(pronounced as separate letters) Short for
original equipment
manufacturer, which is a misleading term for a company that has a
special relationship with
computer producers. OEMs
are manufacturers who resell another company's product under their own name and
branding. While an OEM is similar to a
VAR (value-added
reseller), it refers specifically to the act of a company rebranding a product
to its own name and offering its own warranty, support and licensing of the
product. The term is really a misnomer because OEMs are not the original
manufacturers; they are the customizers.
Contrast with IHV (Independent Hardware Vendor).