The authors suggest that one must view the network itself as the customer's database, and make sure it is self-diagnosing, self-healing, and intelligent. The perspective that the network is the database means moving away from the feeling that no trouble means total health, towards more preemptive maintenance. With fiber, capacity as a limiting factor is no longer an issue; the creative work will be in developing network capabilities. Universities need to accept the challenge of developing the theory of software stability. A crazy quilt of multiple equipment vendors cannot produce an integrated, problem-solving network. But if a network is self-diagnosing, self-healing, and intelligent, the available staff can focus on the customer and seize opportunities to introduce new services. >