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3Com Corp.
- Networking Equipment - Category Main Page
(508)
323-5000
350
Campus Drive
Marlborough, MA 01752
www.3com.com
Sales
$699
million
Business Description
A pioneer in the computer networking industry, 3Com provides data and voice
networking products and solutions, as well as support and customer services,
for enterprises and public sector organizations of all sizes.
Building on our historical success in the networking infrastructure market,
we deliver innovative, feature-rich networking products and solutions that
support the increasingly complex and demanding application environments in
today's businesses. Our products and solutions enable customers to manage
business-critical information efficiently, enhance the productivity of their
employees, and improve the effectiveness of their business relationships. At
the same time, our products and solutions are based on open technology
standards, and are designed and engineered to reduce reliance on proprietary
systems, complexity and total cost of ownership. Thus, by enriching the user
experience through innovative technology and high performance at an
affordable cost, we provide practical solutions to meet the demanding
real-world needs of customers today.
We believe that the leading enterprise networking company of the future will
be the one that offers innovative, feature-rich products and solutions that
excel at low cost of acquisition and ownership. Also, if that company
demonstrates operational excellence, maintains a low cost structure and
utilizes capital efficiently, it can generate attractive financial returns
and deliver significant value to its shareholders. We aspire and intend to
be that leading company, and we believe that our global presence, brand
identity, intellectual property portfolio and strong balance sheet provide a
sound foundation for growth and success in our targeted markets.
PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS
Our portfolio of enterprise networking products and solutions includes the
following offerings:
• LAN Switches—Fixed-configuration (fixed number of ports) and modular
chassis (variable port capacity) devices called "switches" that are located
in the network core and also at the network edge, serving as the foundation
for transporting data over the network.
• IP Telephony—Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solutions that enable
customers to transport their standard voice traffic, as well as new IP-based
voice-related applications, over their existing data networking
infrastructure.
• Network Security—Advanced security technology that consolidates various
security applications into a single hardware platform, thereby simplifying
management of the security solution. Also, perimeter firewalls and
host-based firewalls embedded into the network to protect against external
and internal security breaches.
• Routers and Gateways—Devices that direct traffic flows on a network and
direct incoming and outgoing traffic over the wide area network (WAN).
• Wireless LAN—Wireless network access points and adapter cards, based on
Wi-Fi technology, giving wireless users the ability to connect to the
network.
• Network Jack and IntelliJack™ Switches—A four-port switch in the form of a
standard wall jack that offers Ethernet connectivity with more ports without
the need to install additional cable.
• Connectivity Products—Adapter cards that enable client devices (for
example, PCs) and servers to connect to the network.
• Network Management Software—Network management applications that enable IT
managers to proactively manage the network through the software's alerts and
reporting mechanisms, as well as more advanced features.
• Customer Services—Services provided by engineers, technicians and other
support specialists who design, install and integrate networks, resolve
customer issues and help customers plan for future upgrades and
enhancements.
LAN Switches:
Core Switching. We offer both fixed-configuration and modular chassis core
solutions in our Switch 4000 series and SuperStack® 3 4900 series,
delivering highly resilient (fault tolerant) and available Layer 2 and Layer
3 Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps) and GbE solutions for the core of the enterprise
network. We offer an alternative to traditional modular chassis designs
through the Switch 40x0 range. For enterprises requiring higher performance
and flexibility, we offer Layer 4 traffic prioritization capabilities in the
SuperStack 3 Switch 4400, as well as our innovative eXpandable Resilient
Networking (XRN®) technology. XRN technology enables an enterprise to build
a highly available network with multiple switches managed as one entity,
providing ease of management and greater fault tolerance. Also, the
scalability features of our XRN technology allows us to offer a "pay as you
grow" approach to building portions of LANs.
