Priscilla Oppenheimer has been developing data communications and networking systems since 1980 when she received her master's degree in information science from the University of Michigan. After many years as a software developer, she became a technical instructor and training developer and taught more than 2000 network engineers from most of the Fortune 500 companies. Her employment at such companies as Apple Computer, Network General, and Cisco Systems gave her a chance to troubleshoot real-world network design problems and the opportunity to develop a practical methodology for enterprise network design.