electrical circuit to detect the position of the holes and recognize the characters. This
concept transformed a set of punched cards into what we would call a database, which
could be sorted, queried, and printed. Punched card technology revolutionized data
storage, and was the main form of information management well into the 1960s and
beyond. The concept still is used with some types of voting forms and other documents.
Today, IBM is a global giant with a half-million employees, numerous patents, and
more Nobel Prize winners than any other IT firm. In its 2009 Annual Report, IBM chairman
Samuel J. Palmisano noted three issues that will shape the future of IT and guide the
company’s strategy. As shown in Figure 1-4, these include changes in the world, changes in
technology, and changes in client demand. IT professionals should study these trends and
prepare for the future. The table in Figure 1-5 on the next page summarizes IBM’s vision
and how it might affect the IT industry and the people who work in it.