During fiscal 2004, we introduced the 3Com Switch 7700, a high performance
Layer 3 modular switch based on technology developed by Huawei Technologies,
Ltd., with whom we have formed a joint venture as discussed below. This new
product family, initially introduced in 4-slot, 7-slot and 8-slot versions
with available 20-port interface modules, has broadened the markets and
customers that we can serve to include the larger enterprise segment. The
Switch 7700 enables us to compete at the network core, especially for
medium-sized enterprises. Also, the Switch 7700 family has scaled up our
switch offerings to create a new growth path for small-to-medium-sized
businesses.
Workgroup/Desktop Switching. At the LAN workgroup/desktop, our
fixed-configuration switches aggregate edge switches, larger server farms,
and/or servers and desktops, optimizing and controlling data flow. We
provide a full range of fixed-configuration switches to provide performance
and flexibility at the edge of the network that includes the OfficeConnect
series and the SuperStack 3 Baseline, 4200, 4300, and 4400 series of
products.
For small-to-mid-sized networks and branch offices that do not require
network management capabilities, we offer the OfficeConnect® series and
SuperStack 3 Baseline series of switches that are cost-effective without
sacrificing network performance or ease of use. These products are
aggressively priced, compact and offered in many different port
configurations; also, they can be installed and operated by non-technical IT
managers. The SuperStack 3 Switch 4200 and 4300 series offer ease of
configuration and robust network management software, as well as low cost of
ownership.
The SuperStack 3 Switch 4400PWR is an example of an intelligent edge switch
for enterprises that are deploying new applications that require advanced
functionality. This product, which combines the advanced features and high
performance of the SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 family with standards-based
Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) technology, can be used to pull power from the
wiring closet and supply it over an Ethernet cable to any compliant device,
including 3Com NBX® phones, wireless LAN access points, Network Jack, and
IntelliJack products. The Switch 4400PWR and the other switches in the 4400
series also provide advanced, multi-layer packet classification designed to
enhance network control, improve efficiency, and automatically identify and
prioritize real-time or business-critical applications, an important feature
for converged data and voice networks.
Gigabit Switching. Going forward, we believe that a growing number of
networking products and solutions will be based on GbE technology as the
demand for high-speed IP-based network infrastructures increases in
enterprises of all sizes and prices continue to decrease. Also, we
anticipate that GbE at the desktop will become more pervasive as GbE
connectivity capability becomes standard on PCs. We expect that this will
create greater demand for bandwidth in the cores of networks and at the
aggregation points that, in turn, will create greater demand for 10 Gigabit
products. Already, we have begun to see increased interest by enterprise
customers in "10 Gigabit-ready" networks, as more enterprises develop
strategic plans for scaling up in the core of the network.
To address the increasing market demand for Gigabit to the desktop
applications, we recently introduced our SuperStack 3 Switch 3870 family of
low cost, GbE workgroup switches. These stackable switches, offered in both
24- and 48-port models, deliver scalable Gigabit capability with advanced
security features, along with ease of installation and high reliability. In
addition, these switches include a built-in 10 Gigabit expansion slot, which
means that a customer will be able to use a 10 Gigabit uplink module to
boost performance by connecting to a 10 Gigabit core. Thus, these switches
provide customers with increased performance over traditional 10/100 Mbps
workgroup switches, as well as a migration path for connecting to 10 GbE
core technology in the future. We plan to deliver additional 10 Gigabit
switching products in the future to meet evolving enterprise requirements
for bandwidth and higher density network cores.
IP Telephony:
The next phase of IP telephony deployment is taking shape in the enterprise
market worldwide. Currently, many enterprise customers are focusing on
leveraging their existing hybrid networks, comprising any number of legacy
systems and new technology, to create applications and features that
facilitate enhanced communication and efficiency as well as lower network
operating costs. By deploying IP-based services in hybrid networks,
enterprise customers are able to provide their legacy private branch
exchange (PBX) users with many of the same enhanced telephony services that
they provide to their pure IP-based telephony users. Enhanced IP-based voice
mail and unified communications platforms, centrally managed from the data
center, allow messaging benefits not available on legacy voice mail systems
distributed at each site. Subscribers can access voice mail, fax and e-mail
messages from multiple devices and locations.
