New 3Com Voice and Data Networking Products and Services Build
Practical, Ethernet Converged Networks for Small and Medium Enterprises
BusinessWire - 08:03 a.m. Apr 05, 1999 Eastern
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 1999--Extending its leadership
in the small and medium enterprise market, 3Com(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS)
today announced new voice and data networking products and services that build
converged Ethernet networking infrastructures and deliver emerging applications for
e-Business, such as call centers and customer care programs. With new 3Com(R)
standard Ethernet and LAN telephony solutions, small and medium enterprises can
deploy cost-effective desktop-to-WAN converged networks.
Also announced today is a new 90-day phone customer support program for new
SuperStack(R) and OfficeConnect(R) products worldwide and ISDN SOHO router test
accolades from The Tolly Group.
"3Com pioneered and continues to set the standard for networking products that are
easy-to-use and highly reliable for small and medium enterprises," said Karen Oddey,
vice president, marketing for 3Com Small and Medium Enterprises. "Using standard
Ethernet implementations, 3Com is the only vendor able to deliver comprehensive
converged networking solutions for growing businesses. Today's SuperStack,
OfficeConnect and NBX(R) announcements reinforce 3Com leads in helping small and
medium businesses benefit from today's and tomorrow's networked economy."
3Com Leads in Small and Medium Enterprise Converged Networking
Through 3Com's recent acquisition of NBX Corporation, Andover, Mass., 3Com now
offers a complete suite of affordable LAN, WAN and telephone networking solutions.
Small and growing businesses around the world can now turn to one vendor for these
converged network solutions.
The NBX acquisition complements 3Com's long-standing relationship with Siemens and
the recent formation of its joint venture. With Siemens, 3Com delivers and is developing
networking infrastructure equipment to support sophisticated converged data and
telephony networking in growing medium and large enterprises.
New Small and Medium Enterprise Solutions
With standard Ethernet infrastructures and support for new Ethernet 802.1p/Q LAN
traffic prioritization implementations, 3Com can deliver today's Ethernet-based data and
voice networks for small and medium enterprises. Based on number of users and
specific applications, small and growing businesses can deploy 3Com's comprehensive
solutions, including 3Com EtherLink(R) network interface cards (NICs) with
DynamicAccess(R), OfficeConnect and SuperStack hubs, switches, routers and remote
access products and NBX LAN telephony communications systems.
3Com highlights the following new products and solutions available in its small and
medium enterprise product portfolio.
-- NBX 100 Communications System now ships with support for H.323
for open, standards-based VoIP, as well as dynamic support for
Layer 2 and Layer 3 technologies enabling LAN telephony support
throughout entire IP networks. The NBX 100 system helps growing
enterprises save communications costs by combining voice and data
networks over pervasive Ethernet.
-- OfficeConnect Switch 800 and 1600 are new 8- and 16-port 10/100
per port auto sensing Ethernet switches for simple, high-speed
connections between servers and high-bandwidth network users. The
OfficeConnect 800 and 1600 dual-speed switches add performance
for less than $50 (USD) per port to support new e-Business
solutions based on shared Internet access, database management
and high-bandwidth applications such as multimedia and
videoconferencing.
-- SuperStack II Remote Access 1500 Expansion Unit gives the 1500
system 24 analog or ISDN ports for added scalability, stacking
capability for easy single-stack management and FireWire(TM)
technology for optimal remote access performance. Growing
enterprises can now scale to add more users to the SuperStack II
Remote Access 1500 unit while managing the system via SNMP as a
single entity.
-- OfficeConnect 56K and ISDN LAN Modems now support 25 users and
have enhanced IntelligentNAT (Network Address Translation)
capabilities so offices can share a single ISP address and shield
the router-attached workstations from the public Internet. Small
businesses or branch offices with up-to 25 users can easily and
cost-effectively access the corporate network or the Internet and
deploy sophisticated multimedia applications via 3Com's
IntelligentNAT.
New 3Com 90-Day Free Customer Service Program for Small and
Medium Enterprises
3Com has taken another step to ensure a complete solution for its small and medium
enterprise customers. Because the company realizes its customers' need for immediate
and cost-effective support, 3Com's OfficeConnect and SuperStack II product lines sold
worldwide now come with telephone support for 90 days from the date of purchase.
This 90 days of complementary telephone support supplements the standard 3Com
Limited Warranty for hardware and software and the company will continue to honor
lifetime telephone support currently offered on some products in the OfficeConnect and
SuperStack families.
With this new value-added service offering, 3Com helps ensure customer needs during
the critical installation period are addressed in a timely and convenient manner.
Telephone technical support may include assistance with installation, product specific
configuration and identification of equipment problems. 3Com also provides immediate
access to electronic product support on the 3Com Web site via its Knowledgebase Web
service located at knowledgebase.3com.com. This interactive tool is a definitive
source of the most current 3Com product information.
New Third-Party Validation Confirms 3Com's Leadership
The Tolly Group, an independent testing and strategic consulting organization based in
Manasquan, NJ, recently completed rigorous competitive testing of 3Com's
OfficeConnect ISDN LAN Modem and similar products from Cisco Systems,
Lucent/Ascend, Nortel Networks and Ramp Networks. The Tolly Group tests verified:
-- Of the ISDN routers tested, the 3Com OfficeConnectLAN Modem's GUI
provides the fastest setup time because it requires the fewest
number of configuration steps;
-- The 3Com OfficeConnect LAN Modem was the only ISDN router tested
that supported multiple, simultaneous videoconferencing sessions
using Microsoft NetMeeting and CU-See me;
-- The 3Com OfficeConnect LAN Modem's throughput improved up to 80%
with compression enabled when forwarding text traffic, and;
-- No degradation using the LAN Modem with data compression enabled
while transferring previously compressed files over an ISDN link.
In addition, leading research firm PC DATA, Reston, Virginia, reports the
OfficeConnect ISDN LAN Modem was the number one selling ISDN router in the U.S.
retail channels in 1998. The OfficeConnect ISDN LAN Modem was the preferred small
office ISDN router solution in the retail channel every quarter in 1998, culminating an
overall 27 percent market share for the calendar year 1998.
3Com remains a leader in overall Ethernet connectivity worldwide with 35 percent
market share. In the fourth quarter 1998, 3Com achieved 35 percent market share by
combining a leading 49 percent unit market share in the worldwide Ethernet network
interface card (NIC) market (Cahners In-Stat Group) with that of all other Ethernet
products (Dell'Oro Group LAN hubs, LAN switches and wide area routers with
Ethernet ports).
About 3Com Corporation
With more than 200 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 large, medium
and small enterprises; 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.
Copyright 1999, Business Wire
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