The award was announced by The McGraw-Hill Companies on December 5, 1995; the formal presentation took place at Tavern on the Green, in New York City, December 14. The 1996 list is the magazine's second annual "Top 100" list. Open Computing recognized Perlowitz for her unique contribution to information technology. She was cited as "the first to formalize a standard, process-oriented, comprehensive methodology for the design, implementation, maintenance and future technology infusion of complex global network systems." Her distinctive approach to integration design, management, maintenance and technology insertion has rapidly gained acceptance in both the private and public sectors. Her method is currently used in complex networks of up to 2,000,000 nodes.
When Perlowitz founded Reliable Integration Services in 1988, it was a rare item in the Mid-Atlantic region: a woman-owned network systems integrator. Today RIS is recognized as a successful business in its own right, and also cited as an example of successful entrepreneurship nurtured by George Mason University's business incubator program. The company's client list has grown to include some of the most prized accounts in the industry: IBM, AT&T, PRC, BDM and others in the private sector; NIH, IRS, FAA, and other agencies of the federal government.
In 1994 Perlowitz founded Women in Technology (WIT) to provide a professional business network for women in all facets, and at all levels, of high technology. Today WIT boasts more than 500 members and is known for the exceptional quality of its programs and its influence in the information technology arena. Perlowitz was recently elected to a second term as WIT's president.
Perlowitz was the first woman to receive a State of Virginia appointment to the Board of Directors of the Virginia Technology Council. She currently serves as the Council's treasurer. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, and she serves as NVTC's Director of External Liaison. She is an active member of the Northern Virginia Business Roundtable, Industry Advisory Council, Technology Executive Roundtable, and IEEE. She earned her B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University, and she is a graduate of the Gillian Rudd Leadership Institute for Women Business Owners.