As enterprises continue to transition away from their legacy networks,
moving to IP-based telephony solutions can provide powerful new business
benefits, including:
• reduced connectivity charges;
• reduced administration costs;
• lower costs for phone moves, adds, and changes;
• savings on teleconference costs;
• enhanced employee productivity tools;
• mobility solutions; and
• call center management.
We have been a leader in IP telephony since the introduction of our
first-to-market IP-PBX system in 1998. The 3Com SuperStack 3 NBX Networked
Telephony Solution is designed for central or branch offices that have from
two to more than 1,000 phones per location. With fourth-generation 3Com NBX
(R4.2) system software, the SuperStack 3 NBX Networked Telephony solution
helps reduce costs and increase efficiencies by converging data and voice
communications on a single network, simplifying third-party applications
integration, and offering extensive multi-site IP connectivity options.
Intuitive management tools with simple, web-based administration and user
programming can further reduce costs and increase productivity. This
solution is available in 61 countries, supporting several languages and
dialects.
The 3Com Voice Core eXchange (VCX™) V7000 IP Telephony Solution delivers
reliable, highly scaleable, comprehensive standards-based IP telephony for
larger enterprises with up to thousands of users. Leveraging wired and
wireless LANs and WANs, the solution offers enterprise-wide features and
functionality that are intended to enhance communications and productivity
while reducing costs. Designed for enterprise campus, multi-site, and
multinational networks, the VCX V7000 IP Telephony Solution consists of
modular software components that perform call control, signaling,
application creation, and media control, independent of access medium and
speed. Applications can be custom tailored to fit the demands of any
enterprise, regardless of its size or number of sites. The VCX 7000 product
line includes robust software application modules, facilitating an array of
IP-based applications that run on off-the-shelf, high-performance servers.
Network Security:
Because of increasing security breaches and e-mail viruses, integrated
enterprise security has become a business-critical imperative. Most security
offerings today are based on inflexible point-products or technologies
designed to address specific network threats. This specialized security
appliance approach does not accommodate the need for security to be built
into the fundamental fabric of an enterprise network. Addressing security
one component at a time creates higher costs, complexity and tactical fixes
that could accentuate a future vulnerability.
We believe that a more centralized and standards-based approach to network
and information security controls will be more effective in protecting
against both insider threats as well as external threats, and we believe
that solutions that consolidate various security applications and products
onto a single security hardware platform will be attractive to enterprise
customers.
Through our relationship with Crossbeam Systems, Inc., we offer a new
security solution that is designed to consolidate security applications on a
single platform, giving IT managers greater control and functionality. Our
integrated security solution, the 3Com Security Switch 6200, is a high
performance and cost effective enterprise-class security switch designed to
address specific vulnerabilities or blended threats. The 3Com Security
Switch 6200 supports multiple applications, such as intrusion detection and
prevention, antivirus, content filtering and more. The 3Com Security Switch
6200 complements our existing security portfolio by delivering the security,
performance and reliability required for larger enterprise deployments, such
as regional or head office networks and data centers.
Additional security solutions that we offer are as follows:
• The 3Com Embedded Firewall solutions are host-based firewalls embedded
onto Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) cards for desktops and servers
and PC cards for laptops. These tamper-resistant hardware firewalls allow IT
managers to deploy a company-wide, policy-based client and server security
scheme.
• The SuperStack 3 Firewall is a high-performing, highly secure perimeter
firewall and Virtual Private Network (VPN) solution.
• The 3Com OfficeConnect VPN Firewall and the OfficeConnect Secure Router, a
small office/home office (SOHO) router, are for smaller offices that utilize
broadband connections (cable or digital subscriber line) or already have WAN
service in place.
Routers and Gateways:
Our WAN routers and gateways are the devices that connect businesses and
other users over long distances and enable access to the Internet. The
expansion of our product portfolio to include routers represents a
significant step forward in offering our customers an end-to-end networking
infrastructure solution, allowing them to connect multiple sites within an
organization.
