TMCnet News

3COM Launches VoIP System for Branch Offices
[January 23, 2006]

3COM Launches VoIP System for Branch Offices


TMCnet VoIP Minute Watch Columnist
 
Thanks to 3Com Corporation, businesses with branch offices will be able to manage their telecom applications to ensure that phone service, messaging and system management continue to be available at remote sites in the event of wide area network (WAN) failure, such as one due to a natural disaster.


 
Businesses will be able to do this with 3Com's newly expanded range of converged communications platforms to deliver reliability, resiliency and management for supporting VoIP systems with the new V6000 Integrated Branch Communications platform.

 
The new V6000 Integrated Branch Communications platform runs 3Com's VCX IP Telephony module and convergence applications. The platform seems to be a good choice for medium to large, geographically distributed enterprises and supports SIP-based IP Messaging, IP Mobility, IP Contact Center, IP Conferencing and Presence.
 
"In today's widely dispersed organizations, 3Com offers the most resilient architecture in the industry, not only for call processing, but for critical IP convergence applications," said Denis Aull, vice president of the Convergence Business Unit, 3Com. "Our 3Com VCX IP telephony system ensures that the branch office will remain fully functional with access to all applications including IP Messaging, even if a branch server were to become unavailable or the connection to the central site or headquarters was cut off.  Our solution is optimal for markets that need both a highly available IP telephony system and an integrated remote site messaging solution, vigorously tested and proven."
 
In the case of a natural disaster or any other type of service outage, should the WAN between sites be lost, the IP Telephony and IP Messaging applications running on the V6000 can work totally independent of the corporate headquarter system. Once the service is restored and the network becomes operational, the VCX systems will automatically resume normal networking operations. Even in the extreme event of a failure of the local V6000 server, the 3Com IP phones will automatically re-route to the central site server running the VCX system for call control.
 
Since the platform has built-in connectivity ports to the network, as well as VCX call control and IP messaging software, small branch locations can be deployed quickly and with a minimal amount of equipment.  Furthermore, because system management can be done remotely, no on-site telephony expertise is required.
 
The V6000 is currently available and its priced starting at $3,500 (US) for the hardware and $1,000 (US) for the software license.  The 3103 Manager Phone is priced at $365 (US).
 
3Com and its TippingPoint division made news this month when they announced a new vulnerability in Clam AntiVirus (ClamAV) discovered and disclosed through the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI). Through ZDI, 3Com notified Clam AntiVirus of the vulnerability, who then issued a corresponding patch, eliminating the threat of a zero day attack. The vulnerability was discovered in ClamAV UPX Processing and could allow an attacker to compromise a vulnerable host.
 
This is the second vulnerability discovered and disclosed through ZDI affecting the ClamAV product. The first vulnerability, corrected on November 18, 2005, could also allow a remote attacker to compromise a vulnerable host without requiring any user interaction.
 
If you will be attending the Internet Telephony Conference and EXPO taking place this week at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, please don't miss 3Com's own Solutions Architect Robert Wiggs' session on Presence & Unified Communications on Tuesday, January 24th at 4:00-4:45pm as well as his session on VoIP's Role in Military & First-Responder Communications on Thursday, January 26th at 3:30-4:15pm.
 
3Com Corporation
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Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and Internet Telephony magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit Johanne Torres' columnist page.

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