10 Most Reputable Tech Companies in the US
(Image: David Armano via Flickr)
The Reputation Institute has announced its annual list of the 25 most reputable tech companies in the US. We're highlighting the companies that made it into the top 10 on The 2015 US Technology RepTrak. It's a set of companies that is very different than the list that we posted a few months ago of companies where IT pros most want to work. Clearly, a company's reputation among IT pros is not the same as the reputation it has among the general public.
The Technology RepTrak rankings are drawn from a larger survey that also provides ratings used in the organization's overall 2015 US 100 most reputable companies. For its overall rankings, the Reputation Institute surveyed 50,000 people in first quarter 2015 and received a total of 80,000 ratings (respondents were allowed to rate more than one company). Business-to-consumer and business-to-business tech companies were evaluated. In addition to the technology section and the US 100, the survey was also used to compile reputation rankings for US businesses in the consumer goods, industrial, healthcare, and hospitality industries, among other sectors.
The survey asked respondents to rate companies in seven categories: products/services, innovation, workplace, governance, citizenship, leadership, and financial performance. The Institute considers these seven categories to have direct influence on the profitability of a company because they affect a customer's decisions to buy their offerings or invest in the company. Scoring high in these categories also helps a company weather a crisis or inspire a recommendation from a customer, according to the Institute.
The Reputation Institute makes some interesting choices for its list of most reputable tech companies. For example, although Amazon.com is ranked No. 1 on the overall US 100, it's not included at all on the list of top tech companies. Similarly, Netflix, which ranks at No. 15 on the US 100, seems to belong on the tech list. Granted, it is harder and harder these days to find a company that isn't, on one level, a technology company. But these two especially seemed like odd choices to leave off a list of tech companies. With its Amazon Web Services, at least, Amazon is a technology services provider.
There are also big tech names that didn't make the cut of the Top 10 technology companies, including Apple, which was ranked No. 21 in technology and No. 187 on the US 100. Apple scored high on product and innovation, but received low scores for corporate citizenship and governance. This may hint at a decline for Apple in the long run, especially when you see that their major competitors in mobile are all ranked in the top 10.
One thing you'll see in the list of 10 most reputable tech companies is that some of InformationWeek's favorite targets for criticism are highly ranked, causing me to wonder if there is a delay in the public's understanding of where a company fits at a given moment. In fact, some companies on the list that seem…old school. Check out the Top 10, and tell us whether you agree with the names on the list, and how you would change it.
10. Toshiba
Toshiba's presence on the list shows that for Americans, and for the Reputation Institute, "technology" still means computers. Toshiba is the fifth largest PC maker in the world. It also has quite a lot invested in points of sale and smart meters, but truthfully, the average American doesn't see that. Seeing companies such as Toshiba and Dell (No. 13) on the list reinforces the idea that Americans are still adjusting to what technology is all about.
9. Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments is the third largest semiconductor maker in the world, but we're guessing it's on the list because Americans have one of its calculators gathering dust somewhere. TI deserves credit for being founded in 1930 and still ranking as a Top 10 technology company.
8. Adobe
Adobe finds itself on a lot of these lists. Adobe's CEO Shantanu Narayen made the list of top tech CEOs. Despite numerous security flaws and breaches, the company's reputation is still going strong.
7. NCR
The National Cash Register company has been around since 1884 and has been part of the point-of-sale experience for more than a century. NCR was once so dominant it was found to have violated the Sherman Antitrust Act and had more than 95% of the US market. It won its case on an appeal, and got into the computing business because of the Army's need for quick calculating machines during World War II.
6. Intel
The Intel Inside marketing campaign alone probably merits it a spot on this list. As Intel continues to be challenged by smaller, mobile-friendly chips, its reputation lives on. Those mobile-ready chipmakers are nowhere to be found on this list.
5. SAP
SAP's software is often accused of being difficult for the average user to learn, but clearly the ubiquity of SAP in the enterprise puts it in good stead. And, clearly, US workers are used to it, and happy to have it. SAP also has a pretty great reputation for corporate citizenship.
4. Google
It is no surprise a tech powerhouse such as Google hits the top of this list. Google's products are everywhere, generally free, and infiltrate everyone's life. Although Google's been targeted by some critics over privacy issues, this seems to not be a major concern for the average consumer.
3. Microsoft
Another tech giant near the top of the list. Microsoft has survived Vista. It has survived Windows 8. It has survived the rise of mobile. And it maintains a very high reputation among consumers. Of course, that reputation isn't making anyone buy a Windows phone.
2. Hewlett-Packard
Despite huge money troubles, layoffs of about 10% of its workforce, multiple reorganizations, and a potential breakup, HP is still strong in the eyes of the consumer. This is the biggest sign of a disconnect or a delay factor in the rankings. The average consumer knows their HP printer works. They don't know the trouble HP is going through.
1. Samsung
The quickest way to get into the hearts and minds of your customers is to manufacture the smartphones in their hands and the TVs on their walls. This may point to a long-term problem for Apple, as Samsung ranks nearly as high in innovation and much higher in corporate citizenship and governance than Apple does. Whether this is earned, or whether Apple faces more criticism over how its products are made, is up for debate. The public is clearly hearing and seeing things in Apple it doesn't like as much, while its largest competitor rises to the top of the reputation heap.
Conclusion
What do you think? Do you care what non-IT people think of a technology company? Do these rankings cause you to consider NCR or Samsung differently than you might have before? Since non-techies do most of the buying in the world, should we care more about what regular people think than what techies think? Who would you put at the top of the list? Tell us all about it in the comments section below.