Banyan Systems Inc, Westborough, Massachusetts is the latest company to try to and win over customers of San Jose-based 3Com Corp’s defunct 3+ and 3+Open network operating systems, with news that the two have signed an alliance covering product support, training and marketing initiatives. Specifically, the alliance is intended to provide a migration path – including an incentive programme and Migration Guidebook – for 3+ and 3+Open customers wanting to move to Banyan’s Vines network operating system. 3Com is also to offer information and referrals for potential migration customers, and work to ensure that interoperability between the companies’ products will be extended to cover 3Com’s new EtherLink III adaptors. 3Com has also said it will join Banyan’s Strategic Support alliance programme, a move designed to aid customer problem-solving for Banyan and 3Com products. As part of this, both companies will exchange products, training, technical contacts and technical support information, and the programme also includes guidelines to enable joint customers to receive technical support from either vendor. The partnership is also intended to benefit resellers through specific marketing initiatives designed to show the two companies’ products as complementary. 3Com and Banyan are to introduce a series of programmes to include direct marketing, joint sales calls and a seminar programme to this end. Other companies with which 3Com has made arrangements for migration of its users from its 3+ and 3+Open systems include Novell Inc, Microsoft Corp, and Torus Systems Ltd.
