3Com's Router Solution Upgrades Constituent Services for Campbell County, Kentucky.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 15, 2004

3Com's End-to-End Voice and Data Solutions Deliver "Out of the Box" Features and Cost-Effective Routers

Based near Cincinnati in northern Kentucky, Campbell County offers its nearly 90,000 residents all the government services they need to enjoy a high quality life. However, when Campbell County officials recently determined that a legacy Cisco 3620 central router and Cisco 800 branch office routers were unable to support a new IP voice system linking its 20 departments, they sought a viable alternative -- something they found quickly and easily in high-value 3Com(R) Router 5000 systems from 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS).

Easy to acquire and deploy, the standards-based 3Com routers work in conjunction with Campbell County's new 3Com Internet Protocol (IP) Telephony Solution, which, according to county representatives, the county's former Cisco routers' were unable to do, due to their inability to support Quality of Service (QoS) without an expensive upgrade of the software. Campbell County is also using a mix of 3Com SuperStack(R) 3, Office Connect(R) and IntelliJack(TM) switches. The county additionally relies on a 3Com SuperStack 3 Firewall, a wireless outdoor bridge, and the 3Com Guardian service agreement, which provides 24-by-7 network protection.

Campbell County considered new generation Cisco 1700-series branch routers and upgrading the 3620 router, but dismissed both because they considered them proprietary and more expensive than Router 5000s, according to Andy Kuykendall, director of IT, Campbell County. The new cost-effective 3Com routers contain built-in QoS features; they tag and prioritize delay-sensitive voice-over-IP (VoIP) traffic generated by the 3Com IP phone system and delivered by 3Com switches to ensure high-quality site-to-site phone calls. They also eliminate hidden upgrade costs by embedding security features such as packet inspection firewalls and traffic filtering without requiring additional software purchases. All told, the new 3Com routing, voice and data solution is delivering an outstanding 18-month return on investment (ROI) for Campbell County.

"3Com's new routers work seamlessly with our 3Com voice and data platform to improve our constituent service and communications while driving down costs to give us an immediate ROI," said Kuykendall. "Cisco routers use proprietary technology and require many costly software add-ons to do what the new 3Com routers do out of the box."

"The 3Com routers also let us choose best-of-breed technologies, including 3Com's IP telephony, switching, wireless and security solutions," Kuykendall said. "Our 3Com IP phone and data systems are an outstanding use of our tax dollars, helping us serve our constituents more quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively."

Using its 3Com routing, voice and data solution, Campbell County is bolstering employee security, upgrading its services to constituents and garnering substantial savings. Because the 3Com routers, unlike competing products, inform the county's phones of the NBX(R) chassis' IP address, instead of requiring them to search for it over the wide area network (WAN), Campbell County has been able to implement a countywide E911 system to boost employee security. Enabled by the 3Com routers, this seamless voice/data integration lets emergency workers instantly identify the source of 911 calls - no matter where among the county's 10 buildings they originate - to facilitate swift response.

The 3Com routers also help rapidly distribute citizen's voice calls across the WAN to the proper hunt group or extension. As a result, Campbell County constituents no longer experience dropped calls and busy signals during peak periods, such as tax collection and property assessment season, and their calls are now answered more quickly.

What's more, the end-to-end 3Com voice and data solution provides sizeable savings for the county. The 3Com phone system lets Campbell County replace 122 analog phone lines with two PRI circuits, saving approximately $75,000 to $100,000 annually in telephone circuit costs. A 3Com 11 Mbps Wireless LAN Outdoor Bridge Solution lets the county link its adjacent senior center and senior apartments, saving $250 to $300 per month in recurring T1 fees. Additionally, 3Com's graphical administration tools, NBX NetSet(TM) and 3Com Network Supervisor, let the IT department proactively map and monitor the county's voice and data systems, eliminating thousands of dollars per year in service contract fees.

Unique 3Com IntelliJack(TM) switches can mount directly into wall faceplaces to inexpensively quadruple network ports in hard-to-wire buildings. The county also uses 3Com SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 PWRs, which transmit electrical power over Ethernet to 3Com IP phones to further reduce electrical wiring requirements and expenses.

With the help of Global Business Solutions, Inc. of Northern Kentucky, Campbell County had evaluated competitive offerings from Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) and 3Com, the marketplace's only true end-to-end vendors, and chose 3Com systems across the board for their cost-effectiveness and all-inclusive features, including built-in QoS and full-featured routing, telephony and security features.

About 3Com Corporation

3Com is a leading provider of innovative, practical and high-value voice and data networking products, services and solutions for enterprises of all sizes and public sector organizations. For further information, please visit www.3com.com, or the press site www.3com.com/pressbox.

3Com, NBX, OfficeConnect, SuperStack and the 3Com logo are registered trademarks, IntelliJack and NetSet are trademarks, and Guardian is a service mark of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective holders.