Education, education, education, plus strategy and advice on offer at 3Com University live! 2004

3Com has announced that registration to attend the latest 3Com University Live! 2004 conference is now open. The 2004 event, which is the latest in a series of highly successful conferences, promises to be two days well spent for even the busiest IT, financial and operational professionals.

Delegates will learn how to drive down costs with focused educational courses, information and advice on deploying and managing technology more effectively. They`ll hear the latest from 3Com on technology and strategy and find out more about directional market trends. The programme also includes a keynote speech from the Ethernet IEEE 802.3 Ethernet committee vice-chairman on future technology areas surrounding IEEE.

3Com University Live! 2004 offers a diverse training programme that will be invaluable to a wide range of job roles within enterprises. 3Com has responded to feedback from last year`s event to offer a broader range of courses than ever before. This year`s event sees a wider choice of courses aimed at technical professionals in large enterprises to allow users to focus on key technology areas. Delegates can choose from real-time converged networks, security, mobility or voice.

Experienced delegates will be pleased to hear that this year`s event provides even more access to 3Com technology experts. Delegates can be sure of getting up close and personal with their preferred 3Com specialists in a series of limited-number breakout sessions. The sessions are the perfect setting in which users can find out how to get the most from 3Com products and services and identify the most appropriate and cost-effective solutions to the problems they face on a daily basis.

Pax Andersson, vice-president of 3Com International, said: "The programme at this year`s 3Com University Live! 2004 is designed to offer a blend of the practical and the strategic. Delegates will find that there is education and advice available on key issues such as security - for enterprise data and converged networks - voice over IP and mobility that will be of immediate benefit when they return to work. They`ll have the chance to see products in actions and talk to the engineers and product managers who brought them to the marketplace. Looking longer term, delegates will leave the conference with a more informed insight into a range of issues that they`ll need to factor into any plans for the future."

Highlights of 3Com University Live! 2004 include:

* 3Com`s vision and future products: Delegates will be treated to an overview of 3Com`s vision of enterprise networking solutions from a senior executive, showing how 3Com`s unique range of products combine to meet the needs of organisations now and in the future.

* The state of standards: David Law who serves as the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet committee vice-chairman, will present on the current state of the standards and providing attendees with an insight into what they can expect to see in the next 2-10 years for 10 Gigabit and beyond.

* Themed educational courses:

Delegates can choose a lead course from the following:

Trek to the summit

00Days

:

00Hrs

:

00Min

:

00Sec

1. Securing real-time converged networks: Exploring the LAN and WAN infrastructures that deliver the necessary functionality to support real-time applications (such as voice and video) to increase competitive advantage.

2. Mobility: Understanding the risks, implementation options and an in-depth look at wireless security. This session will be complemented by other modules that will provide an overview of issues to consider when planning an update to an existing LAN infrastructure.

3. Voice: Using IP voice to move the business forward. All the elements of voice will be covered in this session plus real-time converged LAN and WAN Infrastructures to support voice applications.

4. Securing the enterprise network: How to create secure infrastructures within the traditional perimeter firewall and outside for remote home workers, etc. This session will provide an update on the latest threats to network infrastructures and the essential steps needed to ensure that an organisation`s IP remains secure.

* Breakout focus sessions: there`s a choice of breakout sessions covering security, mobility, telephony, core networking, customer services, network management and specific industry focus including government and public sector, education, health and finance.

* 3Com solutions in action: From the enterprise HQ data centre to the home office worker, delegates will witness the strength of 3Com`s solutions in action as 3Com hosts a tour of real-world networking solutions built with 3Com products. There will also be the chance to hear directly from 3Com`s technology experts and see them demonstrate many of technologies in an informal caf'e environment.

* The user perspective: Delegates can share their experiences of using 3Com networks with a broader audience.

The event will take place at the Novotel London West, London, England. It opens at 9am on Monday, 11 October 2004 and closes at 3pm on Tuesday, 12 October 2004. More information and registration details are available at http://www.3comevents.com/.