What INPUT does

INPUT was founded in 1974 by Peter Cunningham as Peter A. Cunningham and Associates, dba INPUT, and operated as a leading international market research and consulting firm specializing in the IT Software and Services industry from 1975 to 2000. During its peak operating period, INPUT delivered syndicated research on an annual subscription basis, with many clients investing more than $50,000 per year, and conducted custom multi-client studies for hundreds of the world's largest IT companies and government agencies. More than 5,000 organizations worldwide charted business directions based on INPUT's market forecasts, and INPUT clients were estimated to control approximately 70% of the total information industry market. In 2000, INPUT pivoted to providing web-based sales and market intelligence databases for organizations selling to the U.S. government, and in 2010 the operating company was acquired by Deltek with over 1,500 customers and approximately 240 employees.

Following the Deltek acquisition, founder Peter Cunningham retained rights to all INPUT materials produced from 1974-2000 and established the Information Services History Company (ISH), an exempt Cayman Islands entity, to preserve and provide access to the historical archive through the INPUT iCenter. The INPUT iCenter is a WordPress-based digital archive platform containing more than 3,000 collection items, including over 2,100 reports, 338 presentations, 128 newsletters, and 56 vendor profiles, digitized primarily by the Internet Archive. The platform operates on a membership model with a one-week free trial, a paid membership at a nominal fee providing 180 days of access, and free access for educators and students using .edu email addresses. Current revenue is generated entirely through the archive membership business, with distribution supported by partnerships with the Computer History Museum, Charles Babbage Institute, IT History Society, and SIGCIS.

Name

INPUT

Legal name

Information Services History Company (ISH)

Website

https://inputicenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

INPUT, now operating as the Information Services History Company, runs the INPUT iCenter, a digital archive providing researchers, historians, and educators access to more than 3,000 historical IT Software and Services market research items produced from 1975 to 2000 via membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Reston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Annual Subscription Services (Syndicated Research): Planning Services sold on an annual subscription service basis were the cornerstone of the INPUT product and service line. These syndicated research services delivered reports, vendor information, presentations, and newsletters packaged to deliver key insight about specific topics or markets. Many clients invested more than $50,000 each year for these services.
2. Multi-Client Studies: Custom research studies conducted for specific topics or issues, delivered to participating clients. INPUT regularly performed custom research studies for many of the world's largest companies.
3. INPUT iCenter Membership: Post-acquisition, the INPUT iCenter provides digital access to historical research (1975-2000) through a membership model. One-week free trial available; membership at nominal fee provides 180 days (six months) of access. Free access provided to educators and students with .edu email addresses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

INPUT (through the Information Services History Company / INPUT iCenter) preserves and provides digital access to over 3,000 historical IT Software and Services industry research items produced from 1975 to 2000, including syndicated subscription research reports, vendor profiles, presentations, newsletters, and multi-client studies covering market forecasts, competitive analysis, and industry structure across 8 delivery modes and 22 market sectors. The platform is delivered through a WordPress-based web archive with member authentication and is offered on a freemium membership basis including free educational access.

Product overview

INPUT iCenter is a digital archive platform providing access to historical IT Software and Services industry research from 1975-2000. The collection contains over 3,000 items organized across five primary content formats: Reports (over 2,100), Presentations (338), Newsletters (128), Vendor Information (56), and Other materials (175). The core product and service offerings include Subscription Services delivering syndicated research through annual programs covering topics such as Customer Service, Company Analysis & Monitoring, Electronic Banking, Network Services, and Systems Integration; Multiclient Studies on specific industry topics; and Vendor Profiles providing detailed competitive analysis of IT vendors. Research is organized by delivery mode markets (Processing Services, Turnkey Systems, Applications Software, etc.) and by vertical/cross-industry market sectors. The platform is accessed via a WordPress-based web interface with search, PDF viewing, and member authentication. Materials were digitized from hard-copy originals primarily by the Internet Archive.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• INPUT iCenter Digital Archive Web-based digital archive platform providing searchable member access to historical IT Software and Services industry research from 1975-2000, including reports, vendor information, presentations, newsletters, and other operational materials accessible via WordPress-based interface with full-text search, PDF viewing, and member authentication.
• Subscription Services (Syndicated Research) Annual subscription programs delivering continuous market research through reports, newsletters, presentations, and client inquiry services, covering topics such as Customer Service, Company Analysis & Monitoring, Electronic Banking, Network Services, Systems Integration, Federal Market Analysis, and other IT Software and Services topics.
• Multiclient Studies Custom multi-client research studies conducted on specific industry topics such as CAD/CAM, worldwide banking, and third-party maintenance, delivered as comprehensive reports including analysis of topical issues, user and vendor research findings, competitive analysis, and five-year expenditure forecasts.
• Vendor Profiles Detailed profiles and information on public and private IT software and services vendors, including competitive analysis and monitoring reports covering vendors such as Andersen Consulting, DEC, EDS, HP, and others.
• Reports Collection Collection of over 2,100 reports providing analysis of topical issues, user and vendor research findings, competitive analysis, and five-year market forecasts covering IT software and services markets from 1975-2000.
• Presentations Collection Collection of approximately 338 INPUT professional presentations associated with report findings and annual meetings, covering 1978-1997.
• Newsletters Collection Collection of approximately 128 monthly, quarterly, and as-needed newsletters delivering fast-breaking IT industry news, covering 1979-1997.
• ADAPSO Annual Computer Services Industry Surveys Annual surveys of the Computer Software and Services industry produced by INPUT for ADAPSO (Association of Data Processing Service Organizations) from 1978 through 1986, providing unique marketplace snapshots.

