17 Years: One of the Most Innovative Users of IT

The Principal Financial Group® ranks 56th on this year’s InformationWeek Elite 100 – a list of the top business technology innovators in the U.S. This is the 17th year The Principal® has been on InformationWeek’s list, formally the InformationWeek 500.

“Innovation is a key component of The Principal’s business strategy, so we are very pleased to be recognized for using technology to accelerate change,” said Gary Scholten, executive vice president and chief information officer at The Principal. “We have great examples of innovative use of technology across our businesses.”

Key contributors to The Principal’s InformationWeek Elite 100 recognition are the successful implementation of:

• Global Research Platform (GRP), a complex research infrastructure, employs optimized data appliance technology to accelerate processing.
• eAdmin group benefits system automates the processing of employer electronic data files to update our administration systems.
• Online document tool with eSignature capability designed to reduce the administrative burden of retirement plan fiduciaries.

“Digital businesses are adept at using the web in conjunction with mobile, social, analytics, and other technologies to not only boost sales, but also change their relationships with customers,” said InformationWeek Editor In Chief Rob Preston. “The 2014 InformationWeek Elite 100 highlights companies that are leading this digital business revolution, redefining business models and reshaping industries.”

This is InformationWeek’s 26th year identifying and honoring the nation's most innovative users of information technology. For 2014, this assessment was narrowed to 100 more elite organizations. The InformationWeek Elite 100 research tracks the technology-based investments, strategies, and results of some of the best-known organizations in the country. Unique among corporate rankings, the InformationWeek Elite 100 spotlights the power of business technology innovation.

Additional details on the InformationWeek Elite 100 can be found online at http://www.informationweek.com/elite100.

About the Principal Financial Group

The Principal Financial Group® (The Principal®)1 is a global investment management leader offering retirement services, insurance solutions and asset management. The Principal offers businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement, asset management and insurance through its diverse family of financial services companies. Founded in 1879 and a member of the FORTUNE 500®, the Principal Financial Group has $483.2 billion in assets under management2 and serves some 19.4 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.

About InformationWeek

For more than 30 years, InformationWeek has provided millions of IT executives worldwide with the insight and perspective they need to leverage the business value of technology. InformationWeek provides CIOs and IT executives with commentary, analysis and research through its thriving online community, digital issues, webcasts, proprietary research and live, in-person events. InformationWeek’s award-winning editorial coverage can be found at www.informationweek.com.

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1 “The Principal Financial Group” and “The Principal” are registered service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.

2 As of Dec. 31, 2013.