Cornerstone Information Systems
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersBloomington, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Cornerstone Information Systems does
Cornerstone Information Systems is a private Bloomington, Indiana-based travel technology company founded in 1995 that builds a cloud-based platform unifying travel operations, spend management, and data management for the corporate travel ecosystem. The company serves over 500 customers globally, including travel management companies (TMCs), online travel agencies (OTAs), corporate travel programs, and leisure agencies, with named enterprise clients such as Expedia, American Express Global Business Travel, U.S. Bank, and Navan. Its product portfolio is anchored by the recently launched Upstream platform, which consolidates booking, expense, ERP, and HR system data into governed data models with AI-driven analytics, and is supported by legacy products including iQCX (quality control and ticketing), iBank (reporting and change management), ApexConnect (expense and integration), and the Cornerstone Hub unified interface.
The platform connects to 63+ systems including all three major GDS providers (Sabre, Amadeus, Travelport), SAP Concur, Workday, Snowflake, and both AWS and Azure, with NDC support across each GDS and the Accelya aggregator. Core technical components include an AI-powered self-healing data engine with anomaly detection, automated policy compliance and schedule change management modules, and pre-built two-way ERP and HR connectors. Cornerstone holds SOC 2 Type II, FISMA, GDPR, and EU-U.S./UK/Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework certifications, with FedRAMP advancement in progress.
The business model combines recurring software subscription fees (monthly hosting), transaction-based billing for services such as QC processing, ticketing, document delivery, schedule change management, and reporting, plus separately billed professional services for implementation, configuration, and consulting. The company sells primarily through direct enterprise field sales with demo-driven engagement, targeting both enterprise and mid-market buyers worldwide. Upstream launched commercially on October 22, 2025, marking the most significant platform modernization in the company's 30-year history.
Cornerstone Information Systems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cornerstone Information Systems
- Legal name
- Cornerstone Information Systems, Inc.
- Website
- https://ciswired.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cornerstone Information Systems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Travel Management Software
- NAICS
- Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (5615), Travel Agencies (56151), All Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (561599), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Travel & Expense (T&E) Management Platforms (THAKANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Online Booking Tools (OBT) & Corporate Booking Platforms (THALANAA), OBT Reporting & Data Export (Booking Data Feeds/BI Connectors) (THACABAL), OBT Approval & Pre-Trip Authorization (In-Tool Workflow) (THACABAG), Travel Policy, Approval & Booking Workflow Tools (THALAMAB)
Keywords
Where Cornerstone Information Systems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bloomington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cornerstone Information Systems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Software Services Subscription: Non-exclusive access to hosted software services including iQCX, iBank, and related platforms. Billed based on transaction counts and monthly hosting fees. Implementation and setup may involve additional professional services fees.
- Transaction-Based Billing: Per-transaction billing for services including QC processing, ticketing, document delivery, data loading, schedule change management, and policy compliance monitoring. Transaction definitions vary by service (e.g., unique PNRs processed, documents sent, records loaded).
- Professional Services: Implementation, configuration, training, project management, and consulting services. Billed separately from software services and may include travel expenses for on-site work with prior client approval.
- Plan Maintenance and Support: Ongoing maintenance releases, bug fixes, and technical support included with active subscriptions. New versions may require additional fees and contract terms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Enterprise subscription with transaction-based pricing |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Professional Services add-on |
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Cornerstone Information Systems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cornerstone Information Systems provides a cloud-based travel operations, spend management, and data platform that unifies booking, expense, ERP, and HR systems for travel management companies, online travel agencies, and corporate travel programs. Its flagship Upstream platform, along with supporting products iQCX (quality control, ticketing, document delivery), iBank (reporting and analytics), ApexConnect (expense integration), and Cornerstone Hub, automates mid-office travel workflows, normalizes data across GDS and NDC sources, and applies AI-driven analytics to deliver visibility into travel program performance.
Product overview
Cornerstone Information Systems offers a unified platform-plus-modules architecture centered on its flagship Upstream platform. Upstream ties together three major areas: Travel Operations, Spend Management, and Data Management into a single platform. Supporting products include iQCX (quality control, ticketing, and document delivery), iBank (reporting and change management), ApexConnect (expense and integration), Policy Compliance Manager, Schedule Change Manager, TicketTRAK, and Farenexus nexusCMT. The Cornerstone Hub provides unified cloud-based access to all technology. The company connects to 40+ systems including GDS providers (Sabre, Amadeus, Travelport), expense platforms (SAP Concur), HR systems (Workday), and other travel technology partners.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Upstream: Cornerstone's next-generation data management platform for travel operations, spend, and data management, launched commercially on October 22, 2025.
