3Com Scales Up Its Network Management Application Suite With New 3Com Network Director.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 3, 2004

New Turnkey Application Augments 3Com's Existing Management Packages

With Simplified Management of Advanced Networks

3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS) today announced 3Com(R) Network Director, a new network management application that enables faster "change management" of sophisticated networks and scales up to managing midsize enterprises of 5,000-nodes. As part of its strategy, 3Com plans to deliver a full range of network management products and solutions to help address all business markets from the small-to-medium business to the larger enterprises supported by system integrators, and from the single site to the global multi-national corporation.

"We are putting the tools in the hands of our customers to manage growing networks of thousands of users more efficiently and be able to adapt to the various changes that often need to be managed in today's distributed networks," said Richard Quine, network management product line manager, 3Com Corporation. "Building on our success over the past few years with the network management application 3Com Network Supervisor, we continue to expand the 3Com management suite with proactive features that offer a unique combination of ease of use, flexibility and advanced enterprise-level control."

Classes of Network Management Distinguish Different Customer Needs

3Com sees four types of enterprise accounts using network management tools and targets a specific 3Com management offering at each.

-- Class 1 - "Basic" - Have limited IT staff, including part-time

network administrators who need simplified network monitoring 

and are price-sensitive

-- Class 2 - "Emerging Enterprise" - Require configuration and

performance management tools for a growing network

-- Class 3 - "Enterprise" - Need proactive management

capabilities, technically very savvy and consider the network

a strategic business asset

-- Class 4 - "Specialized Enterprise / System Integrator" - Must

have service and network uptime 24x7, with long

product/service evaluation and planning cycle, likely to use

customized network management solutions

The new 3Com Network Director is aimed at "emerging enterprise" networks from 750 to 5,000 nodes spread out over multiple sites. The package offers network topology-aware configuration, detailed performance reports, RMON remote management support, and historical reporting. Simplifying installation and helping to ensure consistency, it is a self-contained turnkey application requiring no additional management software to operate. Network-wide configuration of QoS and VLAN, and back-up and restore are some of the more sophisticated tools supporting larger enterprise environments.

The well-established, self-contained 3Com Network Supervisor application meets the requirements of the "Basic" class and includes some troubleshooting tools that begin to address "Emerging Enterprise" needs. This application, with more than 60,000 registered customers worldwide, continues to be available via download from the 3Com website.

For "Enterprise" class networks that are using HP OpenView as their management infrastructure, the already-shipping 3Com Network Administrator application allows management of 3Com products in a multi-vendor network and provides easier bulk administration in larger networks. Currently, 3Com addresses the advanced management needs of "Specialized Enterprise / System Integrators" with customized management solutions.

For more information about 3Com Network Supervisor, 3Com Network Director and 3Com Network Administrator, please visit 3Com.com.

Pricing and Availability

3Com Network Director, priced at $3,495 (U.S. list), is expected to ship in May. One-year software upgrades are currently planned to be available at a price of $495. 3Com Network Administrator for HP OpenView integration, available now, is priced at $4,995 (U.S. list). 3Com Network Supervisor can be downloaded from www.3com.com/3ns.

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 and the 3Com logo are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective holders.