MSM vs CCOI Comparison

MSC Industrial Direct is one of the largest industrial distributors with a focus on metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations products and services. The company offers over 2 million products through its distribution network, which has 14 fulfillment or regional inventory centers. Although MSC has a presence in Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, it primarily operates in the United States. In fiscal 2024, 95% of the firm's $3.8 billion of sales was generated in the US.

Cogent carries over one fifth of the world's internet traffic over its network and is a broadband provider for businesses. Cogent's corporate customers are in high-rise office buildings; the firm provides them with two types of connections: dedicated internet access, which connects them to the internet, and virtual private networking, which offers an internal network for employees in different locations. Cogent's corporate customers are exclusively in North America and account for over half of the firm's revenue. Cogent's netcentric customers include internet service providers and content providers, to which Cogent provides internet transit. They hand traffic to Cogent in data centers and rely on Cogent to deliver it. About half of netcentric revenue is from outside the US.