- iQCX
- iBank
- ApexConnect
- Schedule Change Manager (SCM)
Products and services
- Upstream Next-generation cloud platform that unifies travel operations, spend management, and data management into a single system. Consolidates booking, expense, ERP, and HR data into well-governed models with AI-driven analytics, automation, NDC support, and enterprise-grade security.
- iQCX Quality control, ticketing, and document delivery platform for travel reservations. Processes PNRs, performs fare savings calculations, issues tickets for NDC and traditional GDS bookings, and delivers itineraries and ticket documents via email.
- iBank Reporting and analytics platform for travel and expense data that loads and processes records from multiple sources. Includes change management for tracking schedule and segment modifications on a daily basis.
- ApexConnect Expense and integration data solution providing connectivity and data management capabilities for expense, ERP, HR, and payment system synchronization.
- Cornerstone Hub Unified cloud-based user interface providing secure access to reporting and analytics across Cornerstone technology, with workflow automation, report creation, and delivery capabilities.
- Policy Compliance Manager (PCM) Policy compliance monitoring and travel authorization management service that captures PNR data and monitors travel policy adherence, billed per transaction beyond an initial threshold.
- Schedule Change Manager (SCM) Automated schedule change detection and handling service for travel reservations, tracking PNR changes and managing schedule modifications in real time.
- TicketTRAK Ticket tracking and management system for ARC, BSP, and non-ARC tickets including MCOs, tracking unique tickets added to the TicketTRAK database.
- Farenexus nexusCMT Integration Commission management service that sends PNRs or bookings to Farenexus Group's nexusCMT software for airline commission calculation and processing.
- Cornerstone Travel Index Benchmarking reports offering insights into travel program performance and industry comparisons for travel program managers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 70% productivity gain through workflow automation
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Cornerstone Information Systems
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Cornerstone Information Systems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
AI capability8 records
Feature12 records
Cornerstone Information Systems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, infrastructure and flagship.
- SabrecoreGDS distribution partner enabling Cornerstone to process NDC bookings and traditional reservations. Sabre NDC support includes ticketing fulfillment, order retrieval, change management, and service fee issuance. Cornerstone connects to Sabre for data acquisition and booking automation.
- AmadeuscoreGDS distribution partner supporting NDC bookings through Amadeus platform. Enables fare quotes, ancillary services via TQM, e-ticket issuance, and robust data capture for NDC bookings. Service fees handled through Amadeus Margin Manager.
- TravelportcoreGDS distribution partner for data capture, QC processing, document delivery, and Data Pump features. Travelport NDC ticketing support is in development.
- SAP ConcurmajorIntegration partner for expense data management. Pre-built connector enables seamless ERP, expense, and HR system synchronization. Supports travel and expense data consolidation for reporting and analytics.
- SnowflakemajorTechnology partnership for cloud data platform integration, enabling scalable data warehousing and analytics capabilities for Cornerstone's travel data management solutions.
- WorkdaymajorIntegration partner for HR and human capital management data. Pre-built connectors enable synchronization with Cornerstone's travel and expense data platform for unified enterprise reporting.
- Amazon Web ServicesinfrastructureCloud infrastructure provider for Cornerstone's hosted software services and data platform. Supports scalable architecture for travel operations and analytics.
- Microsoft AzureinfrastructureCloud infrastructure partner for Cornerstone's hosted services and platform deployment options.
- AccelyamajorAggregator partner for NDC bookings via API integration, enabling PNR retrieval, order management, and change processing. Specific support for data capture and schedule change management.
- UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group)majorIntegration partner for human capital management data, enabling deeper integration of workforce data with travel and expense reporting.
- NavanflagshipStrategic partnership where Cornerstone serves as operational engine for Navan's digitally native travel platform. Cornerstone provides iQCX quality control and ticketing workflows plus Schedule Change Manager for real-time itinerary updates, enabling Navan to scale operations without adding headcount while maintaining exceptional traveler experiences.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cornerstone Information Systems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- CWT: CWT is a global corporate travel management company with proprietary technology platforms for booking, expense, and reporting. It competes with Cornerstone for TMC-side automation contracts and corporate travel data management engagements.
