The global IT firm that does everything from server maintenance to loan processing to business process outsourcing made its debut on Fortune's Fastest Growing Companies list in 2003. It's held on to a place on the list every single year since then.
Now in the bottom quarter, it isn't ranked as highly as in most past years, but 2010 was still good to Cognizant. Its revenues grew by 40%, the company brought on a record 120 new clients, and it hired 25,000 employees. Most of the New Jersey-based firm's employees work from India, and the company has benefited from significant demand for outsourcing to the region.
Fortune's annual roster of high performers reveals the promising saplings that are rising in a difficult economy and some stalwarts that deliver year after year.
