The CRN Web Watch

Inacom, BBN, Ronin Spin Unique Web Strategies
by Tom Smith

The Web sites evaluated this week by CRN deliver a unique prospect giving VARs, integrators and distributors leads from end users, vendors and other that may require their services.

CRN's efforts to select Web sites are focused on how such sites can make VARs more competitive through useful product information and through opportunities such as sales leads and discussions about pressing technology and business issues - to name a few possibilities.

RONIN HOUSE

This Web site focuses on content, with minimal graphics, on its home page but that is find for what the organization has set out to do.

Near the bottom of its opening page, the Web site has an option to select SBA * Consulting, a choice CRN strongly recommends for VARs and end users alike. With that selection, Web surfers unlock a gold mine of information and, for VARs, sales prospects. Surfers can view online listings, phone numbers for hardware and software vendors, and links to those vendors' home pages.

More important, SBA delivers an alphabetical listing of VARs, consulting firms and distributors that users can peruse to meet their product and integration requirements. Though not an exhaustive list by any means, it gives basic information on each company, then a hot link to each company's Web site.

SNIPPED

SUMMARY
Ronin House Web Site
http://www.ronin.com/

WHY BROWSE: Find VARs, integrators with skills needed for specific projects.

HIGHLIGHTS: VAR listings, complete with hot links to their home pages; vendor phone book and hot links; Web sites of interest span wide range of topics.

NEEDS WORK: Opportunity for VARs to add their names.