We focus on open standards and interoperability in all our solutions,
including routing. The Tolly Group, a third party IT consulting group,
tested and certified our router products to ensure complete functionality in
standards-based networks with other vendors' routing technology. This
enables us to offer enterprise customers our routing solutions when existing
routers are already in-place in the network.
The 3Com Router 5000 product line is a series of branch office routers for
enterprise customers. The 3Com Router 3000 series of small office routers
provides the secure connections that are needed in small offices and remote
sites. In the future, we plan to broaden our router product line with
higher-end routers for larger enterprises. For small businesses and remote
offices of enterprises, we offer the OfficeConnect solutions for small
office WAN connectivity.
Wireless LAN:
We deliver wireless networking products and solutions that enable users to
stay connected to information while at their desks or while roaming within
the enterprise. The productivity increase associated with this ease of
information access is driving many businesses to deploy wireless networks.
We offer a large portfolio of standards-based wireless LAN solutions to meet
a wide variety of application-specific needs.
We believe that standards will continue to play a major role in the
increasing acceptance of wireless LANs, and we expect additional momentum in
the trend toward integrated quality of service (QoS) in wireless LANs that
may involve 802.11e, an emerging standard, to support bandwidth-intensive
wireless applications such as voice and video. Simultaneously, wireless
switching, has begun to emerge as a way to integrate management of wireless
access points into a switch. Security concerns related to wireless
technology have been addressed in standards-based ways already, including
Advanced Encryption Service (AES), Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and
Wireless Protected Access (WPA). We expect interest over the next year to be
focused on eliminating compatibility issues by creating enterprise wireless
networks that support all three Wi-Fi standards (802.11 a/b/g), removing the
need for IT managers to choose one protocol over another.
Market shifts toward integrated solutions supporting all three Wi-Fi
standards and new wireless data applications have already begun. Our next
generation Wi-Fi-certified wireless LAN products include tri-mode and
dual-mode access points and PC card solutions. Our wireless access point
products support all 802.11 a/b/g wireless standards. This means that any
user within a certain distance of the access point can access the network,
regardless of which standard is supported by the user's client device. The
3Com Wireless Access Point 8750, 3Com Wireless Access Point 8250 and 3Com
Wireless Access Point 7250 were designed for enterprise customers as a
modular, upgradeable platform for configuration flexibility and investment
protection. To ensure that users have secure access, our products support
stringent security standards, such as Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WEP) to
protect the wireless connection to users.
Our wireless LAN PC cards take advantage of the tri-mode 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi
support. The cards can also be used with 3Com's OfficeConnect wireless
products appropriate for small business customers. Our wireless PC adapters
also work with competitors' access points, as long as the products are Wi-Fi
standards compliant.
Network Jack and IntelliJack Switches:
As connectivity evolves, intelligent solutions at the edge of the network
are adding increased value. We offer a series of products to capture this
potential. 3Com Network Jack and IntelliJack switches provide a cost-saving
way to expand LAN-port connectivity in almost any network environment. The
Network Jack is a four port Ethernet switch that mounts conveniently into
any common wall outlet area. It increases the number of network ports
available at the desktop, without the cost and inconvenience of running
additional cables through walls and ceilings. These switches are targeted
for small-office or enterprise businesses, government offices, dormitories,
hospitals, classrooms, laboratories, public kiosks, conference rooms, and
shared office spaces, and they are particularly well suited for older or
hard-to-wire structures.
A key feature of the NJ100 Network Jack is the ability to utilize power from
either PoE or a local power supply. This product can also forward power to
connected devices that comply with PoE standards. The NJ200 Network Jack has
additional features such as network management, traffic prioritization, and
virtual LAN support.
Connectivity Products:
Our desktop, mobile and server connectivity products enable computers and
other devices to connect to Ethernet networks, thus allowing users to access
information. Utilizing proprietary ASICs, hardware and software, we are one
of the world's leading companies in providing 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
connectivity products. A major factor in our success has been our focus on
ease of use, reliability, and performance. Our customers have come to expect
our connectivity products to install easily, operate reliably and provide
excellent performance over the life of the system.
