IBM销售额再度缩水，艰难转型之路仍未走完

IBM公司（2016年世界500强排名：82）上周公布，该公司今年第二季度的营收入为202亿美元，较去年同期下跌2.8%，标志着其销售收入已经连续17个季度出现下滑。

不过IBM近来在股市上的表现还算不错，每股2.95美元的利润也超过了华尔街此前2.89美元的预期。尽管近年来，IBM针对云计算、数据分析、网络安全等所谓“战略需要”领域投入了大量资金，以抵销传统软件业务的颓势，但公司要想稳住阵脚，还是要有很长一段路要走。

在最近的一次与分析师的电话会议中，IBM的财务总监马丁·施洛特表示，IBM正在“有条不紊地沿着我们今年想要达到的目标的前进”，并且仍在向数据分析和网络安全等新兴领域进行大量投资，与此同时，IBM也增设了一些新的数据中心，以支持其云计算业务。施洛特表示，这些领域都需要公司投入大量资金，即便它会影响到公司的部分利润，公司的投资速度也不太可能会减缓。

施洛特还指出，公司之所以决定大量裁员，是为了“重新平衡（所需要的）技能”，从而省下资金来投资于有增长前景的领域。而且虽然IBM裁掉了一批员工，但与此同时，公司也正在面向其他领域招聘新人。到2016年年底，公司的员工人数大体将保持在去年年底的水平。

施洛特还表示，今年第二季度，IBM的所谓“战略需要”部门的业务较去年同期增长了12%，销售额达到83亿美元。不过瑞银执行董事史蒂夫·米拉诺维奇却指出，今年第一季度，IBM的“战略需要”部门的业务比上年同期增长了17%，并且质问施洛特，该部门的业务增长速度为何在第二季度放缓了。

施洛特并没有直接回答这个问题，不过他再次强调称，IBM的“战略需要”部门及服务的销售情况正处于良性发展的轨道上，2018年的销售收入有望超过400亿美元。他表示，目前“战略需要”部门的业务占公司总体业务的比重已经达到38%，所以公司要想达到上述目标并不困难。

另外，施洛特还表示，本季度IBM出现了一些“执行问题”，一定程度上影响了利润，引得一些分析师纷纷追问“执行问题”到底指的是什么。

施洛特也并未回答到底是什么问题，不过他表示，IBM在与客户就一些重大、复杂的项目进行合作时，公司偶尔也会多花一些钱，确保让客户高兴。

当谈到IBM偶尔会在一些客户项目上多支出很多钱时，施洛特也补充了一句：“但是这并不是普遍现象。” （财富中文网）

译者：朴成奎

IBM 2.95% on Monday said second quarter revenue declined 2.8% year-over-year to $20.2 billion, making it seventeen consecutive quarters of declining sales.

The business technology giant did beat Wall Street’s expectations by reporting earnings per share of $2.95 compared to analysts’ projections of $2.89 per share. But the company still has a long way to go to stabilize, even as it heavily invests in its so-called “strategic imperatives” of cloud computing, data analytics, and cybersecurity to offset declines in its legacy software business.

During a call with analysts, IBM CFO Martin Schroeter said that IBM was “on track with what we wanted to get done with the year” and was continuing to heavily invest in new areas like data analytics and security while also opening more data centers to support its cloud computing service. Those areas demand significant investment that’s unlikely to slow even if it means eating into the company’s profits, he explained.

He cited significant layoffs that are “about rebalancing skills” that would save IBM money that it could invest in growth areas. Although it is firing some employees, IBM has previously said that it is also hiring others in the areas it wants to grow and that its total workforce should be roughly the same at the end of 2016 as it was in the end of last year.

Schroeter explained that sales among IBM’s “strategic imperatives” grew 12% year-over-year in the second quarter to $8.3 billion. But UBS managing director Steve Milunovich pointed out that IBM’s “strategic imperatives” grew 17% year-over-year during the previous quarter and asked Schroeter if there was any reason why that unit’s growth slowed.

Schroeter did not directly answer the question, but he reiterated that IBM is on track for sales by units and services deemed strategic imperatives to hit $40 billion by 2018. He said that the strategic imperatives already account for 38% of the IBM’s total business, so it won’t take much for the company to hit its goal.

Additionally, Schroeter said IBM experienced some “execution issues” during the quarter that had impacted its profit, which led to some analysts on the call to ask him to explain what those problems were.

Schroeter did not specify what the hiccups were, but said that during periods that IBM takes on huge, complex projects with its clients, it will occasionally spend more money to ensure that those customers are happy.

“I wouldn’t call it widespread,” Schroeter said about spending a lot more money than intended on some customer projects.