Dun and Bradstreet's Data Universal Numbering System, or DUNS, has become the worldwide standard in business credit management. Over 200 million businesses worldwide use this system during daily business operations. Each company must register with Dun and Bradstreet to acquire a DUNS number. Once a company is in the system, potential customers and service providers may look up the company' financial information to determine further credit limits and business creditworthiness.
Dun and Bradstreet offers a free service to business professionals who are researching other companies. From any page on the Dun and Bradstreet website, www.dnb.com, look in the upper right-hand corner for a company search box. After entering the legal name of the business and the state in which it operates, you will be required to log in to acquire the number. If you haven't yet created a user ID, you will be required to do so at this time. Once you are logged in, you will request the DUNS number for the company selected. The number will be emailed to the address on file within a few minutes.
