What's Going On, 3Com?

Scott Murray, we hardly knew ya! Six months after 3Com named Murray to succeed Bruce Claflin as CEO, Murray has resigned because he was “not able to commit to the extended time in China.” 3Com replaced Murray with Redline veteran Edgar Masri.

Alas, 3Com reminds me of Novell: A once proud company that defined and led much of the early networking revolution. Recent years haven’t been kind to 3Com, which has seen its revenue shrink from $5.6 billion in 1997 to $795 million in fiscal 2006 (which ended June 2, 2006).

Incoming CEO Masri has a few things working in his favor, though, including 3Com’s healthy relationship with China-based Huawei Technologies.