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ProQuest Ranks 17th in 2010
InformationWeek 500 Ann Arbor-based firm is honored for technology innovations that connect researchers with content and each other
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ANN ARBOR, Mich., September 15, 2010 - Ann Arbor-based ProQuest has ranked 17th in the 2010 InformationWeek 500, an annual listing of the nation's most innovative users of business technology. ProQuest, best known for its creation of information and technology tools that support research, is the top-ranked Michigan-based company and even placed higher than distinguished technology giants. InformationWeek is a premier source of news and analysis of leading-edge products and vendors in the business IT industry. Its InformationWeek 500 list is considered unique among industry rankings for its spotlight on the power of innovation in information technology.
This is ProQuest’s second consecutive appearance in the InfoWeek 500 and its first appearance in the top 20. The company is being recognized for its use of innovation in the development of user-centered search technologies that advance research in academic and professional settings. Based on user “personas” that guide their development and creation, the technologies have led to revolutionary new ways for researchers – from students and faculty to professionals in multiple industries -- to interact with deep web and scholarly content. For example, ProQuest launched vertical social networking services that allow scholars from around the world to meet and collaborate on research in such areas as atmospheric science and early English literature. The company is also previewing a new search platform for libraries that allows users to discover, gather and share ProQuest’s aggregated content, estimated to be one the world’s largest Oracle XML databases. The platform comes on the heels of the 2009 release of the Summon web-scale discovery service, which creates instant online searching of library collections – whether they’re in print, online, or any format in between. “For 22 years, the InformationWeek 500 has honored the most innovative users of business technology,” said InformationWeek Editor In Chief Rob Preston. “As we start to emerge from the worst recession in decades, the IT focus is now on driving growth—new sources of revenue, new relationships with customers, even new business models. This year’s ranking placed special emphasis on those companies and business technology executives leading that charge.” InformationWeek identifies and honors the nation's most innovative users of information technology with its annual 500 listing, and also tracks the technology, strategies, investments and administrative practices of America’s best-known companies. Top winners have included: CME Group, Conway, National Semiconductor, Kimberly-Clark, Hilton Hotels and Unum. The InformationWeek 500 rankings are unique among corporate rankings as it spotlights the power of innovation in information technology, rather than simply identifying the biggest IT spenders. To learn more about ProQuest, visit www.proquest.com. Additional details on the InformationWeek 500 can be found online at www.informationweek.com/iw500/. About ProQuest ProQuest creates specialized information resources and technologies that propel successful research, discovery, and lifelong learning. A global leader in serving libraries of all types, ProQuest offers the expertise of such respected brands as Chadwyck-Healey™, UMI®, SIRS®, and eLibrary®. With Serials Solutions®, Ulrich's™, RefWorks®, COS™, Dialog® and now Bowker® part of the ProQuest brand family, the company supports the breadth of the information community with innovative discovery solutions that power the business of books and the best in research experience. More than a content provider or aggregator, ProQuest is an information partner, creating indispensable research solutions that connect people and information. Through innovative, user-centered discovery technology, ProQuest offers billions of pages of global content that includes historical newspapers, dissertations, and uniquely relevant resources for researchers of any age and sophistication — including content not likely to be digitized by others. Inspired by its customers and their end users, ProQuest is working toward a future that blends information accessibility with community to further enhance learning and encourage lifelong enrichment. For more information, visit www.proquest.com or the ProQuest parent company website, www.cig.com. About InformationWeek Business Technology Network(http://www.informationweek.com/) |
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“ProQuest is seeing the payoff for its commitment to technology innovation in a number of ways,” said ProQuest’s Chief Information Officer Bipin Patel. “We’ve enabled researchers to accomplish their goals and add to the world’s knowledge; libraries are able to serve their patrons with cutting edge online services; and now, to have this recognition from an esteemed organization such as InformationWeek is truly gratifying. We aim to set the bar ever higher for those serving researchers and this shows us we’re heading in the right direction.”
