3Com partners with Siemens on services

3Com said the partnership with Siemens, which is a global provider of networking and telecommunications equipment and services, will help increase the breadth and depth of 3Com services to enterprise customers. 3Com currently provides professional services to its small and midsize business customers, but it has lacked a comparable program for its large customers.

Siemens Business Services, a division of Siemens, provides information technology consulting, integration and management services to enterprise customers all over the world. The division has more than 34,000 support professionals located in more than 44 countries. In fiscal year 2003, Siemens Business Services brought in $6.1 billion in worldwide sales.

While Siemens is stronger outside of the United States, particularly in Asia, 3Com said it hopes to leverage the relationship worldwide.

"Siemens is not as strong in the Americas as they are in Asia Pacific," said Jean Hoxie-Wasko, vice president of global services for 3Com customer support and professional services. "But they are coming up. From what we've seen of their capabilities, they are a well-kept secret here in the U.S. market."

3Com has other strategic partnerships. In 2003, it announced a joint venture with Chinese equipment maker Huawei Technologies to provide enterprise-class local area network switches and wide area network routers. It also has a relationship with Crossbeam to provide security products and with Trapeze Networks to provide enterprise wireless switching.

On Monday, the new Siemens Communication Group, which consists of Siemens fixed and mobile communications units, announced a deal with Huawei. Siemens plans to sell Huawei's routers and switches along with its own communications gear.