Hawaii Protects Public Schools Statewide Using TippingPoint™ Intrusion Prevention Systems

Hawaii Department of Education Safeguards 300-Plus Sites from Debilitating Threats Using Advanced Security Solutions from 3Com

AUSTIN, Texas, April 3, 2006 — Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE), the 10th largest public school system in the United States, is securing its 3Com® enterprise network using Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) from TippingPoint, a division of 3Com.

The TippingPoint solution safeguards HIDOE from malicious traffic, such as the Blaster worm, which penetrated its wide area network (WAN) in 2004 and shut down the entire system for several days. The attack required the IT staff to travel across the state’s islands to manually disinfect school networks. With over 150 TippingPoint systems deployed today, the solution is defending HIDOE’s 275 schools and 50-plus business sites against spyware, worms, Denial of Service floods, phishing, bandwidth hijacking and other threats, so attacks can be blocked before infections occur.

“Our enterprise network is fundamental to the education of our students, the administration of our schools and communications among our staff and parents, and we cannot afford a shutdown,” said K. Kim, telecom director, HIDOE. “Safeguarding an academic network spread over a vast geographical area like ours is not an easy task, but we found the answer in TippingPoint security solutions. TippingPoint gives us complete, proactive protection to ensure the continuous operations our schools require.”

IT staff using the TippingPoint Security Management System (SMS) can configure and control IPS platforms from a single site, eschewing the need to travel across 6,000 square miles of land and sea to respond to attacks on school networks. The department also benefits from the TippingPoint Digital Vaccine® real-time inoculation service, which keeps its IPS solutions current with the latest threats. Weekly, and more frequently when needed, the service automatically distributes updated filters to the IPS’s to reduce the risk of new and zero-day attacks.

In addition, HIDOE uses the TippingPoint IPS to enforce bans on instant messaging and peer-to-peer communications. The systems also prevent unnecessary downloads like music from reducing bandwidth for legitimate educational uses by throttling applications such as streaming video and FTP.

Previously, HIDOE relied upon an intrusion detection system and anti-virus software that proved unable to provide the comprehensive protection it needed. Having successfully used an array of 3Com systems, including Switch 8800, Switch 7700 and Switch 5500G Gigabit and edge switches, and SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 edge switches, access points and routers; HIDOE was further impressed with the performance and manageability TippingPoint solutions offered when it evaluated competitive systems.

“Only TippingPoint delivered the comprehensive and proactive security we wanted,” said Kim. “We believe TippingPoint Intrusion Prevention Systems are the most economical to own because of their remarkably cost-effective management. The SMS is of enormous value and cost-savings to us because we can configure and manage IPS’s from a single console.”

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 www.tippingpoint.com/products_certifications.html. Our innovative approach offers customers unmatched network-based security with 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 © 2006. 3Com Corporation. 3Com, SuperStack, the 3Com logo and Digital Vaccine are registered trademarks and TippingPoint is a trademark of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective holders.

This press release was accurate at the time it was issued but may not reflect 3Com’s current strategy or product offering.

Contact Information

Joseph Vukson

Corporate Communications, Public and Analyst Relations

3Com Corporation

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