CDW Review
Largest US B2B IT reseller with broadest catalog and strongest configuration services.
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Live screenshot of www.cdw.com
Overview
What is CDW?
CDW is the largest B2B IT reseller in the US, with comprehensive catalog access across all major OEMs and strong configuration services that produce ready-to-deploy hardware. For enterprises with established procurement workflows, CDW is often the default vendor.
Capabilities
Key features, in detail
What you actually get when you turn CDW on for a distributed team.
Broadest catalog
All major OEMs (Lenovo, Dell, HP, Apple, Microsoft) plus peripherals and accessories.
Configuration services
Custom imaging, asset tagging, pre-deployment configuration - ready-to-deploy hardware.
NET terms
Standard NET 30/60 for qualified accounts.
Procurement integrations
Native Coupa, Ariba, SAP Ariba, Oracle, ServiceNow.
Account management
Named account team for ongoing procurement support.
Pricing
How CDW pricing works
CDW pricing is OEM-driven with services added - competitive for enterprise volume.
Default B2B account.
- Catalog access
- Standard pricing
- NET terms
- Account rep
Higher volume.
- Everything in Standard
- Volume discounts
- Configuration services
- Asset lifecycle services
Strategic enterprise.
- Everything in Enterprise
- Dedicated team
- Custom configurations
- Premium support
What you'll actually pay: Volume discounts off OEM list prices; configuration services priced separately. Most competitive at enterprise volume.
The trade-offs
Pros & cons
What we like
- Largest US B2B IT catalog
- Strong configuration services
- Enterprise procurement integrations
- Established account management
What to watch out for
- Enterprise-oriented; less SMB-friendly
- Quote-based pricing not transparent
- Less competitive on very small orders
Ideal Customer Profile
Who is CDW best for?
The teams that get the most ROI from CDW tend to share these characteristics.
Large US enterprises
Companies 500+ ppl ordering 100+ laptops/year.
Established procurement teams
Organizations with procurement staff and processes.
Configuration-heavy deployments
Enterprises needing ready-to-deploy custom imaged hardware.
If not CDW
Top alternatives to consider
CDW sits in a competitive category. These are the platforms most often evaluated alongside it.
Insight
Similar enterprise B2B IT reseller.
Read review →SHI
Mid-market to enterprise IT reseller with strong services.
Review coming soonConnection
Enterprise B2B IT reseller, smaller than CDW.
Read review →Newegg Business
B2B marketplace with broader SMB fit.
Read review →Common questions
CDW FAQ
For enterprises with strong account relationships, direct OEM (Lenovo Pro, Dell Premier) can sometimes match or beat CDW pricing on single-OEM orders. CDW wins on multi-OEM catalog breadth and configuration services.
Possible but not optimized. SMBs typically get better experience from Newegg Business or direct OEM B2B portals.
Custom imaging (gold image deployment), asset tagging, peripheral bundling, encryption setup, MDM enrollment coordination.
US and limited international (UK, Canada). For global procurement, the OEMs' direct programs (Lenovo Pro, Dell Premier) or modern IT lifecycle platforms (Workwize, Deel IT) typically provide broader coverage.
Bottom line
Our verdict on CDW
The US enterprise default
CDW remains the default US enterprise IT reseller for organizations with established procurement workflows and meaningful volume. The catalog breadth, configuration services, and enterprise account management produce real value at scale.