Johannesburg, 30 Jun 2009
3Com Corporation is celebrating 30 years since Ethernet-inventor Bob Metcalfe incorporated the company. With cutting-edge technology in its DNA, 3Com has innovated in data networking for three decades, and today continues to break new ground in terms of price/performance, open-standards and ease-of-use for enterprise networking solutions.
“Has it been 30 years already since 3Com was incorporated?” asks Metcalfe, 3Com founder and now Polaris partner. “Computer communication compatibility, or 3Com for short, was a pretty new idea in 1979. There were hardly any personal computers around, mostly Apple IIs. And the World Wide Web was still 10 years in the future. We were a dotcom before the dots.
“Our founding idea was to promote open networking standards, and we chose three winners: Ethernet, TCP/IP, and Unix. Our customers turned out to be enthusiastic about standards and our initial PC LAN products.”
“3Com is the thriving company it is today because of the culture of innovation that we live and breathe each day,” says Derek Wiggill, regional sales director 3Com Africa. “The organisation has deep roots in the networking industry, and we believe we have the right combination of unique assets, strategic priorities and investment areas that will enable us to continue to create solutions that meet the demands of our customers well into the future.”
Starting with the first commercial TCP/IP for UNIX, and then the introduction of the first “Thicknet” Ethernet Transceiver, the 3C100, 3Com's 30-year timeline is dotted with customer-driven technology innovations such as:
* The world's first Ethernet adapter card for the PC
* The world's first commercial network operating system, Etherseries
* Commercialisation of Ethernet bridging, which later evolved into Ethernet switching
* Use of Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) to lower the cost and complexity of networking
* The Ethernet stackable hub and switch
* The invention and commercialisation of Power over Ethernet (POE)
* Creation of IRF (XRN) virtual chassis stacking technology
* Commercialisation of voice over IP
For 3Com, innovation hasn't been exclusive to technology. In the 1990s, 3Com drove down the cost of networking by vertically integrating R&D and manufacturing. In 2003, 3Com and Huawei established a China-based joint venture, of which 3Com now has 100% ownership, to develop a new generation core-to-edge enterprise networking portfolio that was fundamentally different from the proprietary and costly legacy products with which enterprises struggle.
The resultant H3C product line went on to gain leading market share in China and is now powering enterprise networks around the world. Illustrating 3Com's adaptability to changing market requirements and technology maturities, H3C now relies completely on merchant silicon, not ASICs, and focuses its innovation on network operating and management software to ensure the best performance and total cost of ownership (TCO).
In 2005, 3Com acquired TippingPoint, recognising that network security would be a vital requirement for CIOs as networks continued to become more business-critical. Today TippingPoint is a pre-eminent player in the Intrusion Protection System (IPS) space and a leader in the Gartner Network IPS Appliances Magic Quadrant. The DVLabs security research team, complemented by the Zero Day Initiative, also has developed the industry's first-of-its kind Digital Vaccine security filter service, which protects customers' networks, critical data and business productivity from vulnerabilities, threats and attacks.
“Today at 3Com we are more excited than ever about what we have to offer our customers and business partners,” says Wiggill. “Throughout Africa, we hear customers talk more than ever before about value for money, the need for open standards and the need for a strong, focused end-to-end networking partner. We are here to fill that need.”