International Business Machines, or IBM, was founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company.
The original company was formed through the merger of four businesses, including manufacturers of tabulating machines, time recorders, and scales. It adopted the name International Business Machines in 1924, creating the IBM identity used today.
IBM became a major force in punch-card data processing and later in mainframe computers. Its System/360 family, introduced in 1964, helped establish a broadly compatible mainframe computer line for businesses and institutions.
IBM is not the same company as a personal-computer manufacturer such as Dell or HP. It sold its personal-computer division to Lenovo in 2005 and has focused increasingly on enterprise software, consulting, hybrid cloud, and artificial intelligence.