TEANECK, N.J., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH), a leading provider of consulting, technology, and business process outsourcing services, has been ranked a leader in enterprise application testing services in an IDC MarketScape analysis of 13 global third-party testing firms.

"IDC views Cognizant as one of the leading players with major market momentum that is helping drive efficient process and workflow into its global testing services practice," according to "IDC MarketScape: Global Testing Services, 2010 Vendor Analysis" by Rona Shuchat, Mukesh Dialani, and Melinda-Carol Ballou.

"Cognizant has been growing at an accelerated pace in testing services as well as across its ADM service lines," the report says. "A key part of Cognizant's approach is to adapt to the QA maturity level of its clients, engaging systematically to find ways to reduce inefficiencies and waste, in turn supporting redirection of investment toward business priorities. To this end, Cognizant works at creating client communities, sharing best practices in how to overcome internal customer challenges."

"Its testing practice is aligned with industries of specialization – such as financial services, healthcare, manufacturing/retail, telecommunications, and media and entertainment. This vertical alignment parallels its broader vertical sales strategy, enabling it to leverage its domain expertise and domain-aligned testing model," says the report. "As a result of its deep and focused solution content, Cognizant 2.0 process orchestration framework, and go-to-market strategy, Cognizant ranks in the leadership quadrant in our IDC enterprise application services assessment, for both discrete and embedded views."

"We are delighted to be recognized as a leader in IDC MarketScape's comprehensive global survey," said Sumithra Gomatam, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Cognizant's Testing Practice. "At a time when our clients are facing increasing economic, industry, and technology shifts, we have focused our global testing team on helping our clients champion software quality and, in the process, build more effective businesses.

"Our highly experienced testers, consulting expertise, and robust testing processes, methodologies, tools, and frameworks help us enhance testing efficiency and precision, reduce costs, decrease cycle times, and provide our clients with superior software quality," Sumithra added. "Thanks to our expertise on both the business and technical sides of testing, we have been able to create enterprise-wide managed test centers and expand our service portfolios to related areas such as test environment management and cloud-based testing."

The report, "IDC MarketScape: Global Testing Services, 2010 Vendor Analysis," by Rona Shuchat, Mukesh Dialani, and Melinda-Carol Ballou, July 2010, IDC #223954, Volume: 1, Application Outsourcing Services: Competitive Analysis, is available from IDC at www.idc.com.

About IDC MarketScape

IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor's position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.

About Cognizant's Testing Practice

Cognizant's Testing practice is an independent business unit within Cognizant, focused on verification and validation of applications. With the establishment of this business unit in 2001, Cognizant pioneered the concept of an independent Testing practice. Since then Cognizant's Testing practice has grown organically to more than 12,000 career testers, testing code written by Cognizant as well as by third parties, including clients and competitors. Over 75 percent of the code tested by Cognizant is developed by clients or third-party vendors. Cognizant's Testing practice is organized by areas of industry specialization such as financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, telecommunication, and media and entertainment. This alignment helps leverage Cognizant's domain expertise and provide domain-aligned testing, a critical success factor for independent software testing.

About Cognizant

Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process outsourcing services. Cognizant's single-minded passion is to dedicate our global technology and innovation know-how, our industry expertise and worldwide resources to working together with clients to make their businesses stronger. With over 50 global delivery centers and approximately 88,700 employees as of June 30, 2010, we combine a unique global delivery model infused with a distinct culture of customer satisfaction. A member of the NASDAQ-100 Index and S&P 500 Index, Cognizant is a Forbes Global 2000 company and a member of the Fortune 1000 and is ranked among the top information technology companies in BusinessWeek's Hot Growth and Top 50 Performers listings. Visit us online at www.cognizant.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes statements which may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the accuracy of which are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied include general economic conditions and the factors discussed in our most recent Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Cognizant undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE Cognizant