By Robin Gareiss, Nemertes Research LLC., principal research officer

December 1st, 2004

3Com’s [NASDAQ: COMS] recent rollout of global professional services and its Switch 8800 family of terabit LAN switches bolsters its commitment to the enterprise market and gives Cisco some head-to-head competition for high-end switches.

With $699 million in 2004 revenue, 3Com is making a full-fledged effort into the enterprise space (after leaving it a few years ago). In addition to its long-standing products in the small- and midsize-business spaces, 3Com is extending functionality to enterprises with its voice-over IP products, high-end routers and core switches, and professional services. 3Com also is providing global professional services via an alliance with Siemens Business Services that offer, among other things, a Network Health Check. Moving forward, 3Com is focusing on network-based security, optimizing applications, and product architecture that leverages a converged network.

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