Dr Murphy began in the pharmaceutical industry where she became renowned for her work in the application of computer technology to drug research in the early 1970s. She came to the U.S. in 1980 as a consultant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and designed and developed computer applications to predict the toxicity of chemicals. She worked as a government contractor on a variety of information technology and telecommunications projects until forming her own company in 1988. The Procurement Automation Institute (PAI) was a software development company whose main product was an expert system used in the development of solicitations and contracts for government agencies, using both paper and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

She has taught professionally for 12 years. Her subject matter expertise is extremely broad including IT management, business, government contracting, computer security, electronic commerce, and Web technology. Dr. Murphy has been an adjunct professor at the George Washington University, DC, School of Business and Public Management, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Virginia. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Marymount University in Arlington, VA. She is best known for her work in electronic commerce where she is an accomplished speaker, and author.

At itmi she manages the Electronic Commerce practice which works with organizations to ensure that they have the systems and business processes in place to take advantage of the business opportunities offered by electronic commerce. Her activities include helping companies develop electronic catalogs, implement EDI programs, develop effective Web sites, and implement effective information security programs. As an expert in government procurement, she also assists organizations in obtaining government contracts.