We also offer IP security NIC products that contain a dedicated processor
capable of processing operations including 3DES (Data Encryption Standard)
encryption. Our IP security NIC products provide an added layer of
distributed, tamper-resistant protection at the client device level,
protecting desktop and mobile PCs and servers against network attacks and
unauthorized access—from both internal and external security threats.
Network Management Software:
3Com Network Supervisor is a powerful, yet easy-to-use management
application that discovers, maps, and displays network links and IP devices,
including NBX telephones and some popular third-party products. It maps
devices and connections for easy monitoring of stress levels, setting
thresholds and alerts, viewing network events, launching device
configuration tools and generating reports in user-defined formats. The
detailed reports—on inventory, ports used, and network topology—make it
easier to manage a network, and the software's advanced event processing
reduces the time needed to resolve network problems. Automated operations,
intelligent defaults, and the ability to detect network configuration errors
and offer optimization suggestions give managers at all levels of experience
support for robust network supervision. The 3Com Network Supervisor is
included with most 3Com managed networking devices, and an advanced package
is available for increased management functionality and capacity. This
well-established, self-contained application has more than 60,000 registered
customers worldwide.
The 3Com Network Director and 3Com Network Administrator are high-end
applications that complement the 3Com Network Supervisor application in our
suite of network management software applications. These applications are
important for managing a network in order to ensure proper operation, verify
authorization, anticipate and correct problems, and control changes in the
network.
The 3Com Network Director is a network management application that enables
faster change management of sophisticated networks and scales up to managing
enterprises with 5,000 nodes. The application offers network topology-aware
configuration, remote monitoring management support and performance reports,
and historical reporting. It is a self-contained turnkey application
requiring no additional management software to operate. The 3Com Network
Administrator application, designed for enterprise customers who are using
Hewlett Packard Corporation's OpenView as their management infrastructure,
allows management of our products in a multi-vendor network and provides
easier bulk administration in larger networks.
MARKETS AND CUSTOMERS
We offer enterprise networking products and solutions for enterprises and
public sector organizations of all sizes. We understand that networking
needs vary among customers and, therefore, we offer a broad line of
networking solutions to fit the business needs of customers from the very
small (10 to 100 users) to the very large (from one thousand to many
thousands of users), in different industries, and around the world. We do
this by delivering scalability, rich functionality, high performance,
reliability, and security in networking solutions that are well suited for a
variety of enterprise and public sector environments.
We have a large installed base of enterprise customers, and we deliver the
performance, features, and flexibility demanded by these customers to meet
their changing business needs. We also have developed and maintain a strong
position in the small business marketplace, which stems from our
understanding of the particular needs of small businesses and our ability to
provide them with networking solutions that are easy to install, configure,
use and manage, as well as reliable and affordable to own and operate.
Our Ethernet connectivity products and solutions are targeted for worldwide
distribution to enterprise customers via PC Original Equipment Manufacturers
(OEMs) and value-added resellers (VARs). We sell directly to PC OEMs, who
integrate our connectivity products primarily into their commercial PC
product offerings. Our 3Com®-branded products are sold primarily though our
two-tier distribution channel, which leverages the capabilities of our
distributors and resellers.
As the market for Ethernet connectivity products has evolved, there has been
a transition from higher priced NICs to lower priced application specific
integrated circuits (ASICs) that are installed on the PC motherboard in a
LAN-on-motherboard (LOM) configuration. Looking forward, connectivity
products will increasingly reside in smaller and lower priced form factors,
designed in coordination with the PC motherboard itself. As this trend
continues, this configuration will become the form factor of choice for
connectivity products, significantly impacting and eroding the market for
NICs. In addition to changing form factors, users are beginning to implement
higher speed connectivity products. We anticipate that a growing number of
connectivity products will be based on Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) line speed, or
10/100/1000 megabits per second (Mbps).
