What InformIT does

InformIT is the online presence and e-commerce platform for Pearson Education's family of information technology publishing brands. Founded in 1999 and based in Indianapolis, the platform aggregates content from Pearson imprints including Addison-Wesley Professional, Cisco Press, Microsoft Press, Que, Sams Publishing, Adobe Press, Peachpit Press, FT Press, and Pearson IT Certification. It sells physical books, eBooks (delivered with customer-specific watermarking as a DRM mechanism), streaming video training courses, and digital practice tests targeting IT professionals, software developers, system administrators, network engineers, and certification candidates preparing for vendor exams from Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA, AWS, Oracle, and Red Hat.

The platform operates a direct-to-consumer storefront at InformIT.com supported by enterprise bulk sales ([email protected]) and academic distribution channels through Pearson sales representatives. Products are priced transactionally on a one-time/perpetual license basis: books typically range $35-$64, eBooks around $38-$48, and premium video courses $159-$399, with bundle discounts combining print and digital formats. Underlying technology includes watermarked eBook delivery, online video streaming with downloadable lesson content, web-based browser-readable editions, and account-based digital product access. InformIT employs 51-100 people and ships internationally, though some geographies are restricted by embargo laws and distribution rights.

InformIT generates revenue through four primary streams: book sales (print and digital), eBook sales, online video training, and practice test bundles for certification prep. Marketing is conducted via email newsletters, an affiliate program, content marketing through free article previews and sample chapters, and vendor-aligned promotional campaigns. As a wholly-owned brand within Pearson Education, Inc. (a subsidiary of publicly traded Pearson plc, NYSE: PSO), InformIT does not operate with independent capitalization or its own public reporting; its strategic direction is set within the broader Pearson Education portfolio of IT learning resources.

Name

InformIT

Legal name

Pearson Education, Inc.

Website

https://informit.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

InformIT is Pearson Education's online storefront for IT learning content, selling books, eBooks, video training, and certification practice tests across imprints like Addison-Wesley Professional, Cisco Press, and Microsoft Press to IT professionals, developers, and certification candidates worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technology Publishing & Learning Content

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

IT, Software & Cybersecurity Reference (Cert Guides, Admin Manuals, Dev Docs) (EDAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Computer Science, IT & Data Science (EDAGABAB)

Keywords

• Technology publishing
• IT certification training
• Programming books
• Video training courses
• Digital learning content

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Physical and digital book sales across technology topics including programming, data science, cloud computing, security, and networking. Published under Pearson imprints including Addison-Wesley Professional, Cisco Press, Microsoft Press, Que, and Sams Publishing.
2. Video Training: Online video courses with expert-led instruction covering certification prep, programming, cloud technologies, and development tools. Courses available as streaming video with lesson downloads.
3. eBook Sales: Digital book formats including EPUB and PDF delivered electronically. Bundle options available combining print and digital formats at discounted pricing.
4. Practice Tests: Digital practice tests for IT certification exam preparation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

InformIT is the online e-commerce platform for Pearson's family of IT publishers, selling physical books, eBooks (EPUB/PDF), expert-led video training courses, and digital practice tests across programming, data science, cloud computing, networking, security, and IT certification domains. Products are sold under established Pearson imprints including Addison-Wesley Professional, Microsoft Press, Cisco Press, Que, Sams Publishing, and Pearson IT Certification.

