3Com and Concentric Network Form Strategic Alliance to Deliver Bundled DSL Solutions to Small and Medium Sized U.S. Businesses
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 26, 1999--
Alliance Unites Concentric's DSL Service and 3Com's
Innovative OfficeConnect® Remote 840 SDSL Router, Giving
More than 45,000 Resellers a Reliable Networked Solution for
Small and Medium Enterprises
3Com Corporation (Nasdaq:COMS - news) announced today at ISPCon tradeshow in San Jose, Calif., that it has formed a strategic alliance with Concentric Network Corporation, San Jose, Calif., (Nasdaq:CNCX - news), a leading provider of e-business solutions, to deliver bundled Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) solutions to U.S. small and medium sized businesses (SMBs). The alliance combines ConcentricDSL(TM) service, a high-speed, 'always on' Internet access solution, with 3Com's OfficeConnect® Remote 840 SDSL Router. This complete, bundled service is available now and is sold through 3Com's extensive channel of more than 45,000 resellers focusing on selling services and solutions to the SMB U.S. market.
Since the launch of ConcentricDSL in late 1997, Concentric has aggressively extended its deployment portfolio to over 18 U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle and Washington, D.C. By leveraging its technical experience and established relationships with carriers, Concentric has emerged as the provider of choice among the business community. Now Concentric Network enhances its business-grade DSL service by teaming with 3Com Corporation, bundling the OfficeConnect Remote 840 SDSL Router with ConcentricDSL.
''Combining the strengths of 3Com's channel partners with Concentric Network's established presence in the DSL service market will enable both companies to easily deploy a reliable, high-speed networking solution to growing businesses demanding greater bandwidth for critical business applications,'' said Edgar Masri, senior vice president and general manager, 3Com, Network Systems Business Unit.
''We are excited about teaming with 3Com to provide a complete, bundled solution that meets the unique needs of small and medium sized businesses,'' said Mark Fisher, senior vice president and general manager of Concentric's network services division. ''We are benefiting from 3Com's networking expertise, in addition to their vast reseller network, which shares our same dedication to the SMB space. In fact, Cahner's/In-Stat ranked 3Com as the number one networking hardware vendor for small businesses (5-99 employees) in their September Networking Vendor Small Business Rankings report, largely resulting from 3Com's channel marketing muscle.''
The bundled Concentric/3Com DSL solution will be sold through 3Com's extensive network of resellers. 3Com's netWorking Partners® program provides resellers with free training, marketing and technical support, and sales tools. To date, 3Com has recruited more than 45,000 resellers with a stated interest in selling and recommending to businesses with fewer that 100 employees. To facilitate the success of this alliance, DSL demo offers are available to allow resellers to fully demonstrate and evaluate this bundled DSL solution. These demo offerings will enable resellers to confidently recommend this business-grade DSL bundle.
Concentric/3Com DSL Demo Offer
The DSL demo offer, available exclusively for resellers, includes two months of free ConcentricDSL service from Concentric Network, plus the local loop and Internet access charge. Additionally, 3Com's OfficeConnect Remote 840 SDSL Router is available at a discount of 62% from Concentric. The DSL demo is available immediately. Resellers interested in reselling this bundle are advised to register as Concentric IMPACT Partners, since this will provide them with full access to information about Concentric's complete suite of e-business services.
For more information about Concentric's IMPACT Partner program please visit Concentric's web site at www.concentric.net. For information on 3Com Corporation's channel partner program please call 800/NET-3COM.
3Com's OfficeConnect Family
OfficeConnect is the No. 1 selling small business networking brand in the United States according to industry analysts, New York City-based AMI, and, to date, more than 15 million ports have been shipped worldwide. There are more than 30 solutions in the product family portfolio, including the recently announced OfficeConnect Remote 840 SDSL Router. Eleven other new and enhanced products were announced in September 1999. 3Com's OfficeConnect small business networking solutions enable people to easily connect PCs, to the Internet, the office and voice networks, anytime, anywhere.
The OfficeConnect Remote 840 SDSL Router is a full-featured bridge and IP/IPX router with an integrated four-port Ethernet hub offering symmetrical high-speed access to information for multiple users over digital subscriber lines.
''Concentric is known for its DSL service and strong service performance, making our decision to work together quite simple,'' said Kathy Graves, vice president of channel sales for 3Com. ''3Com's OfficeConnect Remote 840 SDSL Router is ideally suited for Concentric's suite of DSL offerings and we expect the bundle will drive extensive demand, which our reseller channel is well-positioned to address.''
About Concentric Network Corporation
Concentric Network Corporation provides complete, easy-to-use Internet business solutions for small- to medium-sized companies and customized Virtual Private Network and data center services for larger organizations. Concentric's portfolio of services for small- to medium-sized companies includes high-speed DSL access, Web hosting and e-commerce. For larger enterprises, the company offers dedicated Web hosting and data center services. Concentric is the first application infrastructure provider, offering a suite of infrastructure services that enable application service providers to deliver applications and Web-based services over the Internet or a VPN. Concentric's VPN solutions enable an organization to securely and reliably communicate with its offices, mobile sales force, business partners, vendors and customers. Concentric's services rely on a high-performance, ATM-based network that covers North America, and through various partnerships, reaches internationally. Concentric also operates state-of-the-art hosting centers at strategic locations across the U.S. All Concentric services are backed by 24 hour/7 days a week customer support, and many are backed by strong service level agreements.
The company has received Most Innovative ISP two-years in a row from Inter@ctive Week, and recently received two Well-Connected Awards from Network Computing for Most Innovative Service Provider of the Year and for Best Enterprise Internet Service Provider for ConcentricHost(TM). Deloitte & Touche recently ranked Concentric the 6th fastest growing technology company in Silicon Valley, as part of their Fast 50 Program. The company consistently receives top ratings by Inverse Network Technology, an independent research firm that grades the performance of network service providers each month. Traded on NASDAQ under the symbol ''CNCX,'' Concentric Network is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with operations offices in Southern California, Chicago, Il., St. Louis, Mo., and Saginaw, Mich., along with sales and channel support across the U.S. For more information, access the company's Web site at concentric.net or contact Public Relations at publicrelations@concentric.com.
About 3Com
With more than 300 million customers worldwide, 3Com Corporation connects more people to information in more ways than any other networking company. 3Com delivers innovative information access products and network system solutions to enterprises, small businesses, carriers and network service providers, PC OEMs and consumers. 3Com. More connected.(TM) For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at www.3com.com or the press site at www.3com.com/pressbox.
Concentric has reached an agreement to acquire Internet Technology Group plc (AIM: ITH.L), a leading provider of Internet access and hosting for businesses in the UK. The acquisition is subject to Internet Technology Group shareholder, court and regulatory approvals and is currently expected to close in the fourth quarter of 1999.
This press release contains forward looking statements regarding Concentric's proposed acquisition of Internet Technology Group plc (ITG), and the potential benefits to be realized by the combined groups, including but not limited to expansion of Internet services into Europe, that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including the requirement for Internet Technology Group stockholder, court and regulatory approval, and the ability of the combined groups to successfully integrate and expand their service offerings.
Concentric Network Corporation, the Concentric logo and ConcentricDSL are all trademarks of Concentric Network Corporation. Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. 3Com, OfficeConnect and netWorking Partners are registered trademarks and More connected. is a trademark of 3Com Corporation.
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Contact:
3Com Public Relations
Robyn Porter, 703/848-7850
robyn_porter@3com.com
or
Concentric Network
Jenna Dee, 408/817-2297
jdee@concentric.com |
