As described in the "Forward-Looking Statements" section at the start of this Form 10-K, we make forward-looking statements throughout this report. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the use of the words "may," "might," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," or "continue," the negative of these terms, and other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, assumptions, and projections that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. A detailed discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from such forward-looking statements is outlined under the "Risk Factors" section elsewhere in this Form 10-K. We do not intend to update or publicly revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

The following discussion of our financial condition and operating results should be read in conjunction with "Selected Financial Data," our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in this Form 10-K, and important information and disclosure that we routinely post to our website (www.ihs.com).

Executive Summary

Business Overview

We are a leading source of information, insight and analytics in critical areas that shape today's business landscape. Businesses and governments in more than 165 countries around the globe rely on our comprehensive content, expert independent analysis and flexible delivery methods to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence. We have been in business since 1959 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, we are committed to sustainable, profitable growth and employ more than 6,000 people in 31 countries around the world.

Inherent in all of our strategies is a firm commitment to put our customers first in everything that we do. We believe that maintaining a disciplined "outside-in" approach will allow us to better serve our customers and our stockholders. To achieve that goal, we have organized our business around our customers and the geographies in which they reside: Americas, EMEA, and APAC. This structure allows us to tailor and expand the solutions we offer to meet the unique needs of our customers both globally and in local markets.

Subscriptions represent over 75% of our total revenue. We sell our offerings primarily through subscriptions, which tend to generate recurring revenue and cash flow for us. Our subscriptions are usually for one-year periods and we have historically seen high renewal rates. Subscriptions are generally paid in full within one or two months after the subscription period commences; as a result, the timing of our cash flows generally precedes the recognition of revenue and income.

Our business has seasonal aspects. Our fourth quarter typically generates our highest quarterly levels of revenue and profit. Conversely, our first quarter generally has our lowest levels of revenue and profit. We also experience event-driven seasonality in our business; for instance, IHS CERAWeek, our annual energy executive gathering, is held during our second quarter. Another example is the triennial release of the Boiler Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) engineering standard, which generates revenue for us predominantly in the third quarter of every third year. The BPVC benefit most recently occurred in the third quarter of 2010.

During 2012, we invested in our people, platforms, processes, and products at a significant rate through a series of initiatives designed to boost colleague productivity, increase efficiencies, develop new and enhanced products, and create scalable platforms designed to accommodate future revenue growth without having to incur proportional increases in costs to support that growth. These initiatives include, but are not limited to:

• Vanguard - Vanguard is our plan for consolidating and standardizing billing systems, general ledgers, sales-force automation capabilities, and all supporting business processes. We are implementing Vanguard through a series of releases, which commenced in the summer of 2011 and are expected to be completed by the end of calendar 2013. In early December 2012, we implemented our fourth release, and we now have approximately 70% of our revenue transactions flowing through the Vanguard system.

• Product development - In 2012, we had a significant number of new product introductions and enhancements. We continue to focus on product development and expect to have a significant number of new product introductions and enhancements in 2013 as well.

• Customer Care Centers of Excellence - Our three regional Customer Care Centers of Excellence are now fully operational. These centers consolidate customer-care and transaction-processing capabilities, and simplify and standardize our approach to providing dedicated customer service.

Global Operations

Approximately 50% of our revenue is transacted outside of the United States; however, only about 30% of our revenue is transacted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. As a result, a strengthening U.S. dollar relative to certain currencies has a negative impact on our revenue; conversely, a weakening U.S. dollar has a positive impact on our revenue. However, the impact on operating income is diminished due to certain operating expenses denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Our largest foreign currency exposures, in order of magnitude, are the British Pound, the Canadian Dollar, and the Euro. See "Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures About Market Risk - Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk" for additional discussion of the impacts of foreign currencies on our operations.

Key Performance Indicators

We believe that revenue growth, Adjusted EBITDA (both in dollars and margin), and free cash flow are the key measures of our success. Adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow are non-GAAP financial measures (as defined by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission) that are further discussed in the following paragraphs.

Revenue growth. We review year-over-year revenue growth in our segments as a key measure of our success in addressing customer needs in each region of the world in which we operate. We measure revenue growth in terms of organic, acquisitive, and foreign currency impacts. We define these components as follows:

•        Organic - We define organic revenue growth as total revenue growth from
         continuing operations for all factors other than acquisitions and
         foreign currency. We drive this type of revenue growth through value
         realization (pricing), expanding wallet share of existing customers
         through up-selling and cross-selling efforts, securing new customer
         business, and through the sale of new offerings.



•        Acquisitive - We define acquisition-related revenue as the revenue
         generated from acquired products and services from the date of
         acquisition to the first anniversary date of that acquisition. This type
         of growth comes as a result of our strategy to purchase, integrate, and
         leverage the value of assets we acquire.



•        Foreign currency - We define the foreign currency impact on revenue as
         the difference between current revenue at current exchange rates and
         current revenue at the corresponding prior period exchange rates. Due to
         the significance of revenue transacted in foreign currencies, we measure
         the impact of foreign currency movements on revenue.

We also review revenue by transaction type. Understanding revenue by transaction type helps us identify broad changes in product mix. We summarize our transaction type revenue into the following two categories:

•        Subscription revenue represents the significant majority of our revenue,
         and is comprised of subscriptions to our various information offerings
         and software maintenance.


•        Non-subscription revenue represents consulting services (e.g., research
         and analysis, modeling, and forecasting), single-document product sales,
         software license sales and associated services, conferences and events,
         and advertising. Our non-subscription products and services are an
         important part of our business because they complement our subscription
         business in creating strong and comprehensive customer relationships.

Non-GAAP measures. We use non-GAAP financial measures such as Adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow in our operational and financial decision-making, and believe that such measures allow us to focus on what we deem to be more reliable indicators of ongoing operating performance (Adjusted EBITDA) and our ability to generate cash flow from operations (free cash flow). We also believe that investors may find non-GAAP financial measures useful for the same reasons, although we caution readers that non-GAAP financial measures are not a substitute for GAAP financial measures or disclosures. None of these non-GAAP financial measures are recognized terms under GAAP and do not purport to be an alternative to net income or operating cash flow as an indicator of operating performance or any other GAAP measure. Throughout this section on

management's discussion and analysis and on our IHS website, we provide reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.

Adjusted EBITDA. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are used by many of our investors, research analysts, investment bankers, and lenders to assess our operating performance. For example, a measure similar to Adjusted EBITDA is required by the lenders under our term loans and revolving credit agreement. We define EBITDA as net income plus or minus net interest, plus provision for income taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Our definition of Adjusted EBITDA further excludes (i) non-cash items (e.g., stock-based compensation expense) and (ii) items that management does not consider to be useful in assessing our operating performance (e.g., acquisition-related costs, restructuring charges, income or loss from discontinued operations, pension settlement and mark-to-market adjustments, and gain or loss on sale of assets).

Free Cash Flow. We define free cash flow as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. We define Adjusted Free Cash Flow as free cash flow plus the pension deficit funding we contributed in early 2012.

Because not all companies use identical calculations, our presentation of non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. However, these measures can still be useful in evaluating our performance against our peer companies because we believe the measures provide users with valuable insight into key components of GAAP financial disclosures. For example, a company with higher GAAP net income may not be as appealing to investors if its net income is more heavily comprised of gains on asset sales. Likewise, eliminating the effects of interest income and expense moderates the impact of a company's capital structure on its performance.

Business Combinations

During the year ended November 30, 2012, we completed eight business combinations for a total purchase price of approximately $306 million. During the year ended November 30, 2011, we completed five primary business combinations for a total purchase price of approximately $730 million. During the year ended November 30, 2010, we completed seven business combinations for a total purchase price of approximately $335 million. Our consolidated financial statements include the results of operations and cash flows for these business combinations beginning on their respective dates of acquisition.

Acquisitions are a key part of our growth strategy, and we expect that they will continue to be very important for us. We focus on acquisitions that have long-term growth potential, target high-growth markets, and fill a strategic need in our business portfolio as we seek to provide comprehensive solutions to our customers. Timely integration of these acquisitions provides us with increased organic growth potential as we connect these offerings for our customers.

Pricing information

We customize many of our sales offerings to meet individual customer needs and base our pricing on a number of factors, including the number of customer locations, the number of simultaneous users, and the breadth of the content to be included in the offering. Because of the level of offering customization we employ, it is difficult for us to evaluate pricing impacts on a period-to-period basis. This analysis is further complicated by the fact that the offering sets purchased by customers are often not constant between periods. As a result, we are not able to precisely differentiate between pricing and volume impacts on changes in revenue.

Other Items

Cost of operating our business. We incur our cost of revenue primarily to acquire, manage, and deliver our offerings. These costs include personnel, information technology, and occupancy costs, as well as royalty payments to third-party information providers. Royalty payments are based on the level of subscription sales from certain product offerings. Our sales, general, and administrative expenses include wages and other personnel costs, commissions, corporate occupancy costs, and marketing costs.

A large portion of our operating expenses are not directly commensurate with volume sold, particularly in our subscription-based business. Some of our revenue is driven from the sale of specifications and standards; a portion of this content is obtained from standards development organizations.

Stock-based compensation expense. We issue equity awards to our employees, almost exclusively restricted stock units, for which we record cost over the respective vesting periods. The typical vesting period is three years, and none of the grants

exceed eight years. As of November 30, 2012, we had approximately 2.8 million stock-based awards outstanding, of which approximately 1.1 million were performance-based awards. The majority of the annual grants for our highest-ranking employees are performance-based awards. The vesting of the performance shares granted in 2011 and 2012 is principally based on achieving certain financial performance levels during fiscal years 2013 and 2014.

As of November 30, 2012, we believe that the target number of shares issuable for the 2013 and 2014 fiscal years will vest based on meeting certain performance targets. Using these estimates in addition to estimated 2013 grants, projected stock-based compensation expense for 2013 is expected to be approximately $138-142 million. Grant date fair values that differ from our projections or a change in the actual performance levels that we achieve could result in a change in the actual amount of stock-based compensation that we recognize. For example, in the event we do not achieve the projected performance metrics for 2013 or 2014, our stock-based compensation expense could decrease. Conversely, if we exceed the projected performance metrics, our stock-based compensation could increase.

Pension and postretirement benefits. We provide the following pension and postretirement plans:

•        U.S. Retirement Income Plan (U.S. RIP) - this closed defined-benefit
         plan covers the majority of our employees in the United States.


•        U.K. Retirement Income Plan (U.K. RIP) - this frozen defined-benefit
         plan covers a limited number of our employees in the United Kingdom.


•        Postretirement medical plan - this plan is a contributory plan that
         provides access to group rates for U.S. employees who meet specified
         conditions.


•        Supplemental Income Plan (SIP) - this plan is a non-qualified pension
         plan for certain company personnel.

During 2011, we undertook a comprehensive review of our U.S. RIP designed to ensure that we maintained market-competitive employee benefits while decreasing volatility. As a result of our analysis, we took the following steps in 2011 and 2012:

•        Settled certain pension obligations. In 2011, we settled retiree
         obligations by purchasing annuities for the retiree population from a
         third-party insurer. In 2012, we offered lump-sum buyouts to former
         colleagues who are not yet receiving benefits, with nearly 60% of the
         eligible participants accepting the offer. The combination of these
         settlements resulted in a significant reduction in our pension
         obligations and assets, allowing us to reduce volatility in the plan.


•        Changed our pension plan investment strategies. Our pension plan
         investment strategy now creates a better match of our pension assets and
         pension obligations. Approximately 75% of our U.S. RIP assets are now
         invested in fixed income securities with durations similar to the
         expected timing of pension obligation payouts.


•        Changed our pension accounting policy. In 2011, we changed our pension
         accounting policy to an accelerated recognition method that recognizes
         gains and losses in the income statement more quickly than under the
         previous method, including a mark-to-market pension adjustment that we
         record in the fourth quarter of each year.


•        Accelerated funding of plan contributions. We accelerated plan funding
         by contributing approximately $65 million to the plan in December 2011,
         the first month of our fiscal 2012. Approximately $57 million of this
         contribution allowed us to bring all deficit funding current through
         November 30, 2011 and pay fees and expenses associated with the
         third-party annuity contracts, with the remaining $8 million used to
         fund estimated 2012 pension costs. In December 2012, the first month of
         our fiscal 2013, we contributed approximately $10 million to the U.S.
         RIP to fund estimated 2013 pension costs.


•        Closed the plan to future participants. In the first quarter of fiscal
         2012, we made the decision to close the U.S. RIP to new participants
         effective January 1, 2012. In place of the U.S. RIP benefits, colleagues
         hired after January 1, 2012 receive a company non-elective contribution
         to their 401(k) plan balances if they are an active employee at the end
         of the year.

Restructuring Charges. We continue to evaluate opportunities to streamline our operations. During the last three years, we have incurred direct and incremental costs associated with consolidating positions to our Centers of Excellence as we complete successive Vanguard releases, eliminating positions to accomplish other operational efficiencies, closing facilities, and consolidating legacy data centers, including certain contract termination costs. We expect to continue to incur costs related to these and other similar activities in future periods, resulting in additional restructuring charges.

Discontinued Operations. We continue to evaluate our product portfolio, with a focus on assessing the growth profile and strategic fit of all of our offerings, ensuring they support core businesses, enable sustainable high growth rates, and provide a scalable market capability. Some of these businesses may be treated as discontinued operations if we ultimately decide to sell or abandon them, providing they meet the accounting criteria for treatment as discontinued operations.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In applying U.S. GAAP, we make significant estimates and judgments that affect our reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, as well as disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We believe that our accounting estimates and judgments were reasonable when made, but in many instances we reasonably could have used different accounting estimates. In addition, changes in the accounting estimates are reasonably likely to occur from period to period. Accordingly, actual results could differ significantly from our estimates. To the extent that there are material differences between these estimates and actual results, our financial condition or results of operations will be affected. We base our estimates on historical experience and other assumptions that we believe are reasonable, and we evaluate these estimates on an ongoing basis. We refer to accounting estimates of this type as critical accounting policies and estimates, which are discussed further below.

