2/13/2007 -- Networking pioneer 3Com Corp. late last month launched its 3Com Open Services Networking (3Com OSN) service, the first of several planned deliverables in an ongoing effort to differentiate its converged network solutions by means of an open, interoperable architecture.

With OSN, analysts say, 3Com isn't just paying platitudinous lip service to the terms "open" and "interoperable." In this respect, they argue, 3Com OSN could be an initiative to watch. "3Com has created an attractive, differentiated service platform model that Ethernet switching vendors need to be part of to avoid becoming simple 'network plumbing.' By enacting this strategy in an open manner and before most of its competitors, 3Com is giving itself a competitive advantage," says Steven Schuchart, a senior analyst for enterprise infrastructure with consultancy Current Analysis.

OSN provides a set of network layer services to enhance the value of an organization's switching and routing platform. The idea, Schuchart explains, is that organizations can theoretically exploit OSN's open and interoperable services to achieve a kind of best-of-breed synthesis. OSN currently supports 3Com's Router 6000 family, as well as add-ons from Q1 Labs, Converged Access, Vericept and VMware, officials say. In addition, there's an Open Source Service Monitoring bundle which provides other networking information.

Efforts like OSN -- and there are several of them -- mark a shift in marketing strategy for 3Com and other vendors, Schuchart says. "For years, the market has been about simple speeds and feeds. That evolved into complex QoS and routing features. Today, customers are not looking for more. They are looking for security, automatic QoS based on analyzed data streams and the enablement of a network services layer that directly addresses application needs," he comments. "Cisco answered this need more than a year ago with the introduction of the ISR, but did so using its customary internal development approach. 3Com has presented an open alternative to meeting the service implementation needs of its customers, and the company has done an excellent job of outlining this strategy and delivering working examples in its initial release."

In this respect, he says, OSN "is an excellent start" and could to some extent help 3Com rehabilitate its reputation, at least with respect to executing on the strategic front. "3Com is taking advantage of the trend toward broad services integrated into the networking equipment. 3Com has not only leveraged open source applications, but it has also made the decision to use open-source Linux as the OS for its services hardware," he comments. "Partners can then code to a familiar and trusted environment, accelerating potential growth in available applications for 3Com."

Nor is that all, Schuchart says. "A security-only approach to services is good, but not as good as an overall services approach. By rolling out common open source monitoring applications, 3Com can claim to have done it first. In addition, customers that have been using those free tools will now be able to use those familiar tools within 3Com’s hardware infrastructure," he points out.

3Com faces competition from a number of vendors, including Cisco and Hewlett-Packard Co. In this respect, Schuchart concedes, it's "unclear how long 3Com will have a competitive advantage."

Then there's the question of whether 3Com OSN will generate significant partner traction. "It is unclear whether or not many companies will sign onto 3Com's OSN program. Specifically, security companies consider 3Com a competitor because of its TippingPoint division. The idea of a truly open platform is laudable, but other than open source offerings and a few initial partners, it may prove to be more a gesture than a reality," Schuchart concludes. "3Com has yet to outline or provide details for the methodology and testing necessary for end users to select and implement integrated services for a single platform. Without these kinds of guidelines, end users could easily oversubscribe OSN platforms, and then blame the resulting problems on the OSN concept rather than on poor end user implementations." --Stephen Swoyer