HDI

What HDI does

HDI is a professional association and training organization founded in 1989 that serves the IT service and support industry, providing certification, training, consulting, industry events, and community for IT support professionals, service desk managers, and enterprise IT organizations. Its core offerings include a portfolio of certification and training courses delivered through in-person, virtual, and self-paced digital formats; the annual HDI Service & Support World conference (both in-person in Las Vegas and virtual); local chapters and HDIConnect community programs; and consulting services spanning HealthCheck operational assessments, Best Practices assessments, AI Optimization assessments, and the biannual Support Center Certification program. The organization is headquartered in Colorado Springs and operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary within Informa TechTarget, the digital business of UK-listed Informa PLC, giving it access to a network of 220+ online properties serving more than 50 million professionals.

HDI generates revenue through four primary streams: (1) training and certification fees, including instructor-led courses, certification testing, and digital learning delivered through a faculty of certified instructors; (2) project-based consulting engagements such as HealthCheck audits, Best Practices assessments, and Support Center Certification audits; (3) events and conferences, including attendee registrations, exhibitor sales, and sponsorship for HDI Service & Support World; and (4) annual membership subscriptions that bundle conference discounts (up to $800), free webinars, local chapter access, and exclusive training pricing. Distribution is multi-channel: direct self-serve purchase through thinkhdi.com, three U.S. territory-based account managers for enterprise training (West, South, Northeast regions plus select Canadian provinces), a separate consulting sales team, and a community-led motion through local chapters and HDIConnect that drives word-of-mouth referrals and professional engagement.

The business serves a horizontally-segmented market of IT support professionals and the enterprises that employ them. Named enterprise customers surfaced through awards and certification case studies include Unisys (3.7/4 certification rating, 30% above industry benchmarks), Property Meld (2026 Best Service and Support Organization), Farm Credit Mid-America, and Vertex Inc. HDI's competitive positioning rests on three pillars: 36 years of brand equity as the first professional association for technical support, a layered community ecosystem that creates switching costs for certified professionals, and the distribution leverage of its Informa TechTarget parent. AI is positioned as a consulting and curriculum theme rather than a proprietary product capability, with the 2025 AI Optimization Assessment service representing the most direct exposure to the AI opportunity.

Name

HDI

Legal name

HDI c/o Informa

Website

https://thinkhdi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

HDI is a professional association and training organization, founded in 1989 and owned by Informa TechTarget, that provides certification, training, consulting, and community for IT service and support professionals and the enterprises that employ them.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Service Management Training and Certification

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Managed IT Services & On‑Site Field Support (Helpdesk, Break/Fix, IMAC) (EDAEAHAJ)

Keywords

• IT support training
• ITSM consulting services
• Service desk certification
• Technical support certification
• Support center consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Training and Certification: HDI generates revenue through certification testing fees, instructor-led and digital training courses, and course materials. Training is offered across multiple formats including in-person, virtual, and self-paced digital learning. The organization has a faculty of certified instructors.
2. Consulting Services: HDI provides paid consulting engagements including HealthCheck assessments, Best Practices assessments, Service Management Consulting, and Support Center Certification audits. These are project-based professional services engagements.
3. Events and Conferences: HDI hosts major industry conferences including HDI Service & Support World (annual in-person and virtual events). Revenue comes from attendee registrations, exhibitor sales, and sponsorship packages.
4. Membership: HDI offers membership programs that provide benefits including conference discounts (up to $800 off), free webinars, access to local chapters, and exclusive training discounts. Annual membership fees support ongoing community engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HDI is a professional association and training organization that delivers IT service and support training courses, certification testing programs, and consulting services to IT support professionals and their organizations. It also operates the annual HDI Service & Support World conference (in-person in Las Vegas and virtual), local chapter communities, the SupportWorld content library, and a membership program providing discounts, webinars, and networking. The organization is 100% dedicated to the IT support and service management industry.