Quantifiable outcome

• INPUT clients controlled an estimated 70% of total information industry market
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Internet ArchivecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015Internet Archive, based in San Francisco, CA, scanned all hard copy materials from INPUT's collection using book scanning and page scanning technology. Working box by box for more than a year, they scanned the majority of reports and deliverable materials as part of Phase One digitization.
• Computer History MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015The Computer History Museum created and published the Oral History of Peter Cunningham in 2014, providing both video and text of the interview. CHM is the owner and holder of all copyright interests of the oral history.
• IT History Society (ITHS)minorOthers · 1 January 2015International group of over 600 members working together to document, preserve, catalog, and research the history of Information Technology. Features the International Database of Historical and Archival Sites.
• Charles Babbage Institute (CBI)minorOthers · 1 January 2015Center for the History of Information Technology. Archivists collect, preserve, and make available for research primary source materials relating to the history of information technology.
• SIGCISminorOthers · 1 January 2015Special Interest Group, Computers, Information and Society - the leading international group for historians with an interest in the history of information technology and its applications.
• WebDev StudioscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015WebDev Studios (WDS) built the INPUT iCenter website. With the power of WordPress and the WDS team, researchers and historians can access the large collection through a custom-built platform.
• ADAPSO (Association of Data Processing Service Organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1978INPUT researched and produced ADAPSO Annual Computer Services Industry Reports from 1978 through 1986. ADAPSO was the leading industry association for the computer software and services industry during the collection time frame (1975-2000). ADAPSO changed its name to Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) in 1991.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Deltek: Acquired INPUT in 2010 and continues to serve government contractors and federal IT buyers with market intelligence and project-based solutions. The direct inheritor of INPUT's government-focused research and sales support business.

Others

• Internet Archive: San Francisco-based digital library preserving websites, books, audio recordings, and other cultural artifacts. Served as INPUT iCenter's digitization partner in Phase One of the scanning effort and shares the mission of preserving historical materials for public access.
• Information Technology Industry Council (ITI): Successor organization to ADAPSO (Association of Data Processing Service Organizations), the leading IT industry association during INPUT's active research period and the commissioning partner for INPUT's annual industry surveys from 1978-1986.
• Computer History Museum: Mountain View-based museum preserving computing history through artifacts, oral histories (including Peter Cunningham's 2014 oral history), and educational programs. Strategic partner of INPUT iCenter serving overlapping audiences of historians and IT researchers.
• Charles Babbage Institute: University of Minnesota center archiving primary source materials relating to the history of information technology. Research and archival partner of INPUT iCenter serving a similar academic audience studying IT industry history.

Emerging players

• CB Insights: Tech market intelligence platform providing data on private companies, technology trends, and emerging markets. Modern analog of INPUT's vendor profiling, market forecasting, and competitive intelligence model.
• AlphaSense: AI-powered market intelligence and search platform for business and financial research. Represents the modern AI-enabled evolution of the type of research and competitive analysis INPUT historically provided to enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• International Data Corporation (IDC): Global provider of IT market intelligence covering IT spending, vendor analysis, and five-year forecasts across delivery modes and verticals. The most direct methodological comparable to INPUT's historical vendor survey and market forecasting framework.
• Forrester Research: Major IT and technology market research firm offering syndicated research and advisory services. Comparable to INPUT's subscription-based syndicated research model covering technology adoption and business impact analysis.
• Gartner: Global leader in IT research and advisory services, covering similar IT Software and Services market intelligence topics that INPUT historically analyzed. Gartner's research library and Magic Quadrant methodology represent the modern continuation of the type of industry analysis INPUT pioneered.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/copywriterinput

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 INPUT