Company Overview

Computers, communication, and compatibility: Those are the three coms around which 3Com was created. The company was founded in 1979 by, among others, Robert Metcalfe, one of the early innovators of Ethernet network technology. For its first decade and a half, the company focused on network adapter technology. Then, in the early 1990s, it turned its attention to growing via acquisitions and the expansion of its networking equipment business. The results were good: In 1994, 3Com became a member of the Fortune 500.

Then, 3Com's 1997 purchase of U.S. Robotics brought it the PalmPilot, but also a large write-off of redundant inventory, serious difficulties integrating the two companies, and recognition that the company had become too unfocused. 3Com responded with a restructuring in 2000 that saw it spin off its PalmPilot division as an independent company and sell its PC modem business (and the U.S. Robotics brand along with it). Today the company sells networking hardware and software (including the LAN-level tools such as switches, routers, and gateways) as well as wireless networking equipment and Internet telephony systems. 3Com also offers consulting services, tech support, and systems integration. Target customers include the government and businesses specializing in financial services, health care, insurance, real estate, and manufacturing.