IBM beat industry analysts’ predictions in the first quarter of 2021, with revenues increasing by 0.9%, off the back of 4 consecutive quarters of decline.

Revenues of the first 3 months of 2021 came in at $17.7bn. While being higher than some may have expected, this figure is $4.1bn lower than what IBM reported for the first quarter of 2020.

The recent increase in revenue has been attributed to a increase in client adoption of IBM’s hybrid cloud system in addition to a growth in software and consulting, according to CEO Arvind Krishna. IBM hope this positive start to the year will help pave the way to a full-year revenue growth.