Adding the Web to data verification sources

NetProspex, which provides crowd-sourced online contact data for B2B marketers, uses a proprietary platform to verify and update information submitted by users. In 2010, NetProspex decided to integrate Web-based data sources--in addition to e-mail and phone sources--into its data verification process. The company realized that the Internet would provide an additional layer of data validation because the content is regularly refreshed.

At first, NetProspex investigated the possibility of developing Web data crawling and extraction technology in house, but decided that designing such a solution would be time-consuming and resource-intensive. The company also considered using open-source crawling tools, but concluded that this approach could require extensive customization.

NetProspex eventually decided to deploy a Web data collection and monitoring system from Connotate to help validate data. With specific requirements for the types of data to collect, NetProspex subscribed to two active intelligent agents, which it created with the help of Connotate.

Greg Rublev, director of product for NetProspex, says, “For us, it was better to use an out-of-the-box solution, which Connotate provides. Even though the solution is out of the box, it is customizable for the kind of data we want to crawl and extract. The data is very accurate, and the company quickly delivered value to our operational processes.”

Rublev adds, “The great thing about the solution is that it was able to deliver accurate results despite our highly specific information demands. All we had to do was define the problem, and Connotate built the right data subscriptions to address it.”