COMPANY OVERVIEW
3Com is a leading global provider of enterprise and small-business networking solutions that help organizations achieve their business and networking objectives. The company has had a major impact on computer networking since the creation of Ethernet in the 1970s. 3Com’s mission is to provide customers worldwide with high-quality, low-cost networking infrastructure solutions that enable the convergence of applications and emerging technologies into the network.
In 2007, 3Com extended its leadership position in the networking industry by acquiring 100 percent ownership of its former China-based joint venture, H3C Technologies Co., Limited (H3C). With the addition of H3C, 3Com has annual revenue of $1.3 billion (FY07 year ended June 3, 2007) and more than 6,000 employees (FY07) in over 40 countries.
Based in Massachusetts, USA, 3Com prides itself on its history of innovation as well as its technology and engineering prowess. The company leverages its more than 2,700 world-class engineers to build industry-leading solutions for its customers. Additionally, 3Com has more than 1,400 U.S. and nearly 50 Chinese issued patents, more than 200 pending Chinese applications as well as pending applications for 10 separate inventions outside of China that cover a wide range of networking technologies.
CUSTOMERS
In today’s enterprises, IT departments are challenged to consolidate their resources to enhance return on investment and reduce system management and administrative expenses to drive down the total cost of ownership. To achieve these business goals, they must have the right tools and the flexibility provided by standards-based, interoperable systems, rather than the rigid limitations of proprietary technology. That’s why more networking professionals are turning to 3Com’s innovative, intelligent and cost-effective networking solutions.
SECURE CONVERGED NETWORK SOLUTIONS
3Com delivers integrated, secure converged network solutions for businesses of all types and sizes. These include wireless access products, standalone and stackable switches, powerful core switches, interoperability-tested routers, standards-based convergence applications and IP phones. 3Com provides superior business value to customers with its proven, broad portfolio of secure, edge-to-core networking solutions that are highly cost-effective to acquire, own and operate. 3Com brings its best-of-breed solutions to customers worldwide through its trustworthy, world-class strategic partners, its deep distribution channels and its own superb global sales, service and support teams.
SECURITY
3Com is continually strengthening the foundation of corporate networks with innovative new products that push “intelligence”—usually reserved for the network core—to the network edge. A division of 3Com, TippingPoint, introduced the first Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) in 2002 and is the recognized leader in tthis field, delivering in-depth application, infrastructure and performance protection. The 3Com TippingPoint™ IPS safeguards even the network’s most active mobile users, stopping viruses, worms, Trojan horses and spyware before they can disrupt business. Unlike legacy methods of security detection that let the first incident happen, the IPS identifies, prevents or quarantines the problem before it infects the rest of the network—all in real time. This next-generation approach provides unmatched network-based security with unrivaled cost-effectiveness and ultra-high reliability, performance and scalability. 3Com is constantly integrating new security features and functionality into the network infrastructure to enable customers to remain protected from emerging threats.
CONVERGENCE
3Com has been changing the way businesses speak since it brought the first IP-PBX to market in 1998. Now, 3Com delivers advanced convergence solutions designed for easy implementation in new or existing infrastructures. The IP phones, applications and platforms that comprise the 3Com Convergence Applications Suite enable small to mid-sized businesses as well as large distributed global enterprises to benefit from productivity-enhancing applications and cost-effective, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-based IP telephony solutions and convergence applications. 3Com® VCX™ and NBX® IP telephony platforms help businesses thrive with global calling plans, call recording, unified voice mail and media-rich conferencing. Voice routing intelligence allows call-flow decisions to be made at local or global locations, based on real-time voice-traffic requirements, so service level configuration, availability and cost can match business needs. And for efficient wired and wireless connectivity—regardless of location—the award-winning 3Com Convergence Center Client provides a user-friendly interface that can support desktop videoconferencing and secure presence (with Instant Messenger), as well as audioconferencing and file sharing.
NETWORKING
3Com believes today’s business networks must be both powerful and flexible. Its standards-based networking architecture enables organizations to pick and choose components that match their business strategies and budgets. A rich choice of 3Com network platforms, optimized for converged environments, offers resilient backbones, edge aggregation, workgroup connectivity and branch office services. Switching solutions range from advanced modular core switches with up to terabit speed and multilayer traffic prioritization capabilities to stackable switches that combine flexibility with affordability. Based on the latest Wi-Fi standards and security measures, 3Com wireless routers, access points, controllers and bridges give organizations the agility to cost-effectively grow and support their mobile workforces. Robust 3Com routers can be deployed in a variety of mixed-vendor networks—they’ve been independently proven to interoperate with Cisco routers. And the 3Com Enterprise Management Suite (EMS) is so powerful that multiple network managers in heterogeneous enterprise networks can simultaneously and efficiently perform key management and administrative tasks in converged network environments.
WORLDWIDE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUPPORT
3Com’s ongoing commitment to service excellence is reflected in its expanding support infrastructure and seasoned, professional service engineers who are adept at integrating security, voice and data across multivendor networks. 3Com Global Services provides a single point of accountability for outstanding service performance and quality.
CHANNEL MODEL
3Com markets its solutions through a comprehensive, worldwide distribution system, featuring an award-winning partner program. Using a two-tier channel model, 3Com provides its partners with both significant support as well as a range of options for increasing revenue and market share. Strong relationships with systems integrators and service providers—including IBM, Phillips and Siemens—complement the channel base, and facilitate the most complex large-enterprise implementations.