Founded by Michael Seedman, the company specialized in telecommunications products, primarily modems, for personal computers.

Seedman led the company from its inception in 1981 until 1993, after Practical Peripherals was sold to Hayes Microcomputer Products.

The company ventured into the market with print buffers under the Microbuffer brand, offering various forms tailored for different systems and needs.

[5][8] Progressing through their product offerings, Practical Peripherals culminated with the PM56K, a high-speed internal and external modem operating at 56,000 bps, in 1997.

[13] In May 1992, Hayes doubled the size of Practical's headquarters moving it from Westlake Village to a 70,000-square-foot facility in Thousand Oaks, California.

[16] In 1993, founder Michael Seedman departed from Practical Peripherals to join rival modem maker U.S. Robotics of Schaumburg, Illinois, as their senior VP and general manager.