From punch cards to mainframe servers to now cloud computing, the Big Blue has come a long way since it was established a century ago.

Technology titan IBM was founded on June 16, 1911 as the Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation through a merger of four companies.

These were the Tabulating Machine Company, the International Time Recording Company, the Computing Scale Corporation, and the Bundy Manufacturing Company.

Started as a specialist for punch cards, commercial scales and clocks, IBM today manufactures and sells computer hardware and software and offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services from huge servers to nanotechnology.

"IBM has survived and thrived for 100 years by remaining true to our core values, while being ready to change everything else. This has allowed us to transform technology, business and society through our first century, and we believe it will enable us to achieve even more in our second," IBM Chairman of the Board, President and CEO Samuel Palmisano said.

IBM's history has been a succession of key milestones - from investing in a research lab in the depths of the Great Depression, to developing the first hard disk drive that created the data storage industry, to working with the US government to develop the Social Security System.

It continued with such "big bets" as a new computing model, the System/360 mainframe, the invention of the UPC code, the invention of the IBM Personal Computer that launched the PC revolution, and the recent development of Watson, the computer that triumphed on the TV game show Jeopardy!.

US-headquartered IBM has a strong presence in India too.

Over the past decade, it has emerged as a formidable player in the Indian IT services market, competing shoulder-to-shoulder with homegrown companies like TCS and Infosys.

According to reports, IBM may be one of the India's biggest employers, with over 1.2 lakh employees.

Its landmark deals with Airtel in 2004 and with Vodafone, Idea and BSNL later on for managing their entire backend IT operations helped IBM become a major player in the Indian IT sector.

"Starting with just a small office, we have grown to become a microcosm of the IBM Corporation with presence and leadership across all segments. As we move ahead towards the next century, we will take forward this legacy of innovation and growth and continue to contribute to the economy and society in India," IBM India Managing Director Shankar Annaswamy said.