Led by strong performance in its software business, IBM on Tuesday posted second-quarter profits up 9 percent from last year.The company earned US$2 billion in the quarter that ended June 30, compared to $1.9 billion in the second quarter of 2005.Per-share earnings were $1.30, which marked a 14 percent increase over $1.14 last year. The company also beat expectations from analysts polled by Thomson Financial, who had predicted earnings of $1.29 per share on revenue of $21.89 billion.IBM reported revenue of $21.9 billion, down 2 percent from last year. When adjusted for the company’s May 2005 sale of its PC business to China’s Lenovo Group, the result was up 1 percent. The most profitable business segments in the second quarter were software, microelectronics and IBM’s System z mainframe computers, said Mark Loughridge, senior vice president and chief financial officer, during a conference call with analysts and reporters.The strength of those areas offset losses in IBM’s server segment, where problems in the supply chain left some orders unfulfilled, and in services, where short-term orders were weaker than expected. “While some areas of our business did well, others leave room for improvement,” Loughridge said.The company was able to compensate for its weaknesses through a renewed focus on its highest-margin businesses, IBM Chairman and CEO Samuel Palmisano said in a statement.Under that process, IBM cited low margins as the main reason it jettisoned its PC line to Lenovo last year. Likewise, IBM has boosted its investment in high-margin segments like its software and services businesses.Revenue from the company’s software division rose 5 percent to $4.2 billion this quarter, with the great majority—$3.2 billion—generated by IBM’s middleware brands, including WebSphere, Information Management, Tivoli, Lotus and Rational. The remainder came from operating systems and product lifecycle management.In contrast, the Lenovo sale contributed to a drop in IBM’s hardware business, where revenue fell 7 percent to $5.1 billion. Discounting the effect of the divested PC business on 2005 numbers, hardware revenue actually rose 3 percent.-Ben Ames, IDG News Service (Boston Bureau) Related Link: Yahoo Misses Q2 Revenue Target, Delays Ad SystemCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe