Top 40 IT Vendors Rated

An anonymous reader writes "CIO Insight has asked its readers to rate their satisfaction with their vendors. Not surprisingly, 'CIOs are disappointed and disgruntled with the performance of their most important vendors. In fact, the number of companies with lower scores in 2006 than in 2005 outpaces those with higher scores by a margin of two to one.' In first place was CDW, edging out last year's top vendor, Red Hat, which tied for third place this year. Microsoft came in at number 24. The coverage includes a detailed methodology on how the survey was conducted. 826 qualified respondents participated."

Re:HP rates higher than Dell?

[maxume]

So you state that you think Dell should be higher than HP and then relate an anecdote about Dell sucking the big one and your company moving to HP? I don't get it.

Re:How is Apple an important vendor to CIOs?

[R3d M3rcury]

Well, according to the page [cioinsight.com], 17% of the companies questioned dealt with Apple. So I assume it's a case where not too many people do, but those who do are pretty happy.

I was amused by the individual rankings, though. Apple's highest scores came in "increasing revenue", "solves problems", and "high quality." Apple's lowest scores were "costs", "return on investment" (related to cost), and "flexible and responsive." In others words, they love Macs but they think they cost too much.

What do CIOs know?

[ximenes]

Since when do CIOs know about this kind of stuff? I have yet to encounter someone in an upper position like that who is aware of this sort of thing, although they do all have opinions regardless of actual experience.

My manager loves Best Buy for Business and Tiger Direct for instance; even though we get superior service and pricing through GovConnection forget that! Too convenient.

Can't keep Belkin and Belden straight either.

Re:How is Apple an important vendor to CIOs?

[killjoe]

I guess this survey puts a nail in the coffin of the "you don't have somebody to blame" whinging you hear on /. all the time. RedHat not only gives you somebody to blame but they are more responsive and responsible then oracle, MS, IBM, Sun, Novell and just about everybody else.

This has got to be a massive sales tool for a company that relies on service to make money.

Re:Check out the microsoft results

[rossz]

The saying used to be, "No one ever got fired for choosing IBM." These days it's, "No one ever got fired for choosing Microsoft." It's not about choosing the best product/service/supplier. It's all about covering one's ass.

Walmartization of Technology

[AndrewPlato]

This list somewhat confirms what I've been telling a lot of people - the technology industry is becoming WalMartified. Sales of commodity technologies: servers, switches, routers, monitors, phones, etc. are best purchased through national (or global) vendors, like CDW. These places have the size, scope, and presence to consistently deliver the best prices and service. In contrast, regional or local VARs are dying. They can't compete with CDW on price, service or availability. Most regional or local VARs are struggling to survive on their paltry margins from the manufacturers.

However, there is a healthy market for smaller, boutique consultants and specialty providers, especially for security. These places are thriving because they DON'T play into the margin game. They focus on specific services or expertise, areas where CDW isn't a good fit.

If you think about this practice, it makes sense. Where do you go to buy something when you know EXACTLY what you want? If you're like me, you go to BestBuy or WalMart or some such big retailer, because you know they will have the product and at a decent price. A local shop is less likely to have what you want and will probably charge more.

However, where do you go when you don't know what you want? Well, if you're like most people, you hire a professional to help you pick out what you need and implement it. I know nothing about roofing, for example. As such, I hire a roofing expert to help me pick out the right products and get my roof installed. I know I pay more from the roofers, but assuming I trust the roofers, I know that they will guide me into a educated decision.

The technology industry is falling along the same lines. If you know what you want, get it from CDW. If you aren't sure, or need consulting help, look for a local shop with expertise.

AVAYA? Holy carp!

[Anonymous Coward]

These are people who are using the same root password on thousands of network-attached systems all over the United States? The people who still ship machines with an account named oracle, password oracle (which they don't inform their customers about) TO THIS DAY?

Damn, CIOs are clueless... where do I get a job that requires no knowledge of the craft?