3Com Expands Commitment to Small Business Market with New Business Unit, Programs and Products; Company organized to capitalize on rapidly growing market.SANTA CLARA Santa Clara, city, Cuba Santa Clara (sän`tä klä`rä), city (1994 est. pop. 217,000), capital of Villa Clara prov., central Cuba. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 1996--Building on its position as the leading networking hardware Networking hardware typically refers to equipment facilitating the use of a computer network. Typically, this includes routers, switches, access points, network interface cards and other related hardware. vendor for the small business market, 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq:COMS COMS 3Com Corporation (stock symbol) COMS Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist COMS Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems COMS City of Manchester Stadium (UK) ) has formed a new business unit to capitalize on Cap´i`tal`ize on` v. t. 1. To turn (an opportunity) to one's advantage; to take advantage of (a situation); to profit from; as, to capitalize on an opponent's mistakes s>. this rapidly emerging market. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. an IntelliQuest study, 3Com is the most frequently installed network interface card (NIC (1) (Network Interface Card) See network adapter. See also InterNIC. (2) (New Internet Computer) An earlier Linux-based computer from The New Internet Computer Company (NICC), Palo Alto, CA. ) and hub vendor among small businesses(a) (companies with less than 100 employees). 3Com has also announced a series of new products and programs that will help drive the adoption of networking by small businesses and further solidify so·lid·i·fy v. so·lid·i·fied, so·lid·i·fy·ing, so·lid·i·fies v.tr. 1. To make solid, compact, or hard. 2. To make strong or united. v.intr. its leadership position. "Small businesses are discovering how a network can improve their company's performance," said Chuck Yort, director of 3Com's new Small Business Operation. "Since only a fraction of the more than 30 million small businesses worldwide have a network, there is tremendous growth potential for 3Com and the networking industry." Research from IDC/Link projects worldwide small business networked PCs to increase by 90 percent by 1999. -0-
Worldwide Small Business Networked PCs (Millions)
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Networked PCs 8.6 10.9 13.8 17.2 20.7
Source: IDC/LINK
A network enables small businesses to work more efficiently by sharing files, data and printers, as well as communicating via E-mail and accessing the Internet; all enabling them to compete in a global networked economy. New business unit 3Com's new worldwide organization's charter includes marketing, business development and service and support. The marketing department will create and implement programs for end users, sales channels and products. The business development team will establish relationships with leading hardware and software vendors and sales channel partners to educate small business on networking. A dedicated service and support group plans to develop specialized tools and programs. "This business unit represents 3Com's strategic commitment to the small business market as an extension of the company's vision of pervasive networking, information anywhere and anytime," said Yort. "As the only company with our breadth of networking solutions, sales channels and service and support tailored for the small business market, 3Com is ideally positioned to extend its leadership." Solutions designed for small businesses Small businesses seek networking solutions that are reliable, compatible, easy to use and high performance. Widely recognized for these qualities in its corporate enterprise solutions, 3Com has integrated them into an end-to-end solution (jargon) end-to-end solution - (E2ES) A term that suggests that the supplier of an application program or system will provide all the hardware and/or software components and resouces to meet the customer's requirement and no other supplier need be involved. Compare: turn-key solution. for small businesses. The solution includes the innovative OfficeConnect(TM) family and the market leading EtherLink(R) III network interface cards. The only fully integrated solution for small businesses, the stackable OfficeConnect family includes hubs, switches, Internet gateways (1) See cable/DSL gateway. (2) A router or server that converts IP packets to IPX, AppleTalk or some other non-IP format and vice versa. It is used to connect non-IP networks to the Internet. , routers, and printer, fax and CD-ROM servers A CD-ROM reader designed for network use. It can be configured as a tower or jukebox. Towers contain several drives, and each drive holds one CD-ROM. Jukeboxes hold from a couple dozen to hundreds of discs, but have only a small number of drives. for fewer than 20 PCs. 3Com has just extended its OfficeConnect family with a new line of four-port hubs to allow for more flexibility in network design. The new hubs provide a cost-effective and more fault tolerant The ability to continue non-stop when a hardware failure occurs. A