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Local Tech Wire

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – , a global provider of clinical trials, drug research and other services to life science companies, is developing quite a reputation as an innovator of information technology.

The latest recognition came Monday night in California at the unveiling of the annual for the nation’s most innovative IT users. Quintiles placed 50th. It’s the first time Quintiles has made the list, which has been published for 21 years.

IBM, which employs some 10,000 people in the Triangle region, placed 40th.

Lowe’s, meanwhile, came in 42nd.

Two other North Carolina companies cracked the top 250 – Harris Stratex Networks, which focuses on wireless networks and is based in RTP, finished 175th. Martin Marietta, which has its headquarters in Raleigh, was selected 179th.

Earlier this year, Quintiles was ranked 16th as Best Place to Work in IT by ComperWorld. It also was a finalist in a Best Places to Work in IT list by Computer Weekly.

Quintiles Chief Information Officer Bill Deam hailed the InformationWeek selection.

“The InformationWeek recognition is important because it demonstrates that Quintiles’ IT group is very capable of thinking outside the box to dramatically change the way we conduct clinical trials,” Deam told Local Tech Wire and WRAL.com. “It is confirmation that an IT organization can contribute to genuine innovation. In our case, that innovation is a significant change in the way Quintiles does business.”

InformationWeek cited Quintiles for its use of IT to reduce time-to-market for new drugs without sacrificing quality and maintaining efficiency.

"What defines the leaders in the InformationWeek 500 is an intense focus on customers and a relentless desire to innovate, even in a brutal economy," said Rob Preston, editor in chief of InformationWeek. "Year after year, InformationWeek 500 companies harness technology to improve efficiency, boost productivity, drive revenue, and establish a competitive advantage. We applaud this year’s winners, and the CIOs and other executives whose ingenuity and risk taking are at the center of business technology innovation."

The InformationWeek Top 10:

1. CME Group Inc.
2. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
3. The Progressive Group of Insurance Cos.
4. Wells Fargo & Co.
5. Salesforce.com Inc.
6. J.C. Penney Company Inc.
7. Harleysville Group Inc.
8. The Coca-Cola Co.
9. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)
10. FedEx Corp.