The technology giant's expertise spans 17 industries across more than 170 countries. It's headquartered in Armonk, NY, but you can find its products and services in far-flung corners of the world, from Johannesburg to Tokyo.
Like many multinationals, IBM has capitalized in recent years on the fast pace of growth in large emerging markets, such as India, China, Brazil and Russia. And under CEO Sam Palmisano's leadership, international expansion -- especially into smaller emerging markets -- has been a priority. Palmisano spends his time traveling the world promoting IBM's "Smarter Planet" initiative, a program to use technology to address social problems such as access to health care or traffic congestion. The company was #12 on Fortune's World's Most Admired list this year.
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