IT Network unveils online data service

VNUnet and PC Dealer have linked up with the forthcoming IT Network Website, which is claimed to be the world's largest product information service.

IT Network, which is a subsidiary of InterX, was launched this week and boasts a product information directory targeted at medium-to-large corporates and the reseller community. The site provides information on more than 10,000 products across all sectors.

Users are able compare products, browse a daily price listing service for components and peripherals, and also interact with video and multimedia technology tutorials.

More than 85,000 users are already pre-registered at the site, and IT Network claimed it is on target to surpass its goal of 100,000 registered users by the launch.

IT Network will host a number of specialist communities, including The Reseller Network, which has already attracted more than 25,000 pre-registered users.

The site offers a reseller 'where to buy' feature, as well as links to the PC Dealer Website for the latest news, features and analysis.

The reseller database will initially contain information on 3,000 resellers, rising to more than 11,000 this year.

Alastair Laidlaw, managing director of IT Network, said: 'From the research we have commissioned, businesses have shown they want a definitive product information database. Hundreds of manufacturers and more than 10,000 products will be listed on the site and users will be able to compare many different products.'

Ruud Bakker, managing director of VNU Business Publishing Europe, added: 'After magazines, customers are forced to visit individual vendors' sites for additional product information. We are happy to be working with IT Network to fill this gap - customers will now be able to get all the product information they need at a single Website, and all the news and reviews they want through PC Dealer and VNUnet.'