- SAP Concur: SAP Concur is the dominant enterprise expense and travel management platform. While Cornerstone integrates with Concur as a partner, Concur's broader portfolio (Expense, Invoice, Travel) overlaps significantly with Upstream's spend management modules, creating both a channel partner and competitive overlap.
- BCD Travel: BCD Travel is a major corporate TMC investing in proprietary data and reporting platforms. It competes with Cornerstone in the travel operations automation and corporate travel data analytics layers for mid-market and enterprise accounts.
- American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT): Amex GBT is a top-tier TMC and a named Cornerstone customer. Its expanding proprietary technology stack (Egencia spinoff, Neo platform) competes with Cornerstone in mid-office automation, making it both a customer and a vertically-integrating competitor.
Direct peers
- Spotnana: Spotnana is a modern corporate travel platform offering booking, expense, and supplier content aggregation with NDC-native architecture. It directly competes with Cornerstone in the corporate travel data and operations layer, particularly for new digitally-native TMCs and corporate buyers seeking NDC-first solutions.
- Emburse: Emburse (including Chrome River) is a T&E and expense management platform with AI-driven analytics and integrations. It competes with Cornerstone's Upstream spend management module, particularly for organizations prioritizing unified expense, invoice, and payment automation.
- HRS (Hotel Reservation Service): HRS is a corporate hotel booking and payment platform with automation and data capabilities for corporate travel programs. It overlaps with Cornerstone's lodging content aggregation, policy compliance, and spend management offerings for European and global enterprise clients.
- Oversight Systems: Oversight is a T&E audit and analytics platform that uses AI to identify policy violations, fraud, and savings opportunities. It directly competes with Cornerstone's Policy Compliance Manager and spend analytics capabilities for corporate finance and procurement teams.
Emerging players
- Traxo: Traxo is a travel data aggregation platform that captures bookings across all channels (including direct and off-channel). It is both a Cornerstone partner and a partial competitor in unified travel data capture, particularly for corporate leakage detection use cases.
Others
- TripActions (Navan): Navan is a digitally-native corporate travel and expense platform that uses Cornerstone as its operational mid-office engine. While primarily a customer/partner rather than direct competitor, Navan's expanding proprietary capabilities in NDC content and AI travel assistants represent an indirect competitive threat.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cornerstone Information Systems social profiles
Digital presenceCornerstone Information Systems compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
Cornerstone Information Systems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cornerstone Information Systems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Cornerstone Information Systems subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Cornerstone Information Systems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cornerstone Information Systems M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cornerstone Information Systems
What does Cornerstone Information Systems do?
Cornerstone Information Systems provides a cloud-based travel operations, spend management, and data platform that unifies booking, expense, ERP, and HR systems for travel management companies, online travel agencies, and corporate travel programs. Its flagship Upstream platform, along with supporting products iQCX (quality control, ticketing, document delivery), iBank (reporting and analytics), ApexConnect (expense integration), and Cornerstone Hub, automates mid-office travel workflows, normalizes data across GDS and NDC sources, and applies AI-driven analytics to deliver visibility into travel program performance.
Is Cornerstone Information Systems a public or private company?
Cornerstone Information Systems is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cornerstone Information Systems founded?
Cornerstone Information Systems was founded in 1995. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Cornerstone Information Systems based?
Cornerstone Information Systems is headquartered in Bloomington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cornerstone Information Systems make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Software Services Subscription is the primary driver. The others are transaction-Based Billing, professional Services and plan Maintenance and Support.
Who are Cornerstone Information Systems's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are CWT, SAP Concur, BCD Travel and American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT). Direct peers are Spotnana, Emburse, HRS (Hotel Reservation Service) and Oversight Systems. Traxo is listed as an emerging player. TripActions (Navan) is listed as an others.
Does Cornerstone Information Systems have an API?
Yes. Cornerstone offers API-based integrations for NDC bookings via Accelya's API, allowing PNR retrieval, order management, and processing of changes. The platform supports structured data integration for non-GDS records through dedicated connectors being developed for staging non-GDS data in structured formats.
What industry is Cornerstone Information Systems in?
Cornerstone Information Systems's product category is Travel Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKANAA, Corporate Travel & Expense (T&E) Management Platforms, with a secondary code of THALANAA, Online Booking Tools (OBT) & Corporate Booking Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5615 and its SIC code is 7370.