In a significant expansion into the enterprise computing arena, 3Com has announced that a record number of 7,500 developers are now creating solutions for the Palm Computing platform. This news follows a series of announcements of strategic relationships with leading enterprise solutions vendors, including Oracle, Symbol Technologies, Abaco, Remedy, Computer Associates, Netscape and Sybase.
These relationships build on 3Com`s strategy to enable mobile employees to access enterprise-based information from almost anywhere by supporting a broad range of corporate solutions based on the Palm Computing platform, explains 3Com SA`s retail programme manager, Sean Heyes.
In two related news announcements, 3Com and Oracle Corp. have announced a strategic alliance to bring enterprise data access solutions and services to the Palm Computing platform; and 3Com, Symbol and Abaco unveiled plans to deliver Palm Computing platform connectivity to SAP`s R/3 enterprise resource planning solutions.
"The success of the Palm Computing platform in the enterprise arena is welcomed by customers who recognise its broad range of possible applications and ease of integration," says Heyes. "Corporate customers recognise the power of extending their enterprise computing environments to where information is needed - in the hands of the employee, regardless of where they may be."
"Our customers see the Palm III and PalmPilot devices as invaluable tools for providing mobile workers with access to critical information residing on their local databases, " says Denise Lahey, vice president of embedded database technologies for Oracle. "3Com`s Palm Computing platform creates the ideal solution for these remote workforces because it provides the ultimate compatibility and ease of integration while achieving an unbeatable return on investment."
The Palm Computing platform enables companies to leverage their IT investments and achieve greater return on investment by deploying its mobile computing capabilities.
Faced with increasing demands to add the mobility component to business applications such as sales force automation, internal help desk automation, light manufacturing and warehousing, today`s information managers are deploying Palm Computing platform solutions into corporate information infrastructures, says 3Com`s Heyes.
"This is often being done by using custom data management applications developed specifically for the Palm Computing platform and conduits that synchronise data with information resident on enterprise networks," he says.
Industry-leading companies such as America On-Line, Charles Schwab, Coca Cola, Dell Computer and Federal Express have implemented such solutions.
Many customers see Palm Computing devices as the de-facto standard in the handheld computing arena.
"Early on, before the number of Palm devices reached critical mass, we decided to establish a PalmPilot application build standard including full service and support," says Peter Sciara, director of information management for technical architecture at Bristol Myers Squibb. "The PalmPilot and Palm III organisers take the complexity out of connecting up to our corporate infrastructure, providing easy access without compromising our data security."
"Our strategy is to team up with world-class companies that will use their expertise to expand the functionality of the Palm Computing platform in their specific markets, creating innovative, mission-critical business solutions that leverage the unique proposition of the Palm Computing platform and devices based on it," says Mark Bercow, vice president of strategic alliances and platform development for Palm Computing.
"The open, extensible nature of the Palm Computing platform makes it an ideal foundation for mobile data access and input solutions that are low in cost, easy to use and highly portable."
According to a recent Dataquest report, one of the key drivers for continued growth in the handheld market will be corporate adoption of unconsciously portable handheld devices such as 3Com`s new Palm III and others, as tools for network access are on the rise.
For corporate customers like these, says Dataquest`s industry analyst Mike McGuire, "developing applications aimed at leveraging the handheld form factor to access the Internet and intranet communication pipelines will help build long-term momentum in the enterprise environment."
Dataquest`s recently announced numbers for the standard handheld computer segment estimate 3Com`s market share at 63 percent in 1997, up 12 percent from the previous year.
About the Palm Computing platform: The Palm Computing platform is the foundation for the market-leading 3ComÆ Palm III and PalmPilot connected organizers, and other handheld computing products from leaders such as QUALCOMM, which licensed the platform to develop its next-generation wireless communications solutions; IBM, which provides the IBM WorkPad PC Companion for the enterprise market; Franklin Covey, which supplies the Franklin Electronic Day Planner for the training and time management industry; and Symbol Technologies, whose expertise in bar code scanning and wireless LAN and WAN connectivity will take the Palm Computing platform further into various vertical markets ? such as retail, transportation, parcel and postal delivery, manufacturing and health care.
An open architecture for handheld computing, the Palm Computing platform provides an ideal basis for third-party developers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to create and deliver successful mobile computing solutions. The platform consists of five primary components: the reference hardware design, the device operating system called the Palm OS the HotSync conduit data synchronization technology, the platform component tools including an applications programming interface (API) that enables developers to write applications, and the software interface capabilities to support hardware add-ons.
Editors Note
3Com Corporation enables individuals and organisations worldwide to stay more connected by communicating and sharing information and resources anytime, anywhere. As one of the world`s preeminent suppliers of data, voice and video communications technology, 3Com has delivered networking solutions to more than 200 million customers worldwide. The company provides large enterprise, small and medium enterprise, carriers and network service providers, and consumers comprehensive, innovative information access products and system solutions for building intelligent, reliable and high performance local and wide area networks. For further information, visit 3Com`s World Wide Web site at http://www.3Com.com or the press site at http://www.3Com.com/pressbox.
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