2009 Australia National Winner
QSR International
Innovative research organisation claims top spot at Australian Dell Small Business Excellence Awards
Australian qualitative data analysis software developer QSR International is the winner of the Second Annual Dell Small Business Excellence Award in Australia.
QSR will now represent Australia in the 2009 Global Dell Small Business Excellence Award and compete against national winners from 12 other countries across Europe, North America and Asia.
QSR International develops its qualitative data analysis software NVivo end-to-end in Australia and exports it to more than 150 countries, maintaining a 49% global market share. It counts some of the world's most respected research organizations as clients, including Yale University, the Children's Hospital Boston, and the Chronic Poverty Research Centre.
Deborah Harrigan, Dell’s general manager, Small to Medium Business division for Australia and New Zealand, said the company was awarded first prize in recognition of its ability to use technology to better serve its customers.
“QSR represents outstanding achievement in small business innovation and is a true example of how a small business can become a global leader through innovative use of technology," she said.
"QSR has been able to build on the success of its software year after year to become the world’s biggest operator in its field, a great feat for a small business. This company is an excellent example of how Australian small businesses can lead the world in innovation."
QSR International CEO John Owen said the company was thrilled to have been recognized by Dell, the Small Enterprise Association of Australia and New Zealand (SEAANZ) and EXCOM Education. The title is accompanied by $25,000 in Dell products and services, consulting time with Chairman and CEO Michael Dell, and support from other award partners.
"We're an Australian business with a big global footprint and our success has been almost entirely attributable to innovation – not only in the way we use technology in our software, but in the way it's factored into every facet of the business – from sales and marketing, to the delivery of support and training. We even use our own software to analyze our customers' feedback when designing and developing new products," he said.
QSR's NVivo software allows users to import and analyze video, audio, images and text side-by-side. Its powerful analysis tools help users to interrogate their data - testing out theories, identifying trends and cross-examining information.
The software is used in projects addressing some of the world's most pressing issues, including poverty in Africa, defense-related projects in America, and climate adaptability in Australia.
Speaking at today's awards function, Mr. Owen told attendees that QSR's flexibility and strong focus on finding new ways to meet its clients' changing needs through technology had contributed to its success.
"We operate in a fast-paced environment and one that's been revolutionized by digital data sources in recent years. Being a small business can be an advantage – our size has certainly allowed us to be flexible and responsive and consistently set the bar in our market," he said.
"We are delighted to have been recognized for this, and to represent Australia in the Global Dell Small Business Excellence Award. It's a great achievement and also recognizes the impact that small to medium businesses can have on the world stage."
QSR International will now compete with other national winners from Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States for the 2009 Global Dell Small Business Excellence Award in the US in Fall 2009. The global title is accompanied by US$50,000 in Dell technology, as well as services and benefits from global partners.
Information: www.qsrinternational.com or www.dell.com.au/sbaward.
Quick facts about QSR International
• QSR International has offices in Europe, North America and Australia.
• The company is the world’s largest qualitative research software developer.
• QSR was the first to deliver qualitative research software programs in Japanese and Simplified Chinese. The company's NVivo 8 software is also available in English, German, French, and Spanish.
• QSR’s flagship products – NVivo and XSight – are sold in more than 150 countries.
• More than 400,000 customers use QSR software and more than 500 organizations hold site licenses for its products.
• QSR customers are drawn from the academic, government and commercial sectors and its largest geographic markets are Europe, the United States and Australasia.
• QSR International has patents pending on a range of unique technological inventions.
• QSR is the most published software developer in the qualitative research field - its software is cited in textbooks, research literature, journals and blogs worldwide.
• QSR International is the only developer in its field to earn Microsoft Gold Partner status and ISV competency.
• All QSR software developers are Microsoft Certified Professionals and all software testers have International Software Testing Qualifications Board certifications.
• An early adopter of emerging technology, QSR was amongst the first software developers in the world to utilize .Net and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express. The company was also the first in its field to develop software using Microsoft XP guidelines and to receive Microsoft’s Certified for Vista accreditation.
• QSR won the Information and Communications Technology category at the Governor of Victoria Export Awards in 2008, 2006 and 2001. It was highly commended in the same category in 2004 and 2002. The company was also selected as a finalist in the Applications and Infrastructure Tools category in the 2007 Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) iAwards and its XSight software was selected as a finalist in the 2007 MRS/ASC Technology Effectiveness Awards in the United Kingdom.
• While QSR International was formally established in 1995, the company has its origins in 1981 – when the first software product, NUD*IST, was developed.
Please note a media backgrounder on QSR International follows.
