3Com Sets Industry Standard for Remote Access Price Performance; AccessBuilder 2000 Offers 56% Price Performance Advantage Over Cisco And 65% Price Performance Advantage Over Shiva.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 1995--3Com Corporation, a leading global data networking company, today expanded the AccessBuilder product family with the AccessBuilder 2000, an Ethernet remote access server.

In LANQuest Labs benchmarks performed this month, the AccessBuilder 2000 remote access server (AccessBuilder 2000) showed a 56- and 65-percent price/performance advantage over Cisco and Shiva, respectively. The AccessBuilder 2000 supports 115.2 Kbps of transmission speed, providing users fast connections, minimum delays and maximum uptime. This high-performance, low-cost remote access server is designed to meet the needs of small- to medium-size businesses.

AccessBuilder 2000 is part of 3Com's SuperStack family of products that lets users integrate best-of-class stackable routers, hubs and switches into cost-effective, scalable systems for Ethernet, Token Ring, SNA and FDDI environments, with support for migration to other high-speed technologies including 100Base-T Ethernet and ATM. The SuperStack system also integrates network management capabilities, including Transcend, the company's flexible and scalable network management platform, allowing users to logically manage network devices as a single connectivity system.

3Com's AccessBuilder 2000 enables remote workers to dial in for immediate access to corporate systems from remote locations, including customer sites, branch offices and hotel rooms. With AccessBuilder 2000, 3Com addresses the growing remote access market in which IDC predicts unit shipments are expected to increase 56 percent compounded annually from 1993 to 1998, with unit volume sales expected to generate $1 billion by 1998.

"With the AccessBuilder 2000, 3Com makes low-cost, high-performance remote access available to workgroup and remote office environments," said David Helfrich, vice president of marketing for 3Com's Personal Office Division. "AccessBuilder 2000 is a single end-to-end solution offering small businesses built-in security features, network management and client/server software at no additional cost."

LANQuest Labs recently conducted comparison tests among 3Com's AccessBuilder 2000, Shiva's LanRover/E Plus and Cisco's 2509 servers to measure overall value in price and performance. Results show conclusively that 3Com's AccessBuilder 2000 scores 56 percent higher than Cisco and 65 percent higher than Shiva in its value metric, price/performance category. In the Windows Report Test, the AccessBuilder was the fastest product tested, outperforming Cisco by 19 percent and Shiva by nine percent.

Simple, Powerful Features

AccessBuilder 2000 is ideally suited for remote access in workgroups and remote office environments where it supports high-performance, dial-up connections for up to eight concurrent users. Remote users can dial in using DOS, Windows, Macintosh or UNIX workstations to access LAN-based applications running on TCP/IP, Novell NetWare, Microsoft LAN Manager, Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT and AppleTalk servers. AccessBuilder 2000, based on an i960 RISC processor, is designed to meet high-performance remote access needs for multiple users. It is also designed for ease of management with diagnostic LEDs, providing at-a-glance device status. Transcend AccessBuilder Manager provides basic or guided installation options for ease of setup. By remotely downloading configuration information, Transcend helps reduce the cost of network ownership. AccessBuilder 2000 is the industry's leading support provider with a breadth of advanced security options, including OSF/DCE, Security Dynamics ACE Server, Novell Bindery and NetWare Directory Services, and third-party security products.

SuperStack Integration

The AccessBuilder 2000 is part of 3Com's SuperStack product family, the industry's first fault-tolerant, enterprise-wide stackable network. With AccessBuilder 2000, now part of SuperStack, network administrators can build a scalable, flexible and reliable stackable system for the workgroup and remote office with the following system components:

-- AccessBuilder 2000: 4/8 port remote access servers for workgroup and remote office dial-in users

-- LinkBuilder FMS II: 12/24 port 10Base-T hubs for workgroup and remote offices

-- NETBuilder Remote Office: Sophisticated LAN-to-LAN internetworking

-- Redundant Power System: Redundant power supply for additional fault tolerance

All of the above systems can be managed using the Transcend family of graphical management applications.

"3Com's SuperStack system is especially beneficial in our environment because of the integrated client, network management and security features," said Anna MacKinnon, digital manager for Anderson & Lembke, a major San Francisco advertising firm. "Our account executives and copywriters need remote access to all corporate resources when they work at a client's office or from home. The AccessBuilder 2000 provides our remote users with the reliability required to successfully support our customers. It also gives our MIS staff the flexibility we want to customize our network," MacKinnon added.

Channel Support

The AccessBuilder 2000 will be available through the company's worldwide distribution channels, including systems integrators, VARs, national dealers and resellers. It will also be available directly from 3Com.

"Anixter believes the AccessBuilder 2000 will be a huge success among our small- to medium-size business customers," says Sergio Gemo, vice president of marketing at Anixter, a 3Com NSI reseller. "One key differentiator for 3Com is its unparalleled service and support, including Remote Access Tutorial, an interactive software training program for resellers and end-users that outlines the technology behind AccessBuilder."

Pricing and Availability

Pricing for AccessBuilder 2000 remote access server begins at $2,795 for a 4-port model and $3,895 for an 8-port model. The AccessBuilder 2000 is part of 3Com's remote access product family that also includes the AccessBuilder 4000 remote access server (AccessBuilder 4000). Available now, the AccessBuilder 4000 comes in 4-, 8- and 16-port models for the maximum number of concurrent users in the enterprise environment. Pricing for the 4000 server begins at $3,495 for 4-port models, $4,495 for 8-port models and $6,295 for 16-port models, and includes server, client and Transcend network management software. All pricing information is the U.S. list price. The AccessBuilder 2000 is scheduled to be available in April 1995.

Founded in 1979, 3Com Corporation (NASDAQ:COMS) pioneered the data networking industry. Today, 3Com offers customers a broad range of ISO 9000-compliant global data networking solutions that include routers, hubs, switches and adapters for Ethernet, Token Ring and high-speed networks. Headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., 3Com is a Fortune 500 company with worldwide research and development, manufacturing, marketing sales and support capabilities. -0-

NOTE TO EDITORS: 3Com, LinkBuilder, NETBuilder and Transcend are registered trademarks, and AccessBuilder, FMS and SuperStack are all trademarks of 3Com Corporation. Other product names and brands may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective organizations.

CONTACT: 3Com Corporation

Lisa Hempel, 408/764-0738

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Cunningham Communication, Inc.

Christine Yum, 408/764-0779

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