Easa Husain Al-Yousifi Appointed to 3Com Distributor Network in Kuwait.

Business Editors

DUBAI, UAE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 21, 2002

3Com Middle East, North Africa & Turkey (MENAT) today announced the appointment of leading Kuwaiti distribution company, Easa Husain Al-Yousifi Establishment, to the 3Com distributor network.

As the first in-country distributor for 3Com's Business Networks Company, which delivers innovative networks that are easier to implement and own to enterprises and small businesses, the appointment of Al Yousifi marks the latest step by 3Com to strengthen and grow its share of the lucrative enterprise space. It also significantly strengthens the company's regional distribution network making it easier and faster for customers and end users to source 3Com(R) products.

Al Yousifi is one of the most respected trading companies in Kuwait with a proven track record in growing branded IT products in the local market. The company covers all aspects of the IT distribution business from channel and brand marketing to logistics and warehousing, backed by a well trained and high-yielding sales force which includes a dedicated 3Com team. With the appointment, Al Yousifi will now distribute the 3Com range of award-winning networking solutions in the areas of LAN switching and wireless to business of all sizes in Kuwait.

"There are tremendous opportunities in the enterprise networking market in Kuwait, business is growing and there is a marked increase in demand for networking solutions that are cost effective, easier to own, install and manage," Colin Summers, general manager, 3Com MENAT said. "Over the last 6 to 9 months, 3Com has won many high-profile projects in the Kuwaiti enterprise space. To capatilise on this growth opportunity, we needed the backing of a solid, reliable and dedicated local distributor who can anticipate the needs of the reseller and the end user to help them make sound networking decisions for the future. Al Yousifi, with their dedicated and trained 3Com team, and their highly organised logistics and distribution facilities were the ideal partner for us as we look to grow share in the enterprise market in Kuwait."

"The networking business is expanding rapidly in Kuwait and in order to cement our position as a key player in this sector of the market, we needed the backing of 3Com," Mr. Mohamed Hubail, General Manager, Al Yousifi said. "While the main networking vendors compete on functionality, we found that because of ease-of-use of their products, 3Com had a compelling offer for enterprise customers who need intelligent solutions that allow them to spend less time managing their network and more time managing and building their business. 3Com fully support their distributors and work equally hard to help generate demand both at reseller and end user level. I believe this is a great partnership for both sides."

"3Com continues to lead the way in enterprise switching with solutions that maximize bandwidth and limit network congestion without incurring further costs. We are leading the market in wireless solutions, while our web solutions enable enterprise users to optimize application performance to fully leverage the Internet," Mr. Tony Nasr, 3Com area manager Gulf, Levant & Kuwait said. "With Al Yousifi we now have the infrastructure in place to supply the increasing demand for our networking solutions in Kuwait."

About 3Com Corporation

3Com is the global leader in functionally rich, easy-to-use networking products that connect businesses to their employees, customers and suppliers -- anytime, anywhere. 3Com is also a leader in Internet protocol (IP) service platforms and access infrastructure for the network service provider market. In 1979, the company was founded by one of the inventors of Ethernet technology on which virtually all local area networks are based. Since then, 3Com has sold more than 340,000,000 Ethernet connections. 3Com has headquarters in Santa Clara, California and offices around the world. For further information, please visit www.3com.com, or the press site www.3com.com/pressbox.

About Easa Husain Al-Yousifi Establishment

Established in 1955 as a private enterprise, Easa Hussain Al-Yousifi Establishment has grown to become one of the largest private companies in the state of Kuwait. With over 1200 employees and more than 24 showrooms, its products are well distributed in the market. Al-Yousifi supplies more than 200 dealers throughout Kuwait with Al-Yousifi products. The company attributes its success to its excellent after sales service backed by a long-term commitment to the Kuwaiti local market.

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