About

As America entered the 1930's, the effects of rivalry and economic depression on both R.G. Dun and The Bradstreet Companies could no longer be ignored. In 1933, the arch competitors merged to form Dun & Bradstreet. The merger was engineered by Dun's CEO Arthur Whiteside. Using his first-rate diplomatic skills, Whiteside was able to broker a deal with the company's long-lasting and foremost competitor. Whereas previously both companies sold "products," Whiteside increasingly emphasized "service." With great leadership, he led Dun & Bradstreet out of the depression and into the Information Age.

Technology-Fueled Growth

The rapid development of computing and communications technology in the post-war era has been central to the growth of Dun & Bradstreet. During the past 50 years of Dun & Bradstreet’s history, increases in the speed and volume of cross-border communications have influenced our evolution from a provider of credit reports to a leader in the international information industry.

The 1960's - 1970's: A time of explosive growth. Whiteside's successor, J. Wilson Newman, recognized that Dun & Bradstreet needed to take risks and increase its range of products and services. Overall, Dun & Bradstreet expanded dramatically during the 1960's by engineering ways to apply new technologies to evolving operations. In 1963, the introduction of the Data Universal Numbering System – The D&B D-U-N-S^® Number – to identify businesses numerically for data-processing purposes helped bring business information into the computer age. This unique business identification system proved so useful that today the Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S Number has become a standard business identifier for the United Nations, the European Commission and the U.S. Government.

By the 1970's, Dun & Bradstreet had established its commitment to new technology. A new "Advanced Office System" (AOS) fully computerized our data-collection operations, providing the ability to link and analyze categories of information in entirely new ways, and to deliver information to customers faster and more economically.

A New Millennium, A New Dun & Bradstreet

Dun & Bradstreet has undergone a period of restructuring in recent years, creating a more tightly focused company. Just before the turn of the century, A.C. Nielsen, Cognizant, Reuben H. Donnelley and Moody's Corporation were all spun off to allow each company to pursue focused strategies for its specific business.

In February 2014, Dun & Bradstreet launched a new strategy to drive long-term sustainable growth and to become one global company delivering indispensable content through modern channels to serve new customer needs. We are focused on the commercial marketplace, helping our customers and partners to build their most valuable relationships by continuing to be the world's largest and best provider of insight about businesses.

300 Million Business Records … and Counting

We also are constantly expanding the size and improving the quality of our global database. Our global database exceeded 300 million businesses worldwide. And we believe in accompanying those records and associated analytics with the high-quality service that is our hallmark.