Big Blue celebrates a century of innovation

The evolution of the computer has taken a long and winding road since its first rudimentary form the abacus was invented around 2,400 BC in Babylon. It would take another 4,347 years for the electronic computer to appear in the Middle East. It was in 1947 when the first recorded electronic computer was shipped to the region to be used by executives plumbing the desert depths for oil, according to International Business Machines Corporation. "We brought the first computer to Bahrain in 1947 to be used in the oil-drilling sector," said Takreem Al Tohamy, general manager for the Middle East and Africa. "After that, Saudi Aramco started to use IBM computers and technology." The Middle East milestone of '47 is only one in a long list of IBM's achievements as it reflects upon 100 years of its global growth. Big Blue celebrated its centenary June 16. Al Tohamy said that reaching the 100th birthday of Big Blue last week was a major achievement for one of the first corporations to pursue computer innovation as a means of creating better business efficiency. Founded in 1911 as the Computing Tabulating Recording Company, the corporation changed its brand identity to IBM in 1924 and the rest, as they say, is history. Al Tohamy said that "from the beginning, IBM defined itself not by strategies or products which range from commercial scales to punch card tabulators but by forward-thinking culture and management practices grounded in core values. "IBM has been at the forefront of driving innovation and transforming business and society for the past 100 years. It has done this by continually investing in research and development, fostering an internal culture of innovation and ensuring that it keeps focused on the high-growth, high-value segments of the IT industry," Al Tohamy said. The spirit remains alive and well in markets around the world, including the Middle East where IBM continues to offer computing services at higher and higher levels. "IBM is committed to the business opportunity in the Middle East and is working to strengthen its position." IBM has a presence in each country in the region and has donated Linux labs to universities in the UAE, Jordan and Oman. These aim to promote awareness of the Linux platform and offer university students the opportunity to advance their skills in using open source technology. It has also donated hundreds of KidSmart Early Learning Centres to Jordan, Egypt and the UAE to help, the company said, "students in disadvantaged areas and commits teaching staff, training and resources to the programme." "We will continue to improve productivity, drive investment in our offerings and people and ensure that we participate in the world's fastest growing markets," said Al Tohamy. From / Gulf News