The network company, based in Marlborough, Mass., announced on April 17 the appointment of channel veteran Robert Dechant to the role of senior vice president of Worldwide Sales and Marketing, replacing the former head of Worldwide Sales, James Fieger.

3Com also appointed Dan Beck, formerly of ModusLink, a supply chain services provider, to the role of vice president of Operation. Both will answer directly to Murray.

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The appointments of Dechant and Beck are part of Murray's effort to streamline operations, especially in the channel, where Murray said he sees room for improvement.

"One of 3Com's strengths is our large stable of loyal channel partners," he said. "However, our approach to giving them the resources and tools they need to be successful has to be more disciplined. By adding Bob [Dechant] to our executive team, we can tap his experience at building programs that bring value to both 3Com and our partners. The channel continues to be an important asset for 3Com and we are committed to putting the team in place to help them succeed."

Dechant began his career at IBM, where he worked with resellers and systems integrators, and sold directly to enterprise clients. He previously led the sales and marketing teams at ModusMedia, which later became ModusLink and Stream International, a customer service consultant.

Beck was previously head of North American Operations at ModusLink and its predecessors, where he led supply chain management, return logistics and technical support services for leading hardware and software technology companies.