Strategic focus
IBM generated total sales of $20.6bn in the first quarter compared to $22.9bn in the same period last year, when results from its PC arm were still included.
"We continue to improve our profit performance with our strategic focus on higher value-segments of the marketplace, as well as our emphasis on productivity and global integration," said IBM's chairman and chief executive officer Samuel Palmisano.
IBM's shares rose 1.4% in after-hours trading after the results were announced, with analysts saying the figures were better than expected.
"It looked like a solid quarter," said Chris Whitmore, an analyst at Deutsche Bank Securities.