fault-tolerant system is designed from the ground up for reliability by building multiples of all critical components, such as CPUs, memories, disks and power supplies into the same computer. desktop solution as an alternative to coaxial co·ax·i·al adj. Having or mounted on a common axis. coaxial Adjective 1. Electronics (of a cable) transmitting by means of two concentric conductors separated by an insulator cable connections. In addition, 3Com signed an agreement with PC industry leader Dell Computer Corporation (company) Dell Computer Corporation - One of the biggest US manufacturers of IBM PC compatibles. "From notebooks to networks", their slogan says. http://us.dell.com. to deliver new integrated server/networking OfficeConnect product solutions. Dell is the latest company to join the 3Com Open Partners Program; the program introduces complementary technologies to 3Com's OfficeConnect and SuperStack II solutions to enable small businesses to quickly build efficient and reliable networks. Distribution channels that meet the needs of small businesses According to an IDC/Link 1996 study, small businesses purchase their networks from a wide variety of channels, including resellers, retail outlets retail outlet n → punto de venta retail outlet n → point m de vente retail outlet retail n → , computer dealers and mail order. "Because the small business customer base is heterogeneous, 3Com is extending the programs for these sales channels," said Yort. Building on its award-winning netWorking Partners Program for resellers, 3Com has created a Small Business Partner segment. Designed specifically to support both existing program members and new recruits in addressing the emerging small business market, this new program delivers the top three needs of resellers who sell to small businesses: support, communication and recognition as a unique segment. For the retail channel, 3Com announced the OfficeConnect Networking Kit, a new hardware package that offers all the hardware necessary to connect up to three personal computers. The kit includes two of 3Com's strongest-selling products, the OfficeConnect Hub 8/TPC and three EtherLink III TPO (Twisted Pair Only) Refers to the use of twisted pair wire when other options are available. For example, a TPO suffix at the end of 3com Ethernet adapter model numbers indicates the card has only an RJ45 connector. network interface cards and the required cabling. The OfficeConnect Networking Kit, along with the 3Com's entire line of small business networking This article needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. solutions, is available in more than 1000 retail outlets, including CompuUSA, Computer City and Best Buy. The leading networking vendor in retail, 3Com offers program to expose the retail customer to the benefits of networking. For example, 3Com has installed working networking demonstrations in a variety of leading retailers. Information on the Internet 3Com has designed a new Web site (www.3Com.com/smallbusiness) that enables small businesses, resellers and others to easily and quickly learn about networking. Site visitors will be able to learn about networks, specific products, locate the nearest retailer or purchase products from 3Com distributors through the Internet. For additional information on small business issues, visitors will able be to link to other Web sites. 3Com Corporation has helped more than 42 million people gain access to critical information through high speed networks. Designed to serve large enterprises, service providers, small offices and home, 3Com products provide a scalable architecture to meet the immediate and long term connectivity needs of today's user. With research and development on three continents, 3Com is one of the data networking industry's largest and fastest growing companies. The company's innovative marketing, engineering, sales and support simplify communication, optimize network reliability and protect customer investments. For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at http://www.3Com.com or call 1-800-NET-3COM. -0- (a) IntelliQuest Study, May 1996 According to an IntelliQuest research study commissioned by 3Com, 3Com is the most frequently installed network interface card (NIC) and hub vendor among small businesses. 3Com NICs and hubs are installed in more US small businesses (100 employees or less) than any other vendor -- 28 percent of small businesses have 3Com hubs installed. In Europe 28 percent of small businesses have 3Com NICs installed. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices in Atlanta and London, and with 300 employees worldwide, IntelliQuest (Nasdaq:IQST IQST Intel Quiet System Technology ) provides technology-based companies with timely, statistically valid information critical to their marketing decisions. -0- Note to Editors: 3Com and EtherLink are registered trademarks; OfficeConnect is a trademark; netWorking Partners is a service mark of 3Com Corporation. CONTACT: 3Com Public Relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most Valerie Bellofatto, 408/764-6194 or The Weber Group Jennifer Kissell, 415/463-8616 |
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