Siemens, 3Com form strategic alliance

NEW DELHI: 3Com Corporation and Siemens Communications, Inc., announced a new global strategic alliance and master reseller agreement to integrate and sell a range of cost-competitive data networking and enterprise security products, and a full suite of complementary services.

The agreement includes edge-to-core switches and routers, Siemens' portfolio of

identity and access management solutions, and 3Com's network security platform, the TippingPoint Intrusion Prevention System (IPS).

Under an existing agreement between the two companies, Siemens will continue to provide lifecycle maintenance services to current 3Com customers. Building upon this relationship, Siemens and its partners will provide a suite of lifecycle, professional and managed services to new Siemens enterprise customers, who purchase a combination of Siemens and 3Com products for integrated enterprise solutions.

The two companies will develop joint capabilities to enhance their combined enterprise applications and platforms. To help ensure ongoing synchronization and product synergies, Siemens, which is named a 3Com Strategic Alliance Partner and Master Reseller, will have active participation in strategic product development initiatives at 3Com.

As one of the first integration initiatives, the HiPath Wireless portfolio will be integrated with 3Com's TippingPoint IPS to enhance security capabilities. In addition, 3Com will certify the interoperability of Siemens' HiPath Wireless LAN and its network management platform to help optimize service and management functionality.