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CDW Corporation
CDW was founded in 1984 by Michael Krasny as Computer Discount Warehouse, a direct-market seller of PCs.
CDW Corporation
CDW was founded in 1984 by Michael Krasny as Computer Discount Warehouse, a direct-market seller of PCs. The company evolved over four decades from a classified-ad operation into one of North America's largest technology solutions providers, with annual revenue exceeding $20 billion (public record). Public since 2013 and a member of the Fortune 500, CDW serves over 250,000 customers across corporate, government, education, and healthcare verticals, though it maintains its headquarters in the Chicago suburb of Vernon Hills. The firm's model sits at the intersection of distribution and professional services. CDW resells hardware and software from more than 1,000 vendors — Dell, Cisco, Microsoft, HP, Apple — while layering on configuration, deployment, and managed services. Its customer base splits roughly into corporate (small business through large enterprise), government (federal, state, local), and education (K-12 and higher ed), with healthcare as a growing fourth pillar. Major vendors include Microsoft, whose enterprise agreements CDW administers at scale, and Cisco, whose networking gear moves through CDW to federal agencies and Fortune 500 firms. Christine Leahy became CEO in 2019 after serving as general counsel and chief legal officer. Under her tenure, CDW has leaned further into services and cloud migration, responding to the post-pandemic digitization of mid-market and public-sector IT. The company operates through a predominantly US-based sales and logistics footprint, with teams in Canada and the United Kingdom extending its reach. CDW reported over $21 billion in net sales for 2023 (per the firm, 2024). What distinguishes CDW is its hybrid role as both a distributor and a systems integrator. Unlike pure-box movers, CDW embeds engineering resources inside customer accounts to design data centers, manage multi-cloud postures, and run IT asset disposition. This operating-company structure — sales force, logistics fleet, and professional services under one roof — means the business generates service revenue while maintaining the low-margin volume of a technology reseller.
General information
Firm type
Corporate
Year founded
1984
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Vernon Hills
Corporate office
Vernon Hills, IL, United States
Principals
Christine Leahy
Chief Executive Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How does CDW make its money?
CDW operates as a multimillion-dollar technology reseller and services provider. It generates revenue by selling hardware and software from major vendors such as Dell, Cisco, and Microsoft, then adding professional and managed services on top — configuration, deployment, cloud migration, and IT asset management. Service contracts and recurring managed-service engagements provide higher margin than the pure product resale business.
What is CDW's relationship with the US public sector?
The public sector is one of CDW's largest customer groups, encompassing federal, state, and local government agencies as well as K-12 and higher education institutions. CDW holds numerous government procurement contracts and ships technology ranging from student Chromebooks through secure networking gear for defense agencies. Education alone represents a multibillion-dollar revenue stream for the company.
Who competes directly with CDW?
CDW competes across several channels. In the mid-market and enterprise space, rivals include other large solution providers like Insight Enterprises and SHI International. In the public sector, CDW faces competition from GovConnection and dozens of regional VARs. In the consumer and very-small-business segments, it competes with e-commerce giants such as Amazon Business.
How does CDW handle cloud services?
CDW sells and manages cloud infrastructure — principally Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform — to mid-market and public-sector organizations that often lack in-house cloud engineering teams. The company bundles cloud resale with migration services, ongoing cost optimization, and security posture management, turning a transactional licensing relationship into an annuity-like managed-service engagement.
Is CDW an investment platform or a technology company?
CDW is a publicly traded operating company listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker CDW. It is not a family office, investment fund, or private capital allocator. This profile page treats CDW as the corporate entity that it is — a Fortune 500 technology solutions provider — because the Altss enrichment process flagged it for completeness under the corporate category.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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