Product overview

InformIT is Pearson's online platform for technology learning content, offering a portfolio of books, eBooks, video training courses, and practice tests across multiple imprints (Addison-Wesley Professional, Microsoft Press, Cisco Press, Que, Sams, Peachpit Press, Adobe Press, FT Press, Pearson IT Certification). The platform serves IT professionals and developers with certification exam preparation, programming tutorials, cloud computing training, and emerging technology topics including AI/ML, data science, and cybersecurity. Products include physical and digital formats with watermarked eBooks, streaming video, and downloadable software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Technology Books Physical technology book publications covering programming, data science, cloud computing, networking, security, and IT certification topics. Published under Pearson imprints including Addison-Wesley Professional, Microsoft Press, Cisco Press, Que, and Sams Publishing. Pricing typically $35.99-$63.99.
• eBooks Digital book formats including EPUB and PDF delivered electronically with personalized watermarking containing customer name for DRM-free access. Available as standalone purchase or bundled with print edition at discounted pricing.
• Video Training Courses Expert-led online video tutorials covering technology topics including programming, web development, IT certification, network security, cloud computing, AI/ML, and data science. Streaming video accessible from account page after purchase with downloadable video clips and structured lesson content. Individual courses priced $159.99-$319.99.
• Practice Tests Digital practice test bundles for IT certification exam preparation covering Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA, AWS, and other certification vendors.
• Web Editions Web-based editions of books accessible through browser for convenient online reading without downloading software.
• Data Analytics Toolkit: From Excel to Python, R, and Tableau New book publication teaching data analytics skills across four platforms (Excel, Tableau, Python, R) through hands-on case studies. Published by Addison-Wesley Professional.
• Python Data Visualization Video Course Video training course covering Python data visualization using pandas, matplotlib, seaborn, bokeh, and plotly. 6+ hours of video instruction for creating impactful visuals, animations and dashboards.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP) Fundamentals Video Course, 3rd Edition Updated video course covering NLP fundamentals with NLTK, PyTorch deep learning framework, and Lesson 9 on NLP with Large Language Models including transformers, BERT, HuggingFace, and LLMs. 7 hours of video instruction.
• Modern AI Agents Video Course, 2nd Edition Video course covering building AI agents with CrewAI, LangGraph, MCP integration, and reasoning LLMs. Includes production deployment, multi-agent systems, Docker, memory, and computer control capabilities.
• Python in Excel Book New book teaching Python programming within Microsoft Excel, covering pandas, visualization, Power Query, Copilot AI integration, and predictive modeling. Published by Microsoft Press.
• Book + eBook Bundles Combined print book and digital eBook (EPUB + PDF) bundles at discounted pricing. Example bundle: $64.79 versus $107.98 combined list price.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CiscocoreTechnology or IntegrationInformIT publishes certification and technical books under Cisco Press imprint, covering Cisco technologies, networking, and certification exam preparation materials.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Press publishing partnership produces official Microsoft technology books, exam prep materials, and video training for Azure, Office 365, and Microsoft technologies.
• Addison-Wesley ProfessionalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship Pearson imprint publishing authoritative technology books including programming, data science, and software development titles.
• Que PublishingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPearson technology book imprint covering programming, certification, and practical technology guides.
• Sams PublishingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPearson imprint specializing in learn-by-doing technology books and exam prep materials.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Apress: Apress publishes technical books covering programming, data science, and IT infrastructure, now part of Springer Nature. It competes for the same authors and buyers as InformIT's Addison-Wesley Professional and Que imprints, with comparable category coverage.
• No Starch Press: No Starch Press publishes practical, hands-on technical books in programming, hacking/security, and maker topics with a similar indie-style direct-to-consumer model. It competes for the same developer reader audience that InformIT serves through Que and Sams Publishing.
• O'Reilly Media: O'Reilly is the closest direct competitor to InformIT, publishing authoritative IT books, eBooks, and video training through the same technology and certification categories (programming, cloud, data, security). O'Reilly's subscription Safari model is the dominant alternative to InformIT's one-time purchase approach.
• Manning Publications: Manning publishes technical books and video courses in programming, data science, and cloud computing with a similar direct-to-consumer e-commerce model. Its MEAP early-access program and emphasis on practical developer titles directly parallels InformIT's Addison-Wesley Professional and Que imprints.
• Packt Publishing: Packt is a direct competitor in IT/developer book publishing, video courses (Packt Video), and certification preparation materials. Its Mapt subscription and emphasis on emerging tech titles such as AI/ML and data engineering directly competes with InformIT's catalog.

Emerging players

• Udemy: Udemy is a marketplace for technical video courses covering programming, cloud, data science, and certification preparation. It competes with InformIT's Video Training and Pearson IT Certification products on price and breadth, particularly for individual certification candidates.
• Pluralsight: Pluralsight is a subscription-based technology skills platform offering video courses and skill assessments in cloud, security, and software development. It overlaps with InformIT's Video Training and Practice Tests products and represents the subscription alternative to InformIT's one-time purchase model.
• LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn Learning offers subscription video courses across technology, creative, and business topics, competing directly with InformIT's Video Training products. It targets the same enterprise L&D and individual developer segments that InformIT serves through corporate sales.

Broad incumbents

• McGraw-Hill Education: McGraw-Hill Education publishes IT certification and technical titles (Osborne/McGraw-Hill) that directly compete with InformIT's certification prep catalog. As a broad incumbent, it offers overlapping capabilities across professional and higher education publishing.
• Wiley: Wiley is a broad incumbent publisher with substantial technical and certification book lines (Wiley/Sybex) that compete with Pearson's Cisco Press and Pearson IT Certification imprints aggregated on InformIT. It serves similar IT professional buyers across multiple imprints.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/InformIT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/informit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries9 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 InformIT