3Com History and Evolution

3Com's history began in 1979 when Bob Metcalfe and Jon Jennings founded the company in Palo Alto, California.

The company's first product was a local area network (LAN) card, which was released in 1981 and quickly gained popularity.

In 1984, 3Com went public with an initial public offering (IPO) that raised $12 million.

This influx of capital enabled the company to expand its product line and invest in research and development.

By the late 1980s, 3Com had become a leading manufacturer of LAN equipment, with a wide range of products that included hubs, switches, and routers.

The company's focus on innovation and quality helped it to establish strong relationships with major technology companies, including IBM and Intel.

3Com's business history is a story of growth, innovation, and strategic acquisitions. The company's marketing products focused on workgroup productivity improvement.

In 1987, 3Com acquired Bridge Communications Inc. for $151 million, expanding its product line to include internetwork gateways. This acquisition made 3Com the largest independent networking manufacturer at the time.

However, the merger also brought about management challenges, including different corporate cultures and sales strategies. This friction took over a year to resolve.

3Com continued to grow through acquisitions, buying Chipcom Corporation for $700 million in stock in 1995. This deal made 3Com the second-largest manufacturer of computer network equipment in the US.

Under Krause's leadership, 3Com centralized its operations by reducing divisions to three: sales, product development, and internal operations. This change also led to management shake-ups, including the departure of co-founder Metcalfe.

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3Com has a rich history that spans multiple decades. The company was founded in 1979 by Robert Metcalfe and Jon Jarman.

In the past, 3Com was a leading provider of Ethernet networking equipment. Their products were widely used in the industry, and they played a significant role in shaping the modern networking landscape.

In 1997, 3Com acquired US Robotics, a networking equipment manufacturer based in Illinois, United States, for a stock swap.

This acquisition led to a significant gain for 3Com, with USR's stock doubling in value just two months prior to the acquisition, resulting in an additional $200 million gain.

A shareholder suit was filed against 3Com Corporation due to the alleged incident, which led to a settlement of $259 million in 2000.

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3Com is still in the game, but it doesn't put its own brand on its products anymore. It's likely that 3Com sells its products under the HPE brand.

HPE's primary focus is on networking solutions, including cloud software, data storage & protection, virtual desktops, and networking solutions.

3Com previously sold and manufactured Ethernet switches and gateways, so it's likely that it still makes the same hardware for HPE's offerings.

CommWorks Corporation was a subsidiary of 3Com Corporation, based in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and was sold to UTStarcom of Alameda, California in 2003.

The Carrier Network Business unit of 3Com developed an Inter-working function technology that became the first and dominant 2G CDMA wireless data gateway product, deployed in the United States, Japan, and Korea, covering the 2G CDMA market, with sample carriers including Sprint.

CommWorks modified the gateway and softswitch software to support SIP for MCI/WorldCom's hosted business offering in 2000, and later 3Com retained intellectual property rights to the softswitch technology after selling CommWorks to UTStarcom.

This technology was modified to enable enterprise PBX features and released as VCX, the industry's first pure SIP PBX, in 2003, by 3Com.

In January 2001, Claflin became the chief executive officer of 3Com, replacing Éric Benhamou, who had been CEO since 1990.

The company was struggling with a costly diversification in the mobile handheld computer market. Claflin's leadership marked a significant shift in the company's direction.

3Com's main line of business, selling add-on network interface controllers ("NICs"), was shrinking rapidly due to many new computers having NICs built in. This led to a significant reduction in employees.

The company went from employing more than 12,000 employees to fewer than 2,000, resulting in numerous rounds of layoffs. This drastic change was a major adjustment for the company.

In May 2003, 3Com moved its headquarters from Silicon Valley to Marlborough, Massachusetts. This marked a significant change in the company's operations.

The company formed a venture called H3C with Huawei, allowing 3Com to sell and rebrand products under the joint venture. This partnership helped 3Com expand its offerings.

By fiscal year 2008, 3Com had annual revenue of $1.3 billion and more than 6,000 employees in over 40 countries. The company's financials were improving.

In the first quarter of fiscal year 2009, 3Com reported a 7 percent increase in revenue, reaching $342.7 million. This growth was a positive sign for the company.

3Com's engineering team was a significant strength, with more than 2,700 engineers on staff. This team was responsible for developing innovative networking technologies.

The company held a large portfolio of patents, with more than 1,400 United States patents and nearly 180 Chinese-issued patents. This intellectual property was a valuable asset for 3Com.

3Com made a significant acquisition in 1987, spending $151 million to buy Bridge Communications Inc., a manufacturer of internetwork gateways. This purchase complemented 3Com's products well, enabling it to connect networks on a corporate level.

One notable acquisition was the purchase of Chipcom Corporation in 1995 for $700 million in stock. This deal made 3Com the second-largest manufacturer of computer network equipment in the US.

3Com's acquisition spree continued with the purchase of Bridge Communications in 1987, which became the largest independent networking manufacturer at the time. However, the different management styles and corporate cultures created friction that took over a year to resolve.

In 1995, 3Com bought several companies, including AccessWorks, Sonix Communications, Primary Access, and Chipcom, in a single transaction. This acquisition expanded 3Com's product portfolio and customer base.

3Com's largest acquisition was the $2.7 billion purchase of the company by Hewlett-Packard in 2009. This deal marked a significant milestone in 3Com's history and paved the way for its integration into HP's networking portfolio.

Here is a list of some of the notable acquisitions made by 3Com:

3Com offered a wide range of products, including fixed configuration Ethernet switches, such as the 3Com brand Gigabit switches Switch 5500G, 4800G, 4500G, 4200G, Baseline, and OfficeConnect.

Their modular Chassis switches were also popular, with models like the 3Com brand 8800, 7900E, and 7500, as well as the H3C brand S9500, S7500, and S7500E.

In addition to switches, 3Com provided a variety of other networking products, including wide area network routers, wireless access points, adapters, and connectivity products, as well as internet access gateways and firewalls, both wired and wireless.

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Bob Metcalfe, the co-founder and co-inventor of Ethernet, was born on April 7, 1946. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with degrees in electrical engineering and industrial management.

Metcalfe also finished his Master of Science degree in mathematics and Ph.D. in computer science at Harvard. He worked with MIT’s Project MAC, where he built hardware for linking the institution’s minicomputers with the ARPAnet.

Metcalfe co-invented the Ethernet in 1973 with David Boggs while working at Xerox PARC. The Ethernet was one of the first systems for connecting peripherals and computers over short distances.

Metcalfe co-founded 3Com in 1979 with Howard Charney and two others in his Palo Alto apartment. The company initially focused on consulting, but later refocused on LAN equipment manufacturing using the Ethernet technology.

Metcalfe encouraged Xerox to share its Ethernet patent with Digital Equipment Corporation and Intel, leading to the establishment of the technology as a LAN industry standard.

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3Com offered a wide range of products, including fixed configuration Ethernet switches and modular chassis switches. These switches supported Gigabit and Fast Ethernet connections, making them suitable for various network environments.

Some popular fixed configuration Ethernet switches from 3Com include the Switch 5500G, 4800G, 4500G, 4200G, Baseline, and OfficeConnect models. These switches were part of the 3Com brand Gigabit switches and supported high-speed network connections.

The 3Com brand also offered modular Chassis switches, such as the 8800, 7900E, and 7500 models. These switches were designed for larger networks and offered flexibility and scalability.

In addition to switches, 3Com also produced a range of other products, including wireless access points, adapters, and connectivity products. These products enabled wireless networking and connectivity for various devices.

Here's a list of some of the key products offered by 3Com: