3Com Expands SIP Telephony To Create One of the Industry's First Convergence Applications Suite for Medium & Large Enterprises
Adds new capabilities for conferencing, messaging and contact center functionality to market leading Internet protocol telephony products; new platform for small business
LOS ANGELES, Calif., Oct. 5, 2004 ? 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS) is using this week's 10th Annual Internet Telephony Conference & Expo as a showcase to launch one of the industry's first portfolio of standards-based applications and products for enterprise Internet Protocol (IP) telephony, audio, video and data conferencing, messaging and contact center functionality.
Known as the 3Com? Convergence Applications Suite, this set of real-time communication applications run on a common Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-standard based IP communications platform. These applications are designed to share common user information such as on-hook, off-hook status, authentication and personal preferences to work with desktop client software compatible with Windows, Macintosh and Linux operating systems to consolidate communications services control for point, click, smile and talk activation.
By utilizing SIP technology and the unique 3Com voice boundary routing architecture, these new applications can enhance user productivity, and can lower costs and strengthen customer interactions for employees at headquarters, branch office locations or a home office.
In a recent survey conducted by Nemertes Research, information technology (IT) professionals said that after IP telephony, they need the following applications for their converged voice-data network: video conferencing, messaging, audio conferencing, collaboration such as document sharing, and computer telephone integration (CTI)/contact center services.
"Productivity enhancement is a key driver for enterprises to deploy voice-over-internet protocol or VoIP," said Johna Till Johnson, president and chief research officer of Nemertes Research. In a recent Nemertes benchmark of enterprises considering or using VoIP, more than half of participants (55 percent) said productivity was a very important or important business justification for the technology. "Enterprises are seeking a standards-based solution on which to deliver productivity-enhancing applications to increasingly far-flung organizations."
"The Internet Telephony Conference & Expo has always been an important event for enterprises to view the latest, most advanced IP telephony products and applications available today," said Dave Hattey, 3Com general manager and vice president of enterprise voice solutions. "It is only fitting that 3Com use this stage to unveil one of the industry's first converged applications suite for enterprise IP telephony."
"3Com standards-based technologies have been in existence since 1998 and have helped displace expensive, proprietary platforms, bringing VoIP into the mainstream," said Peter Brockmann, 3Com vice president of enterprise voice solutions marketing. "The 3Com Convergence Applications Suite is a new category of product that will change the market expectations for productivity, cost of communications and help companies strengthen interactions with their customers."
Brockmann said the 3Com Convergence Applications Suite consists of the:
- 3Com NBX? V3000 IP Telephony system, a new, tightly-integrated platform designed for small business in the two to 40 user market;
- 3Com NBX SuperStack? 3 IP Telephony system for small-medium enterprises in the 41-400 user market;
- 3Com NBX 100 IP Telephony system for small businesses in the 2-200 user market;
- 3Com VCX? 5.0 IP Telephony module, an enterprise-wide IP telephony platform based on SIP and operating on industry-standard Linux servers for enterprise, well-suited for large enterprises with more than 400 users or more than 10 sites;
- 3Com IP Messaging module that delivers a set of unified messaging functionality such as read me e-mail and "find-me, follow-me" services;
- 3Com IP Conferencing module for audio conferencing, video conferencing, data conferencing and presence management services;
- 3Com IP Contact Center module for advanced IP contact centers; and
- 3Com Convergence Center client software for Windows, Macintosh and Linux users.
3Com Convergence Applications Suite
The 3Com Convergence Applications Suite uses a standards-based, secure, reliable and scalable software architecture for multi-vendor private branch exchange (PBX) environments. The suite in whole or in parts enables higher availability and central management for real-time business applications including telephony, messaging, conferencing, and contact center services. With 3Com Convergence Applications Suite, customers can more easily reach sales people more often, executives can schedule and deliver broadcast messages, employees can detect the call availability of the person they need to speak with, and mobile employees can have e-mail read to them.
"We needed an enterprise voice solution for our Transit Department to help us serve our constituents more quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively," said Greg Vanness, City of Waukesha, Wis. IT telephony supervisor. "3Com delivered an easily managed system that is driving down costs to give us an immediate savings. Now employees not only have voice mail, but exciting features such as 'find-me, follow-me.' Moreover, if I need to add new users I can easily configure the phone system at my desk instead of hiring a technician or spending hours sorting out the wiring."
3Com VCX 5.0 IP Telephony module
The 3Com VCX 5.0 IP Telephony module offers cost-effective integration with business applications by providing capabilities such as click-to-call or data-filled screen pops. It also offers remote workers all the applications they need in their office, home office, or corporate center without awkward call forward functions or multiple voicemail boxes.
"We didn't want to invest in a technology that we felt would be dated in a very short time. We saw the writing on the wall and recognized the world of business communications was about to change," said Sean McRae, Prudential Northwest Properties' chief information officer and vice president. "The 3Com Convergence Applications Suite allows our mobile sales agents to react to customer inquires in real time, often when the client is still at his computer browsing properties."
3Com NBX V3000 System
3Com pioneered the IP telephony market by shipping the first IP PBX system in 1998, with its launch of the award-winning NBX platform. 3Com expands its market reach with the new NBX V3000 system, offering proven features at a price point that aggressively counters legacy digital key systems. The NBX V3000 system is easily expandable so it can grow as the small business grows.
3Com Product Availability and Sales Distribution
The 3Com IP Messaging module is available today for a typical list price of $38,000-45,000 for 500 users. The 3Com IP Conferencing module are scheduled to be generally available at the end of November 2004 for typical list price of $200,000 -$250,000 for 500 users. The 3Com Presence module is scheduled to be generally available end the end of November 2004 for a typical list price of $50,000-$60,000 for 500 users.
The 3Com VCX 5.0 IP Telephony module is available today in typical configurations of 500 users for list prices at $225,000 - $275,000. The NBX V3000 system is scheduled to be generally available at the end of October 2004 for a list price starting at $1,995.
3Com sells and markets IP telephony hardware and software and other 3Com-branded products through an authorized set of system integrators and channel partners worldwide.
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