TippingPoint Receives Market Penetration Leadership Award from Leading Research Firm; Frost & Sullivan Recognizes TippingPoint for Revenue Growth and Market Share in Intrusion Prevention Systems Market

Business Wire, Sept 6, 2005

AUSTIN, Texas -- TippingPoint, a division of 3Com and the leader in intrusion prevention, today announced it is the recipient of the 2005 Market Penetration Leadership Award for the Intrusion Detection and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS) market from Frost & Sullivan, a leading industry research firm. This award is presented each year to the company that has demonstrated excellence in capturing market share within its industry.

"Frost & Sullivan is pleased to recognize TippingPoint for its vision, foresight and achievements in the IPS appliance market," said Robert Ayoub, senior security analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "TippingPoint has demonstrated strategic excellence in product innovation, marketing and sales strategies that have resulted in the largest gain in market share over the past 2-3 years. The company has shown remarkable vision in identifying early on that the market will demand intrusion prevention systems."

Ayoub added, "The company's sustained level of research and development expenditure and its execution of sales and marketing strategy have garnered significant customer wins and impressive market share gains in its segment in just one year. The company is well positioned in a market that will be the dominant segment in the IDS/IPS market in the years to come. As a result of TippingPoint's phenomenal growth, Frost & Sullivan is proud to bestow the 2005 Market Penetration Leadership Award for the IDS/IPS markets."

To choose the recipient of this award, the analyst team tracks market share gain, increase in sales, and brand awareness within the industry. This is accomplished through interviews with market participants, end-user studies, and extensive secondary research.

Additionally, there are specific criteria used to determine final competitor rankings within the industry. The recipient of this award has excelled based on one or more of the following criteria:

--Competitive pricing strategies--perceived customer value versus price;

--Strong sales force strategy--number of sales people (direct and indirect), sales force specialization, efficiency in distribution, ability to train and educate, and strong customer service;

--Ability to establish brand awareness through promotional activities and advertising;

--Strategic alliances that expand customer base (increase distribution, marketing and sales resources, and global expansion); and

--Product innovation--satisfying unmet needs, creating new needs, and developing new technologies.

"We would like to thank Frost & Sullivan for recognizing our vision and for recognizing the trend toward intrusion prevention early on," said TippingPoint Vice President of Marketing Greg Fitzgerald. "We feel this is another validation of our product, our market and our leadership. We have differentiated our product with innovative features like Spyware Protection, Voice over IP security and bandwidth management, and we continue to dominate the market in areas such as performance and security coverage."

According to Frost & Sullivan research, the Intrusion Detection Systems and Intrusion Prevention Systems market is expected to see almost thirty-five percent growth in 2005.

About TippingPoint, a division of 3Com

TippingPoint, a division of 3Com, is the leading provider of network-based intrusion prevention systems. The TippingPoint IPS is the most decorated in its industry. For a full list of awards, visit http://www.tippingpoint.com/products_certifications.html. Our innovative approach offers customers unmatched network-based security with unrivaled economics, ultra-high performance, scalability and reliability. TippingPoint is based in Austin, Texas, and can be contacted through its Web site at www.tippingpoint.com or by telephone at 1-888-TRUE-IPS.

About 3Com Corporation

3Com Corporation (NASDAQ: COMS) is a leading provider of secure, converged voice and data networking solutions for enterprises of all sizes. 3Com offers a broad line of innovative products backed by world class sales, service and support, which excel at delivering business value for its customers. Through its TippingPoint division, 3Com is the leading provider of network-based intrusion prevention systems that deliver in-depth application protection, infrastructure protection, and performance protection for corporate enterprises, government agencies, service providers and academic institutions. For further information, please visit www.3com.com, or the press site www.3com.com/pressbox.> Copyright (C) 2005 3Com Corporation. 3Com and the 3Com logo are registered trademarks and TippingPoint is a trademark of 3Com Corporation or its subsidiaries. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective holders.

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