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Technology Stocks : 3Com Corporation (COMS) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Steve Porter who wrote (17348)	6/13/1998 3:30:00 AM
From: joe	Respond to of 45548

Palm Pilot Code More Robust Than Windows by John C. Dvorak (Boardwatch) boardwatch.com

To: Steve Porter who wrote (17348)	6/13/1998 3:54:00 AM
From: joe	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 45548

PALMPILOT EXTENDS THE DESKTOP TO YOUR POCKET (Boardwatch) boardwatch.com

To: Steve Porter who wrote (17348)	6/14/1998 1:02:00 AM
From: joe	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 45548

To All: 3Com Starts Next Phase Of Policy-Based Networks Push techweb.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3Com Starts Next Phase Of Policy-Based Networks Push By Shawn Willett Santa Clara, Calif. -- Despite a lack of complete standards and products, 3Com Corp. began the next phase of its push to bring a full framework for policy-based networks. A policy-based network provides advanced services such as prioritizing traffic of certain applications or users, guaranteeing certain bandwidth or quality of service, advanced monitoring, security and autoconfiguration of devices. "We've gone from customers wondering why they need policy-powered networking to [customers] asking how they can get it. What we are rolling out are things to get ready for it," said Lionel Gibbons, director of Santa Clara-based 3Com's TranscendWare product group. Policy-based networks are a prerequisite for running voice and video reliably over a network and a feature that will be in demand in the future of mission critical applications, said analysts. "People have to either throw bandwidth at a problem or dole it out more intelligently," said Gibbons. In its latest phase, the networking vendor will support lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) directories in products from developers such as Novell Inc., Netscape Communications Corp. and Siemens AG by the end of the year. 3Com also will support LDAP directories in Microsoft Corp. products at a later date, said 3Com officials. The directory stores information about users and devices that an integrator or network administrator can then use to implement a particular policy. The directories will interface with 3Com's own Policy Server, due in the fourth quarter. By the next quarter, 3Com expects to deliver an LDAP client for some of its routers and switches that allow autoconfiguration, the networking developer said. In addition, the company said it expects policy-based networking to work with legacy devices and devices from other vendors. 3Com is achieving that by integrating with the Directory Enabled Network (DEN) standard, Radius Authentication Services and also by following the existing 802.1p standard and the emerging Common Open Policy Service (COPS). But COPS is still a work in progress, and the other standards have yet to be implemented in all devices, said 3Com officials. Resellers and integrators, however, should start laying the groundwork for policy-based networking now, company executives said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To: Steve Porter who wrote (17348)	6/14/1998 1:12:00 AM
From: joe	Respond to of 45548

To All: FOCUS SHIFT: Vendors Sing New Tune -- Networks Get Simple techweb.com ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- FOCUS SHIFT: Vendors Sing New Tune -- Networks Get Simple By Robert W. Mitchell New York -- Until recently, networking vendors agreed that many small business were apprehensive about installing local-area networks. The technology was seen as too complex and expensive for that market. Now, however, companies such as 3Com Corp. and Intel Corp. have changed their tune. Going after the advancing small-business market with networking solutions is a lucrative direction for vendors and resellers to take, industry analysts said, largely because of the estimated 20 million small businesses in the United States. "Twenty percent of small businesses as of year end will have networking products in place," said Andy Bose, president of Access Media International, a research company based in New York. Because of the size of these companies, analysts pointed out the limited amount of technical know-how that exists within them and stressed the importance of products not being complicated to operate. "The one thing vendors need to work on in pursuing the small-business market is to constantly pay attention to making their products easy to use," said James Staten, an analyst at Dataquest Inc., a division of Gartner Group Inc., based in Stamford, Conn. "We are taking great pains to remove the complexity [of networking] from the small-business market," said Kurt Bailey, product line manager for small business with Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel. "All the complexity, which is intimidating, is hidden." The Intel product in this space is the Internet Station, a multifunction Internet router, part of its InBusiness line, said Bailey. It can be used to access shared modems and Internet connections. It uses an analog or ISDN modem, said Intel officials. The suggested price for the Internet station is $499. Also included in the InBusiness line are five- and eight-port hubs for $79 and $109, respectively, and four- and eight-port fast hubs for $245 and $445, respectively. "It is a very non-expensive way [for small businesses] to connect to the Internet," said Thomas Kuo, vice president of sales for Network Associates Corp., a Fremont, Calif.-based integrator. 3Com, Santa Clara, Calif., also is making inroads toward the small-business market, said Chuck Yort, director of small-business operations. Within the Small Business Partner Program under its Networking Partners Program, 3Com offers small-business resellers help in selling its networking products, said Yort. LAN Basics is a program designed to help resellers sell networking products effectively to small-business customers. Other services offered under the program include remote and self-paced training, technical assistance via the Internet and bi-weekly product update mailings. Resellers with advanced networking expertise are offered a more defined program to help serve clients, Yort said. Part of the vendor's small-business line includes the 3Com Office Connect ISDN LAN modem-an IP router with four Ethernet ports, two voice/fax ports and one ISDN connection. The product allows for shared Internet access and includes a built-in Web server. Security software is also available. The suggested price is $499. "These are usually difficult things to hook up," said Gibby Cohen, president of WAW Co., a Nashville, Tenn.-based reseller and consultant. "3Com's products are made simple." Cohen said 3Com's services are easy to understand and decipher, which often allows him to remotely explain problems and offer solutions recommended to his clients. "The way the instructions are [laid out] is simple. The format is easy to follow and very accurate," he said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~