Initialism

IBM

1. intercontinental ballistic missile
2. International Business Machines
3. International Brotherhood of Magicians
4. Individual-Based Models

Abbreviation

IBM

1. (stock symbol) International Business Machines

Noun

Singular IBM

Plural IBMs

IBM (plural IBMs)

1. (figuratively) a company that dominates its field
   • 1968, George Washington University, Computers-in-Law Institute, National Law Center, The Law of Software: 1968 Proceedings:

     Univac was the IBM of the computer industry's incipiency; in 1952 Univac had virtually 100% of the market.

   • 1982, Tracy Kidder, The Soul Of A New Machine (ISBN 0380599317), page 238:

     First, to Sperry Univac, the descendent of the first real computer company, which might have become the IBM of the industry had it not blown its early lead;

   • 1990, Alfred Balk, The Myth of American Eclipse: The New Global Age (ISBN 0887383696), page 81:

     The US lead was mainly due to one firm, the IBM of its small, specialized field: Cray Research Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation, abbreviated IBM and nicknamed "Big Blue" (for its official corporate colour), is a multinational computer technology and IT consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. The company is one of the few information technology companies with a continuous history dating back to the 19th century. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and offers infrastructure services, hosting services, and consulting services in areas ranging from mainframe computers to nanotechnology.

IBM has been well known through most of its recent history as the world's largest computer company and systems integrator. With over 388,000 employees worldwide, IBM is the largest and most profitable information technology employer in the world. IBM holds more patents than any other U.S. based technology company and has eight research laboratories worldwide. The company has scientists, engineers, consultants, and sales professionals in over 170 countries. IBM employees have earned three Nobel Prizes, four Turing Awards, five National Medals of Technology, and five National Medals of Science. As a chip maker, IBM has been among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders in past years, and in 2007 IBM ranked second in the list of largest software companies in the world.

See also:

• Computers: Companies: IBM (8)

• IBM cancer case begins
  news.zdnet.com
  Attorney for two former employees claims the computer giant knew of symptoms of ongoing chemical poisoning among workers. Santa Clara, California. [ZDnet] (November 3, 2003)
• Did IBM Know Of A Cancer Link?
  cbsnews.com
  60 Minutes program explores whether high cancer rates and child-births with terrible birth defects are results of working for the Big Blue and how much did the company know? [CBS] (December 3, 2003)
• IBM cleared of cancer charges
  news.zdnet.co.uk
  "Claims by two former IBM employees that the company knowingly exposed then to cancer-causing materials have been dismissed." [ZDnet] (February 27, 2004)