3Com history

The group began approaching California venture capital firms in October 1980 for financing to begin developing products.

In March 1981, Metcalfe recruited L. William Krause, who then was general manager of Hewlett-Packard's General Systems Division, to become 3Com's president.

At the June 1982 board meeting, the board compelled Metcalfe to relinquish his title of CEO to Krause, who had really been in charge since he came to 3Com.

By then it was expanding by approximately 300 percent annually, having grown from $4.7 million to $16.7 million in sales for the fiscal year ending May 1984.

Two days before the scheduled shareholder approval in March 1986, however, 3Com's investment banker advised against being acquired by Convergent.

Also in 1987, 3Com had entered into a joint effort with Microsoft Corporation to develop and market LAN Manager network software for the OS-2 operating system.

Bridge cofounder William Carrico was appointed president of 3Com, with Krause remaining as CEO, but differences in management styles and corporate cultures prompted Carrico to resign in May 1988, and Krause regained the presidency.

Then, in the summer of 1989, revenue growth began to slow seriously for the first time, in part due to the poor sales of LAN Manager.

3Com had its first annual drop in earnings for the year ending May 1990.

For calendar year 1991, sales declined 15 percent to $370 million, and the company suffered a loss of $33 million, compared with a $24 million profit the previous year.

The company bolstered its hub business by acquiring the Data Networks business of U.K.-based BICC PLC, one of Europe's largest hub manufacturers, in January 1992.

3Com introduced a multifunction hub, LinkBuilder MSH, which could support both Ethernet and Token-Ring LANs in the spring of 1993.

Early in 1994, 3Com acquired Synernetics, a manufacturer of LAN switches, and Centrum Communications Inc., which provided products for remote network access.

3Com's product strategy and acquisitions under Benhamou helped the company reach $2.33 billion in sales for the fiscal year ending in May 1996, nearly six times that of four years prior.

3Com's key acquisition in its emerging Internet strategy was that of United States Robotics Corporation, which was completed in June 1997.

Palm Founders to Form New CompanyDonna Dubinsky, president of Palm Computing division of 3Com Corp, and its chief technologist, Jeff Hawkins, are leaving division to found company that will license Palm operating system software (S)July 7, 1998

In 1999, 3Com acquired NBX, a Boston company with an Ethernet-based phone system for small and medium-sized businesses.

3Com then tried to move into the smart consumer appliances business and in June 2000, 3Com acquired internet radio startup Kerbango for $80 million.

Bernard J. Ebbers, WorldCom's president and chief executive, said the new structure provides "two distinct, clear and compelling investment opportunities, while serving customer needs."June 8, 2001

The company, based in Chandler, Ariz., has also deferred, from June 2002 to December 2002, the start of operations at a manufacturing plant it acquired last summer in Puyallup, Wash.

In 2003, 3Com sold its CommWorks Corporation subsidiary to UTStarcom, Inc.

In January 2006, R Scott Murray became CEO of 3Com and chairman of H3C Technology in China, the joint venture with Huawei Technologies.

In September 2007, Bain Capital agreed to buy the company for $2.2 billion, with minority equity financing from Huawei Technologies.

In April 2008, Robert Mao was named chief executive, and Ron Sege president and chief operating officer.