NETWORK EQUIPMENT INDUSTRY BACKGROUND
During the 1980s and 1990s, we became a worldwide leader building enterprise
networks and the equipment that connects computers to networks. In 1981,
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) introduced the personal
computer (PC) and in 1983, we introduced the first network interface card (NIC)
that connected the IBM PC to Ethernet networks.
In the early stages of enterprise networking, computers were initially
connected to form local area networks (LANs) so that people in workgroups
could more easily share information, such as spreadsheets, and resources,
such as printers and servers. Later, network-based applications—email, for
example—were developed, and these applications ignited the demand to connect
workgroups together into enterprise-wide networks. More recently, going
beyond self-contained enterprise networks, the emergence and pervasiveness
of the Internet has led to substantial growth of network-based
communications and transactions between commercial enterprises and their
customers, partners and suppliers.
The increased use of self-contained enterprise computer networks for
conducting day-to-day business operations, and related factors such as the
development and proliferation of collaborative business software
applications and the increased connectivity requirements of mobile
employees, have created demand for networks that are increasingly more
available, reliable, robust and capable of prioritizing network traffic.
Also, the increased use of Internet-based applications for conducting
business transactions with customers, partners and suppliers has created
demand for networks that are capable of delivering high performance and
quality, cost effectiveness and security.
The continued evolution of networking technology is now enabling convergence
of data, voice and video over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. For example,
traditionally, enterprises have deployed separate data networking and
telephone infrastructures, with the attendant costs to install, operate and
maintain the separate infrastructures. Now, in many cases, enterprises are
finding that new IP telephony networking technology can enable them to
converge their data and voice traffic over a single infrastructure and
achieve substantial cost savings—in terms of initial purchase price as well
as ongoing costs of operation and maintenance—and provide new
productivity-enhancing telephony features to their employees. Similarly, the
evolution of networking technology is now enabling enterprise-class wireless
solutions as well as enhanced security solutions for both wired and wireless
environments.
NETWORK EQUIPMENT INDUSTRY BACKGROUND
During the 1980s and 1990s, we became a worldwide leader building enterprise
networks and the equipment that connects computers to networks. In 1981,
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) introduced the personal
computer (PC) and in 1983, we introduced the first network interface card (NIC)
that connected the IBM PC to Ethernet networks.
In the early stages of enterprise networking, computers were initially
connected to form local area networks (LANs) so that people in workgroups
could more easily share information, such as spreadsheets, and resources,
such as printers and servers. Later, network-based applications—email, for
example—were developed, and these applications ignited the demand to connect
workgroups together into enterprise-wide networks. More recently, going
beyond self-contained enterprise networks, the emergence and pervasiveness
of the Internet has led to substantial growth of network-based
communications and transactions between commercial enterprises and their
customers, partners and suppliers.
The increased use of self-contained enterprise computer networks for
conducting day-to-day business operations, and related factors such as the
development and proliferation of collaborative business software
applications and the increased connectivity requirements of mobile
employees, have created demand for networks that are increasingly more
available, reliable, robust and capable of prioritizing network traffic.
Also, the increased use of Internet-based applications for conducting
business transactions with customers, partners and suppliers has created
demand for networks that are capable of delivering high performance and
quality, cost effectiveness and security.
The continued evolution of networking technology is now enabling convergence
of data, voice and video over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. For example,
traditionally, enterprises have deployed separate data networking and
telephone infrastructures, with the attendant costs to install, operate and
maintain the separate infrastructures. Now, in many cases, enterprises are
finding that new IP telephony networking technology can enable them to
converge their data and voice traffic over a single infrastructure and
achieve substantial cost savings—in terms of initial purchase price as well
as ongoing costs of operation and maintenance—and provide new
productivity-enhancing telephony features to their employees. Similarly, the
evolution of networking technology is now enabling enterprise-class wireless
solutions as well as enhanced security solutions for both wired and wireless
environments.
Ticker
COMS
SIC Code
3576
- Computer Communications Equipment
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