Philip Smith began working with the internet in 1989 while completing his PhD. He helped design and implement TCP/IP networks at his university department. In 1993, he took a job at the UK's first ISP, PIPEX, where he helped upgrade their modems and learned about ISP backbones. Some key lessons he learned include: thoroughly testing new equipment for compatibility; planning network protocol migrations; the importance of peering relationships; and ensuring redundant network infrastructure is truly redundant. He also recounts incidents of bandwidth hijacking and outages caused by human errors.