Use CRN’s latest Annual Report Card (ARC) to compare vendors within the same technology category, then look beyond the category winner at the scores that matter to your deployment and channel relationship. ARC ratings reflect participating solution providers’ experience with IT vendor partners—not a product benchmark or a complete assessment of whether a vendor fits your technical, security, operational, or financial requirements.
What does a CRN ARC score measure?
CRN describes its 2026 Annual Report Card as its 41st edition. It invited solution providers in North America to grade their IT vendor partners across 23 technology categories. The results summarize channel partners’ assessments; they are not a general consumer poll or a complete technical benchmark. CRN’s 2026 overview says the survey evaluates 21 criteria grouped into four subcategories.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
CRN says criterion ratings are influenced by the importance ratings assigned by the respondent pool. As a result, the overall score reflects those respondents’ priorities, which may not match yours. The reviewed 2026 materials do not state respondent count, response rate, margin of error, or category-level sample sizes, so the scores should not be treated as proof of statistical representativeness.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
How should you read the four scoring groups?
Start with the subcategories, then look into the individual criteria that relate to your decision. CRN notes that category leaders may differ by subcategory or individual criterion.
#1 Best Overall
- Keep track of everything from attendance to test scores
- Spiral bound
- Measures 8-1/2" x 11"
Product innovation
This group covers product quality and reliability, features and functionality, technical innovation, compatibility and ease of integration, marketability, and services opportunity. For a planned deployment, give special attention to reliability, compatibility, and integration—not just the overall result.
Support
Support includes presales and postsales support, training, field management, and marketing support. These criteria can help you assess partner experience around implementation and ongoing operations, but they do not establish that the vendor will meet your own support requirements or service levels.
Rank #2
- Used Book in Good Condition
Partnership
Partnership criteria include solution-provider programs, communication, channel conflict, revenue and profit potential, and ease of doing business. These are particularly relevant when evaluating the vendor relationship and the economics of selling or supporting its products.
Managed and cloud services
This group covers consumption and subscription pricing, integration with services management, cloud readiness of the channel program, field teaming and compensation alignment, and profit potential. Use these scores when the channel’s managed-services or cloud operating model is part of the decision.
How do you use ARC results to evaluate a vendor?
- Choose the matching technology category. Compare vendors listed in the same category; category context defines the comparison.
- Compare overall and subcategory results. Note whether a vendor’s relative standing changes across product innovation, support, partnership, and managed and cloud services.
- Focus on decision-relevant criteria. For deployment, inspect reliability and integration. For implementation and operations, review support and training. For partner economics, examine channel conflict, ease of doing business, and profit potential.
- Apply your own priorities. Treat the overall score as weighted by survey respondents’ importance ratings, not as a universal weighting system. Decide which criteria matter most to your organization and evaluate candidates accordingly.
- Validate the fit independently. Check architecture, compliance, security, service-level, and cost requirements through product documentation, demonstrations, references, contractual terms, and technical review. The ARC results do not establish that a vendor meets those specific requirements.
- Confirm the edition year. Use the 2026 results for the current comparison and older editions only for historical context. CRN’s ARC rankings index lists annual editions from 2010 through 2026; categories and criterion totals can change over time.
Should you choose the vendor that won its category?
Not on the category result alone. A winner’s overall score may conceal a weaker result in the particular subcategory or criterion that matters to your deployment or partner model. Compare the candidates’ detailed results in the same category, then test the leading option against your requirements and evidence from your own technical and commercial review.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can you compare CRN ARC scores across years?
You can use earlier editions to see historical context, but avoid treating year-to-year scores as a like-for-like measure without checking whether the category and criteria remained comparable. CRN’s index spans editions from 2010 through 2026; the 2026 report uses 23 technology categories and 21 criteria, and the totals or definitions may differ in prior years.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Used Book in Good Condition
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
