is to provide a background of IBM and its present state and place on the market and assess its possible success and failures in the field of innovation in the field.

In 1911, the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company was established in the State of New York, and later it was renamed as International Business Machines (IBM). In the beginning, the company made tabulators. Later, in the 1930s, they launched their first calculators. First computers were created in the 1940s , in collaboration with experts from Harvard University. The 1950s were the time when IBM was ready to be a part of the new market for computers, with its own model: IBM 701 EDPM. Additionally, in 1981, IBM was ready to unveil its new personal computer (Cortada in 2018,). From this angle it's possible to conclude that IBM did not just enter the IT industry in the late 1980s however, the company and its products set the stage for the development of this field.

At present, IBM specializes in producing hardware, computers, as well as various kinds of software. The issue is that the IBM computers of today aren't popular with people, and aren't widely promoted since they run on different platforms that are not Windows. In addition, IBM holds its top position in the manufacturing of various models of minicomputers and mainframes. Consultancy services are also offered for companies that are principal customers to IBM products. Additionally, significant focus is given to research within research in the IT industry and making patents (Cortada, 2018). Therefore, rather than making personal computers, and competing with Apple, HP, Oracle in addition to Microsoft, IBM shifted to providing support to companies.

The 20th century was a time when IBM led the IT industry , with a particular focus on its accomplishments in the field of designing the production of personal computer as well as encouraging innovations. It is worth noting that IBM revolutionized the way other companies managed their operations as a result of innovations such as an automated machine for teller the relational database SQL software, among other. IBM's inventions and products IBM were the model for other companies in promoting the IT revolution of this century of 21st Century (Gao, Liu, & Ma 2019).

But, it's important to mention that the rapid growth in IT has led to the rapid growth of the IT business since last portion in the century of 20th has altered trends (Brown, DeHayes, Slater, Martin, & Perkins (2011)). The impact of this IT industry's growth on IBM has been substantial and it now concentrates on business as its consumers , rather than individuals as this segment is believed as more lucrative for companies.

IT is always a major function in the industries in which IBM is a part of. For instance, in 2015 IBM had to face the need to transition its server business to cloud-based services, however it encountered some challenges. Cloud services, the latest kinds of software, and using mobile technology as well as databases and applications are becoming the norm in the industry and companies have to be able to adjust to them (Kahn (2018)). With regard to IBM the dispute is rooted in the fact that this firm was one of the first to begin the development and promotion of these technologies however, it was unable to not compete effectively with its competitors on the marketplace.

In this regard it is important to remember that apart from the inventions mentioned above, IBM also developed the hard disk drive and the magnetic stripe that was used to process credit cards, as well as the UPC barcode, which changed the way businesses operate in a variety of countries (Den Hartigh Ortt van de Kaa and Stolwijk 2016,). These inventions were a success but they were unable to be replicated due to their uniqueness. However, certain personal computers designed by IBM did not perform well enough relative to the offerings from competitors, which forced IBM move to other markets.

The background of IBM suggests that the firm was a major factor in the development of the current version that is the industry of computers. In examining the larger IT sector, it is crucial to state that IBM did well in a few areas in addition to being an example for other companies in this field. But, in the long past of the company there are instances of loss and failure that have to do with the launch of ineffective products or flaws in the area of research and development. When it was time to enter the business computer market hardware, software, as well as consulting and services IBM had the chance to make more money due to its competitive advantage in the production of the sale of personal computer as well as software was not very strong.