The Carnegie Mellon® Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. The SEI provides the technical leadership to advance the practice of software engineering so that software-intensive systems can be acquired and sustained with predictable and improved cost, schedule, and quality. Since 1984, the SEI has served as a global resource in software engineering, software architecture and product lines, process improvement, network security and survivability, integration of software-intensive systems, and the improvement of software acquisition skills.  As a part of Carnegie Mellon University, which is well known for its highly ranked programs in computer science and engineering, the SEI operates at the leading edge of technical innovation.  For more information, visit the SEI Web site at http://www.sei.cmu.edu