3Com Contract:
Rippe & Kingston Chooses 3Com to Drive Enterprise Resource Planning At Customer Sites
Powerful 3Com(R)Networks Deliver Fully Integrated Enterprise Resource Planning Product at Consulting Firm's 300 Client Law Firms Nationwide
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 18, 2000-- 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS - news) announced today that Rippe & Kingston (R&K), a leading national software developer, CPA and consultant based in Cincinnati, Ohio, is using 3Com® networks at its customer sites in order to deploy its integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions on a ``best-of-breed'' environment from the server to the desktop. Using 3Com's SuperStack® II Gigabit Ethernet switches, R&K delivers the ``Rolls Royce'' of ERP applications to law firms, which can instantly access and fully leverage those solutions to help improve productivity, profitability and customer service.
Founded in 1976, R&K is an IBM Premier and Lotus Notes business partner. To date, the 250-employee company has implemented ERP solutions for 300 firms in 44 U.S. states. Whether consulting for a five-member or a 700-member law firm, R&K gives every client expert service, born out of extensive research and practical experience.
Powered by 3Com's network, R&K delivers a full suite of 17-20 mission-critical ERP applications, incorporating all aspects of law practices' operations, from attorney/client histories to accounting. Accounts payable, for instance, utilizes the ERP software's Time, Billing and Accounts Receivable program to effortlessly track hours billed, inquire into a client's account or request an invoice - a capability that saves most firms 12 percent per year in lost revenue.
Similarly, the network-driven ERP system's Docket Control/Case Management System gives attorneys reliable access to statute of limitations information, helping them prepare informed cases before going into court. In a felony case, if an attorney cannot access statute information because the firm's network has buckled, the client's case could be severely compromised and the firm may lose millions of dollars. Using R&K's solution based on 3Com switches, law firms can access up-to-the-minute data instantly - any time, day or night.
The 3Com network also drives proprietary groupware applications that work in tandem with R&K's ERP solutions. Sitting on a single IBM AS/400 64-bit server as opposed to a server farm, these programs ``talk'' to each other, thereby eliminating dual or conflicting entries. R&K's Personal Calendar Management application, for example, converses with the Docket Control/Case Management System to alert attorneys via an error message on their PCs if they mistakenly schedule a vacation day on a court day. Furthermore, the company's document management application helps increase productivity and improve customer service by allowing employees to view lists of every document produced for each client without having to search congested file rooms.
``Our success as an ERP solutions provider is contingent upon how effortlessly and efficiently our clients can use our software,'' said Paul Truax, R&K's director of sales and marketing. ``Though they can run in any network environment, we recognize that we are best served when they exist in the sturdiest environment possible. 3Com networks provide that environment and are now a major component of our total solution.''
Designed for Reliability
R&K's standardization of its clients' networks on 3Com systems emanated from its need to run its ERP solution on a fast and reliable networking solution. Previously, the company deployed shared Token Ring and Ethernet systems from a variety of vendors at its client sites that compromised the ERP solutions' performance. After testing equipment from leading vendors, R&K chose 3Com's Gigabit Ethernet local area network (LAN) solution based on SuperStack II switches.
``3Com gave us the best price/performance of any vendor,'' said Truax. ``Using 3Com systems, we can confidently provide clients with the best-of-breed connectivity they need to optimize our ERP solutions' operations, which increases our competitive advantage.''
Based on R&K's recommendations, the law firm clients with 75 to 100 employees generally deploy a LAN based on one 3Com SuperStack 9300 switch with 1000 Mbps connections to SuperStack II 3300 switches and SuperStack II DualSpeed Hub 500s. The SuperStack II 3330 switches and SuperStack II 500 hubs likewise connect at 10/100 Mbps to IBM or Dell Pentium III desktops, equipped with 3Com Fast EtherLink® NICs. Similarly, the core SuperStack II 9300 switch links to a single IBM AS/400 64-bit server. R&K additionally acts as an application host for smaller law firms that cannot afford the needed internal systems support. These smaller firms usually employ one SuperStack II 3300 switch, connecting at 100 Mbps to a non 3Com router, which then links back to a Rippe's host facilities.
``3Com allows us to give our clients the outstanding ERP service they demand,'' concluded Truax. ``3Com's performance assures us that no matter what new software we develop over the years, its solutions will be right there to deliver them quickly and reliably.''
About 3Com Corporation
3Com simplifies how people connect to information and services through easy-to-use, connectivity products and solutions for consumers and commercial organizations. The company also provides access infrastructures and IP services platforms for network service providers. For further information, visit www.3com.com or the press site at www.3com.com/pressbox.
3Com, SuperStack and EtherLink are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation. All other names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
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Contact:
3Com Public Relations
Anthony Petrucci
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