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To: NotNeiderhoffer who wrote (1127)	5/18/2000 1:01:00 PM
From: Wizard	Respond to of 1331

NN, wireless internet is the New New thing.

To: NotNeiderhoffer who wrote (1127)	5/23/2000 1:42:00 PM
From: Beltropolis Boy	Respond to of 1331

so, NN, wuz that like a c(l)ameo appearance by Wizard or what? don't you hate disappearing acts? i'll venture that Gandalf is not riding our horse. tnmc.org in an effort to bring something substantive to the board -- besides cheesy Lord of the Rings references -- i've culled some tidbits below on LUzer's PBX (read: Octel) spin-off. heretofore, let this entity be known as Mount Doom. Notcertainthatisbetterthan3Combobulation and NotafraidtoadmitthatiplayD&DwithAmbroseCM ----- Doing the Corporate Shuffle Networking Computing May 15, 2000 By Joel Conover nwc.com . . . We asked Lucent why the company chose to take the split-up route. Karyn Mashima, vice president of strategy and CTO of the group, said the new group will be able to focus on product development without worrying about its impact on the larger Lucent entity. Before the breakup, Lucent had to be very careful about how many dollars it allocated to the enterprise group, based on the impact it would have on Lucent's service-provider business. The separation will allow the new group to move more quickly on partnerships and acquisitions--two things that had previously been entangled in red tape. Lucent management also felt that market conditions were favorable for spinning off a new division that has the potential for higher earnings than the core company. Lucent is not spinning off the unit in an IPO, however; stock will be distributed to current stockholders when the separation finally takes place. Analysts think the "old" Lucent will benefit extensively from the divestiture of these resources. Mashima said the move will also unlock the new company's value. The market seems to agree with her insight. So for Lucent, the spin-off is a win-win situation. If this move gives the product groups the ability to make fast decisions, it's a real win for Lucent's products and customers. The biggest downfall for Lucent and its customers will be if the company doesn't follow through in managing its customer relations. Although the spin-off is still five months away, Lucent hasn't been overly communicative with its customers, according to some who spoke with us. Unlike 3Com and Cabletron, which have significant stakes in the enterprise LAN market, Lucent's announcement will have a more significant impact on enterprise telecom managers. Lucent's Enterprise Networks Group comprises a wide range of product families: the Definity voice products line, Lucent's extensive CRM (customer relationship management) software suite, its entire line of Europe/Middle East/Africa offerings (voice and CRM products sold specifically and only in those markets), the messaging solutions group (including Audix and Octel voice messaging), small-business communications, IP Exchange, conferencing and collaboration tools, the GuestWorks hospitality solution, and the Cajun campus family of LAN and ATM switches. Also part of the new group is the Systimax cabling line. Lucent has approximately 151,000 employees. About 34,000 employees will join the Enterprise Networks Group. In terms of revenue (for fiscal year 1999, ending in September 1999), Lucent is a $38 billion company, and the Enterprise Networks Group represents $8 billion (21 percent) of that. In addition, the Enterprise Networks Group will license a number of products from the "old" Lucent, including Pipeline access routers and the SuperPipe multiservice access router and Lucent's Access Point Internet access routers. Both companies will split engineering resources from the RealNet Rules development team and will sell separate products to address their respective marketplaces. The Xedia VPN device will also remain in the old Lucent's hands, while the Enterprise Networks Group will resell and license the technology from the old Lucent. Finally, the QIP address-management software will remain part of the old Lucent. We find that surprising, considering the enterprise nature of that software. However, the Enterprise Networks Group will license that software and resell it through its own channels. Easing Support Concerns In terms of R&D and future resources for the company, more than 3,000 engineers have been moved to the new group, which is expected to be self-sufficient in terms of R&D and financial resources. Customers have expressed the most concern about whether Lucent will continue to support call-center applications, CRM, messaging and convergence technologies. Lucent has responded that the same account representatives and service groups will support existing accounts, since most of that staff is coming along with the product lines. And what of the old Lucent? It will focus primarily on the service provider and microelectronics space. There, customer relationships have been developed mostly through exclusive, one-to-one sales and support teams. Those resources will stay with the old Lucent. Lucent will maintain its own service and support group for NetworkCare Services (comprised largely of resources from the INS acquisition). The new company plans to use the consulting and services arm of Lucent extensively in the future.