Microsoft Corp. and Reed Elsevier, a world-leading publisher, today announced a wide-ranging, multiyear agreement through which Reed Elsevier will utilize Microsoft� technologies as part of its online strategy.

The agreement with Microsoft reinforces a long-standing relationship between the two companies. Reed Elsevier is well-known for its success in developing and delivering online information services for its professional customers. Its online presence has more than quadrupled in the past six years, generating revenues in excess of $3 billion in 2005, accounting for more than 35 percent of its total revenue. The publisher has established a goal of driving that figure to more than 70 percent in the coming years.

�We provide access to a very large collection of proprietary content to millions of professional users around the world. This includes more than 4.6 billion searchable documents through LexisNexis.com and 6.7 million articles through ScienceDirect,� said Keith McGarr, chief technology officer at Reed Elsevier. �Technology from Microsoft has played, and continues to play, a key role in our ongoing, aggressive online strategy.