Columbia County Supports Fast-Growing Community with 3Com Voice Solution.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 20, 2002

Georgia County Speeds Communications, Saves Significantly on

Annual Telephone Services and Support Costs

As the second-fastest growing county in Georgia, Columbia County must keep pace with the demands of a 92,000-plus population that has increased 35 percent since 1992. Today, when constituents call the county's 45 departments, they expect prompt, attentive service, which Columbia delivers through an IP-based business phone solution from 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS). The 3Com(R) NBX(R) networked telephony solution, which runs over the county's Ethernet network, expedites Columbia's communications and dramatically reduces the county's annual phone services and support costs.

"Our county's growth required us to spend $1,500 a month for an outside telephone contract service to come in and help us add new employees, move existing employees or make other changes to our phone system," said Lewis Foster, IT manager, Columbia County. "With the 3Com voice solution, we can make all the changes ourselves in minutes and expect to save $78,000 in annual phone services and support costs."

Columbia's previous Samsung ProStar key phone systems offered limited functionality and were vulnerable to the region's stormy weather, which resulted in frequent power outages and delayed communications. In addition, the county had received several bomb threats and, without caller ID, could not trace the offenders. To support the county's growth, enhance its communications and raise security levels, Columbia sought a robust phone solution that would operate seamlessly with its existing data network, as well as new third-party voice recognition and billing applications.

After considering Cisco and Mitel systems and consulting with its value-added reseller, ComputerLand Advanced Technology Group, Columbia chose the 3Com SuperStack(R) 3 NBX Networked Telephony Solution for its advanced features and low total cost of ownership. The 3Com solution, in addition to providing the county with significant savings in yearly IT service costs, lets Columbia link its phones via high-speed T1 lines between buildings, eliminating the expensive monthly Centrex fees.

Full-featured, Countywide Communications

Using the NBX platform, Columbia County enjoys an array of productivity-enhancing and security features. Employees use the caller ID feature, which displays the name and number of all internal and external callers, to quickly track and prioritize every call.

The NBX system's automated attendants streamline departmental services as well. At the Motor Vehicles office, for example, the attendant instantly directs calls regarding drivers licenses to the appropriate state agency, decreasing office calls by 40 percent and freeing county staff to focus on core tasks, such as processing specialty license plate and permit applications. Human Resources uses the attendants to announce county job openings, allowing staff to spend more time interviewing candidates and serving the needs of current employees. The Justice Center's office attendant directs jurors to courtrooms, and the Recreation office's attendant updates parents on Little League schedules.

The 3Com system's voice mail feature further bolsters county communications by capturing all critical calls so staff can rapidly respond to citizen inquiries. Columbia relies heavily on the platform's dial plans to set up custom call hunt groups in every department and speed callers to the next available employee.

Columbia magistrates use the NBX system's phone conferencing feature to conveniently conference with their legal staff and private attorneys. The finance office employs the call detail reporting feature to track and monitor phone usage and costs.

At present, Columbia County relies on four SuperStack 3 NBX chassis and a single NBX 100 chassis. The county uses virtual tie lines (VTLs) for rapid, three-digit dialing and call transfer to one remote site. It uses secure virtual private network (VPN) tunnels for communications with the Coroner's office. Five 3Com Ethernet Power Source units power nearly 500 10/100 NBX telephones distributed across its facilities' Ethernet network.

"3Com gave us unbeatable performance, convenience and value," said Foster. "The NBX system is a superior voice solution that's making a big difference in our services, security and expenses. Few investments have this kind of impact."

About 3Com Corporation

3Com is a tier-one provider of innovative, practical and high-value networking products for enterprise customers. 3Com is also a leader in Internet protocol (IP) service platforms and access infrastructure for the network service provider market. For further information, please visit www.3com.com, or the press site www.3com.com/pressbox.

3Com, the 3Com logo, NBX and SuperStack are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation. All other names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.