Last week, I described Company Sleuth’s features. Today, I will show examples of the business intelligence you can glean from some of its modules. The site’s key advantage is that it enables you to learn a vast amount of vital information quickly and efficiently. In fact, all the information provided in the examples below was gathered in around 15 minutes.
As an example, we will take 3Com, one of the companies listed in the Arena table of US companies that have bought Israeli companies.
First step - the News Module
The News Module is a good first step towards learning about 3Com’s business activities and plans. I recommend scanning through all of the headlines looking for words like acquisition, strategy, e-commerce, and names of other companies in the industry.
The News of March 17 provides some very interesting information. The headline, "3Com Outlines E-Business Strategy and Program", stands out. Clicking on this headline provides you with key information, including 3Com’s past accomplishments, its focus on e-business transactions, and the fact that it projects that 80% of its total revenue will be derived from e-business operations by the end of 1999.
Via this news item, you have also now identified the key members of 3Com’s e-business operations management team. These are the contact persons for any potential e-Business venture with 3Com. The same article also provides you with 3Com’s specific e-business advantages, and the five key components of 3Com’s e-business operations. All of this is vital intelligence for any company interested in a strategic venture with 3Com.
Business Relationships and Acquisitions
As you continue to skim the headlines in this module, you will learn that 3Com has business relationships with leading companies like Siemens, Alcatel, Microsoft, Bellsouth and Sun. You will also learn that, in 1999 alone, 3Com has acquired several companies, including NBX, ICS, and Smartcode Technologies. This tells you that 3Com has an aggressive acquisition strategy. It also gives you the ammunition needed to use EDGAR Online (see sidebar) to learn about each acquisition in detail – something you need to know if you want to be acquired.
This Module is also beneficial if you are interested in 3Com because it manufacturers the Palm-Pilot. It gives information on Franklin Planner Software, New Palm MacPac software, and Japanese language support software. Anyone thinking of developing accessories for the Palm-Pilot should look here.
Applying for a patent? See the Patent Module
Inventors interested in patenting an invention in the same industries as 3Com can get a head start by going to the patent Module.
A quick glance at the first patent in the Module tells us that it pertains to the Palm-Pilot. It deals with synchronizing files from two different computer systems. You see that the assignee is 3Com which means that the invention may have come from outside 3Com, and 3Com subsequently obtained the rights to it.
This is a good sign if you are interested in licensing your invention to 3Com. However, in this case, it probably came from an employment contract, as both of the inventors are in the same state as 3Com.
The next clue provided is the Abstract. This is a short summary of what is described in the patent. It should tell you right away if this patent is relevant to your invention. If so, then the next clues will be found in "US References" and "Other References." The patent and non-patent references in these two sections were relevant to the current patent, and if your invention is similar – they will be relevant to your potential patent as well. In addition, with the click of your mouse, you now have a full list of patent and non-patent references that are right on point.
Your first, maybe last, stop
In sum, Company Sleuth provides you with vital business information all in one place, and in minutes. It also keeps you posted with daily updates via e-mail. It should be the first stop in your quest for business intelligence. Depending on how deep you need to go – it could also be your last.
Published by Israel's Business Arena on March 23, 1999