Revenue Recognition. The majority of our offerings are provided under agreements containing standard terms and conditions. Approximately 76% of our revenue is derived from the sale of subscriptions, which is initially deferred and then recognized ratably as delivered over the subscription period (generally 12 months). These standard agreements typically do not require any significant judgments about when revenue should be recognized. For non-standard agreements, we generally make judgments about revenue recognition matters such as:

•Whether sufficient legally binding terms and conditions exist;
•Whether customer acceptance has been achieved; and
•Progress on certain consulting projects where revenue is recognized on a proportional performance basis.

We review customer agreements and utilize advice from legal counsel, as appropriate, in evaluating the binding nature of contract terms and conditions, as well as whether customer acceptance has been achieved. We estimate progress on consulting project deliverables based on our knowledge and judgment about the current status of individual consulting engagements.

Historically, our judgments and estimates have been reasonably accurate, as we have not experienced significant disputes with our customers regarding the timing and acceptance of delivered products and services. However, our actual experience in future periods with respect to binding terms and conditions and customer acceptance may differ from our historical experience.

Business Combinations. We allocate the total cost of an acquisition to the underlying net assets based on their respective estimated fair values. As part of this allocation process, we identify and attribute values and estimated lives to the intangible assets acquired. These determinations involve significant estimates and assumptions about several highly subjective variables, including future cash flows, discount rates, and asset lives. There are also different valuation models for each component, the selection of which requires considerable judgment. Our estimates and assumptions may be based, in part, on the availability of listed market prices or other transparent market data. These determinations will affect the amount of amortization expense recognized in future periods. We base our fair value estimates on assumptions we believe are reasonable, but recognize that the assumptions are inherently uncertain. Depending on the size of the purchase price of a particular acquisition and the mix of intangible assets acquired, the purchase price allocation could be materially impacted by applying a different set of assumptions and estimates.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets. We make various assumptions about our goodwill and other intangible assets, including their estimated useful lives and whether any potential impairment events have occurred. We perform impairment analyses on the carrying values of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets at least annually. Additionally, we review the carrying value of goodwill and other intangible assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Examples of such events or changes in circumstances, many of which are subjective in nature, include the following:

•Significant negative industry or economic trends;
•A significant change in the manner of our use of the acquired assets or our strategy;
•A significant decrease in the market value of the asset; and
•A significant change in legal factors or in the business climate that could affect the value of the asset.

If an impairment indicator is present, we perform an analysis to confirm whether an impairment has actually occurred and if so, the amount of the required charge.

For finite-lived intangible assets, we review the carrying amount at least annually to determine whether current events or circumstances require an adjustment to the carrying amount. A finite-lived intangible asset is considered to be impaired if its

carrying value exceeds the estimated future undiscounted cash flows to be derived from it. Any impairment is measured by the amount that the carrying value of such assets exceeds their fair value.

For indefinite-lived intangible assets other than goodwill, we first conduct a qualitative analysis to determine whether we believe it is more likely than not that an asset has been impaired. If we believe an impairment has occurred, we then evaluate for impairment by comparing the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds its fair value, primarily based on estimated discounted cash flows. We exercise judgment in selecting the assumptions used in the estimated discounted cash flows analysis.

For goodwill, we determine the fair value of each reporting unit, then compare the fair value of each reporting unit to its carrying value. If carrying value exceeds fair value for any reporting unit, then we calculate and compare the implied fair value of goodwill to the carrying amount of goodwill and record an impairment charge for any excess of carrying value over implied fair value.

The determination of fair value requires a number of significant assumptions and judgments, including assumptions about future economic conditions, revenue growth, operating margins, and discount rates. The use of different estimates or assumptions within our projected future cash flows model, or the use of a methodology other than a projected future cash flow model, could result in significantly different fair values for our goodwill and other intangible assets.

Income Taxes. We exercise significant judgment in determining our provision for income taxes, current tax assets and liabilities, deferred tax assets and liabilities, future taxable income (for purposes of assessing our ability to realize future benefit from our deferred tax assets), and recorded reserves related to uncertain tax positions. A valuation allowance is established to reduce our deferred tax assets to the amount that is considered more likely than not to be realized through the generation of future taxable income and other tax planning opportunities. To the extent that a determination is made to establish or adjust a valuation allowance, the expense or benefit is recorded in the period in which the determination is made.

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