Product overview

HDI is a comprehensive professional development and certification organization for the IT service and support community, offering a platform-plus-services model. The core offerings include training and certification programs for IT support professionals, the annual HDI Service & Support World conference (both in-person and virtual), local chapter communities for networking and peer learning, and consulting services including HealthCheck assessments, Best Practices Assessment, AI Optimization Assessment, and Support Center Certification. Additional offerings include the SupportWorld resource library, webinars, HDI LinkUp virtual networking, monthly Idea Exchanges, and recognition awards including the HDI Team Certified Award and Global Service and Support Awards. The organization operates as part of Informa TechTarget.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HDI Training & Certification Comprehensive training courses and certification programs for IT service and support professionals, including role-based curricula for analysts, supervisors, managers, and directors; instructor-led, virtual, and self-paced digital formats; certification testing; and a faculty of certified instructors.
• HDI Service & Support World Annual premier conference for IT service management, customer experience, and technical support professionals offering education, networking, exhibitor expo halls, and awards ceremonies. Offered both in-person in Las Vegas and as a virtual event.
• HDI Local Chapters Local community chapters providing regular meetups, peer networking, mentorship, and professional development for IT and support professionals. Available in both in-person local chapters and virtual chapter formats.
• HDI Consulting Services IT support and service management consulting engagements including AI Optimization Assessment, HealthCheck analysis, Best Practices Assessment, Service Management Consulting, and Support Center Certification audits, delivered to enterprise IT organizations.
• Support Center Certification Biannual certification program that validates IT support center/service desk performance against industry benchmarks and provides an overall performance and maturity rating.
• HDI HealthCheck Consulting assessment providing quick analysis of operational effectiveness across five categories: Structure and Strategy, Frameworks/Methodologies/Performance, Practices/Processes/Procedures, Staffing/Training, and Systems/Technology.
• AI Optimization Assessment Consulting service helping organizations evaluate and optimize their AI implementations for service desk and support operations.
• Best Practices Assessment Consulting engagement that benchmarks an organization's IT support practices against HDI's published best practices frameworks and delivers recommendations.
• Service Management Consulting Broader IT service management consulting engagements covering strategy, process design, and operational improvement for IT support organizations.
• SupportWorld Research and resource library covering Support Center, Desktop Support, Service Management, Customer Experience, Workforce Enablement, Metrics, Technology, and Infographics topics for IT service and support professionals.
• HDI Webinars Educational webinar sessions covering industry trends, best practices, and professional development topics for IT service and support professionals. Free for members.
• HDI LinkUp Monthly virtual networking program that matches IT and support professionals into informal groups of 4-5 for virtual coffee meetings with conversation prompts and facilitation, free for members.
• HDI Membership Annual membership program providing benefits including conference discounts (up to $800 off), free webinars, access to local chapters, and exclusive training discounts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organizations achieving HDI certification outperform industry benchmarks by 30%
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Informa TechTargetcoreOthersHDI is owned and operated by Informa TechTarget, which powers an unparalleled network of 220+ online properties covering 10,000+ granular topics, serving an audience of 50+ million professionals. This parent company relationship provides HDI with extensive distribution reach and content infrastructure.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• itSMF International: itSMF is an international membership organization for IT service management professionals, running local chapters, events, and certification programs that mirror HDI's community-led professional association model.
• AXELOS: AXELOS owns the ITIL framework and global Best Practice portfolio, offering ITSM certifications, training, and consulting that directly compete with HDI's certification and training programs for the same IT service management professional audience.
• Pink Elephant: Pink Elephant is a long-standing ITSM specialist offering ITIL training, consulting, and conferences that compete head-to-head with HDI's training, certification, and consulting offerings in the IT support and service management space.
• Global Knowledge: Global Knowledge is a major global IT training provider offering instructor-led and virtual courses across ITSM, cloud, and security — directly comparable to HDI's training business in format, audience, and enterprise sales motion.
• ICMI (International Customer Management Institute): ICMI is the contact center equivalent of HDI, offering training, certification, consulting, and events for customer service / contact center professionals. ICMI is explicitly mentioned alongside HDI as part of the same Informa TechTarget organizational ecosystem.
• Consortium for Service Innovation (KCS): The Consortium for Service Innovation owns the Knowledge-Centered Service (KCS) methodology and runs KCS certifications, training, and community programs that are directly comparable to HDI's service desk best-practice certifications and member education.
• Service Desk Institute (SDI): SDI is a UK-headquartered professional association for service desk and IT support professionals, offering certifications, training, and industry events that are directly comparable to HDI's service desk certification and community model.

Broad incumbents

• BMC Software: BMC is an established IT service management platform vendor (Helix ITSM) with its own training and certification programs that overlap with HDI's audience of IT support professionals as part of a broader enterprise software portfolio.
• ServiceNow: ServiceNow is a leading ITSM platform vendor with its own extensive certification and training ecosystem (Certified System Administrator, Certified Implementation Specialist) that competes for IT support professionals' certification spending as part of a broader platform portfolio.
• CompTIA: CompTIA is a large, established IT certification body offering vendor-neutral credentials (A+, Network+, Security+, etc.) that compete with HDI's certifications for the same IT professionals' training budget, but at a much broader IT scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@hdiofficial6672
• Facebookfacebook.com/ThinkHDI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hdi
• Xx.com/thinkhdi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HDI