3Com and Franklin Covey Deliver New Training Programs Based on Franklin Covey Training Concepts and Palm Computing Platform
SALT LAKE CITY — January 19, 1999 — 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq:COMS) and Franklin Covey (NYSE:FC) today announced they will work together to deliver corporate training courses based on the industry-leading Palm Computing platform and Franklin Covey's popular time and life planning concepts. With this initiative, Franklin Covey becomes the first premiere Palm Training Alliance provider, offering new training courses designed specifically for enterprise customers. These courses will include Franklin Covey's popular time and life planning concepts, using a Palm Computing platform device as the primary planning tool, as well as training on other key enterprise applications such as group scheduling using Microsoft Outlook. The companies will jointly market the new training programs to their respective customer bases.
Franklin Covey, one of the larger distributors of the industry-leading Palm Computing devices from 3Com, now offers basic training courses on Palm Computing connected organizers at no cost to customers visiting any of Franklin Covey's 125 company-owned retail stores across the country. Starting this month, Franklin Covey will offer customized corporate on-site seminars covering strategies, tips and options for using Palm Computing platform devices with desktop personal information management (PIM) software such as Franklin Covey's ASCEND software.
In the spring, Franklin Covey plans to introduce its flagship technology training based on its popular "What Matters Most" time and life management content featuring Palm Computing platform devices as a primary planning tool in combination with Franklin Covey's ASCEND software or Microsoft Outlook. This training program will also include new Palm(tm) software applications relative to the "What Matters Most" content as well as a number of exciting new training concepts designed for Palm Computing organizer users.
"Franklin Covey has long been one of Palm Computing's key OEM providers, as we have combined the world's leading handheld computer with Franklin Covey's training concepts to create a powerful solution for both individual consumers and enterprise clients," said Mark Bercow, vice president of strategic alliances and platform development for Palm Computing, a 3Com company. "We are excited about this evolution in our relationship and we look forward to broadening our enterprise customer base together with Franklin Covey."
According to Stephen M. R. Covey, president of the training and education business at Franklin Covey, "We have had excellent success with the Palm devices and see a great opportunity to enhance this device with our training principles. We will begin now with basic Palm training in our stores and then move this spring to deliver a new training program based on our popular Franklin Covey time and life management course, 'What Matters Most.' We see Palm Computing as a key partner and the industry leader in the handheld category. With our training concepts and the Palm devices, we can deliver compelling training programs to help clients dramatically improve their effectiveness."
In a separate announcement today, 3Com announced the Palm Training Alliance, a new program designed to provide world-class training solutions for corporations deploying Palm Computing platform devices at the enterprise level. Through the program, 3Com will work with qualified training vendors to provide enterprise customers with easy access to high-quality training providers, courses and materials to facilitate handheld integration with enterprise applications.
About the Palm Computing Platform
The Palm Computing platform is the foundation for the market-leading 3Com Palm III(tm) and PalmPilot(tm) connected organizers and other handheld computing products from Palm Computing's strategic partners, all leaders in their respective markets. These include IBM, which sells the IBM WorkPad PC Companion into the enterprise market, Franklin Covey, which supplies Palm devices for both the consumer and enterprise markets based on their popular time and life management planning concepts, QUALCOMM, which will sell its pdQ CDMA Digital Smartphone in 1999, and Symbol Technologies, which develops and markets the SPT 1500 device with bar code scanning capabilities used in retail, transportation, parcel and postal delivery, manufacturing and health care.
About 3Com
With more than 200 million customers worldwide, 3Com Corporation connects more people to information in more ways than any other networking company. 3Com delivers innovative information access products and network system solutions to large, medium and small enterprises; carriers and network service providers; PC OEMs; and consumers. 3Com – More connected. For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at www.3com.com or the Palm Computing site at www.palm.com
About Franklin Covey
Franklin Covey provides solutions to help individuals and organizations use proven principles to increase personal and organizational leadership effectiveness, trust and productivity. It trains more than 750,000 people each year. More than 17.5 million people now use its planners, agendas, software and Palm Computing devices. Franklin Covey has more than 12 million books in print with more than 1.5 million being sold each year, including Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. There are 125 Franklin Covey stores throughout the U.S., which provide individuals, families and organizations tools for effective living. Visit www.franklincovey.com for additional information.
Note to Editors: 3Com and Palm Computing are registered trademarks, and Palm, PalmPilot, Palm III and More connected are trademarks, of 3Com Corporation or its subsidiaries. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. No products mentioned herein are manufactured by Pilot Corporation or Pilot Corporation of America, manufacturers and distributors of writing instruments.
CONTACT:
3Com Corporation
Elizabeth Cardinale, 408/326-9390
elizabeth_cardinale@3com.com
or
Franklin Covey
Todd Simons, 801/975-9992
tdsimo@franklincovey.com