Introduction: 3Com was founded by Dr. Robert Metcalfe in 1979 and is a global provider of enterprise and small business networking solutions, offering products such as network switches, routers, wireless access points, voice over IP systems, and intrusion prevention systems. The current headquarters of the company is located in Marburg, Massachusetts, USA. The name 3Com comes from Computer, Communication, and Compatibility. In 2007, 3Com acquired a 100% stake in H3C Technologies Co., Limited (H3C), a previously Chinese joint venture. But the backbone of the company comes from Huawei, and before the acquisition, 3Com had up to 95% of its profits from H3C. The original intention of H3C's establishment was to counter Cisco, which now belongs to HP, but has instead become a competitor to Huawei in the global data market. 3Com has an annual revenue of $1.3 billion (for the 2008 fiscal year ending March 30, 2008) and approximately 6000 employees in over 40 countries. The company reports having over 2700 engineers, over 1400 US patents, and nearly 180 Chinese patents. They have over 1050 Chinese patents under application, and 35 independent innovations outside of China, covering a wide range of network technologies.
