Torsys
COMMUNICATION (first spread—Introduction)
From the cave paintings in Lascaux to the Rosetta Stone in Egypt . . . from Bibles illuminated by monks to radio waves spanning the globe . . . humans have always sought to communicate. It’s as fundamental to our nature as eating and sleeping. Indeed, scientists say our speech is what makes us what we are.
With the advent of computers, the dialog is accelerating at an unprecedented rate. At Torsys, our goal is to harness this momentum for your benefit. We provide high-quality networking and Internet solutions to help your people communicate.
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Marathon runner (490 B.C.): After fighting the Persians at the battle of Marathon, the Greek Pheidippides ran to Athens, almost 23 miles away, to tell his people the outcome. He cried "victory" with his dying breath. When the Olympics were revived in 1896, the marathon was instituted to recall his feat.
Smoke signals (1375): Native Americans created a far-reaching communication network by waving blankets over smoldering fires. Carried by the wind, the highly visible smoke could travel across the miles faster than any scout, sending simple messages from one tribe to another.
OUR COMPANY (second spread—Classical period)
Torsys is an advanced communications company providing network design, project management, and Internet connectivity. Our team of analysts, designers, and engineers brings decades of experience to bear on networking challenges. Our expertise includes everything from needs analysis and strategic planning to implementation and documentation.
Torsys serves such major organizations as UCLA, Microsoft, AT&T, TCI/ETC., and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Sometimes our clients seek technical and managerial direction from the beginning; sometimes they want to audit existing networks for cost-effectiveness. We also help them migrate to Internet- and intranet-based architectures.
Like many institutions, Torsys is the result of one person’s vision. From his earliest days, Kevin Torf believed in the importance of communication. He imagined a world where information was instantly available.
When microcomputers debuted two decades ago, he found the tools to pursue his ideas. As the industry evolved, Torf embraced the PC . . . the network . . . and the Internet (the network of networks). The pieces came together in Torsys, the culmination of a dream.
At Torsys, we don’t sell products or services so much as our conviction. We’re committed to fostering communication in the most skilled, professional manner. To understand this better, let’s examine our philosophy.
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Chinese printing press: A Chinese artisan was the first to make movable type, of baked clay, in the years 1041 to 1049. In the following centuries the Chinese made type of wood and then metal. The German Johann Gutenberg replicated this in 1455, and his printing press sparked a flowering of thought and discourse.
Homing pigeons: People have used homing pigeons to communicate over long distances for nearly 3,000 years. Some Roman emperors sent messages to and from their armies in the field with "homers." In the 12th century, these fast flyers helped the Sultan of Baghdad maintain a regular postal system.
OUR PHILOSOPHY (third spread—Industrial era)
Consider the challenge of laying the first transatlantic cable in the 1800s. People had to create a material strong enough to resist the sea’s rigors. They had to insulate it to prevent the electricity from leaking. They had to develop ways to spin it into cable, transport it, and deposit it on the ocean floor.
As they were laying it in 1857, the cable broke several times. After repairing it, they finally sent a message on Aug. 13, 1858. The line lasted only three months before burning out. Not until 1866 was a permanent cable in place.
It was a milestone in communications: the first link between the Old and New Worlds. It required scientific and technological advances and new production and management techniques. Only a passion for both made it possible.
Today Torsys shares this sensibility. Some of our clients are as technically proficient as we are, while others are top project managers. Being both is the Torsys specialty. Like the cable, we bridge the gap.
Perhaps a space-age example will show what we mean. Suppose someone asked if one could connect the solar system—string lines between Mars and Jupiter and so forth. At Torsys, the answer would be yes. With our vendor relationships and technical acumen, we’d devise a solution years before anyone else. With our analytical tools and managerial strength, we’d implement it in well-defined modules. A system-wide WAN is no more than a series of small but flawless LANs, all linked by a methodology.
Let’s look at the services that make this possible.
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Maritime flags: Mariners have used flags to send messages at least since the Middle Ages. Each naval power had its own code based on the banners’ position, shape, and color. In the 19th century, the British Board of Trade standardized on a system that evolved into the International Code used today.
Pony Express: From 1860 to 1861 long-distance communication in the American West relied on the Pony Express. Riders carried mail 1,966 miles past a network of relay stations along the famous Oregon-California Trail. The venture ended when the new technology of the telegraph stretched coast to coast.
OUR SERVICES (fourth spread—Information age)
As we move into a complex information environment, understanding the business has become increasingly important. Frederick Taylor (1856-1915), the father of scientific management, was the first to realize this. He emphasized the need to analyze and measure processes.
How one does this is as vital as doing it. As Schmidt and Finnigan write in "The Race Without a Finish Line":
A problem-solving model has enormous power to cut through a lot of the pointless and fruitless debate that is so often typical of unstructured problem-solving meetings. A structured method can greatly enhance the quest for quality: identifying, selecting, and analyzing problems; generating and planning solutions; and implementing and evaluating the solutions.
This is the approach Torsys uses in network planning, consulting, and design. We break down multifaceted situations into manageable parts. Our suite of services includes:
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Current environment evaluation |
Comparative environment benchmarking |
At Torsys, our work embodies Frederick Taylor’s farsighted outlook. For more on our individual services, see the enclosed service sheets. Now let’s summarize our key advantages.
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Tin cans: To improve the sign-language techniques developed by his father, Alexander Graham Bell invented a "harmonic telegraph." In 1876 he used it to transmit the first telephonic message. Ushering in a new era, the device operated on the same basic principle as two cans connected by string.
Telstar/satellite: Communications satellites avoid the line-of-sight limitations imposed by the earth’s curvature. The first satellites passively reflected radio signals, while later ones rebroadcasted them. Now an international network of satellites in geostationary orbit has established the "global village."
OUR ADVANTAGE (final page—Future)
With its combined technical and managerial proficiency, Torsys creates networking and Internet solutions to take you well into the 21st century. But above and beyond that, people choose us over our competitors for several reasons.
One is because we go the extra mile. When someone requests bids for a project, we build a working prototype. When an installation doesn’t go as expected, we redo it at our expense. If the customer isn’t satisfied, neither are we.
Another is our principled approach. We do the job that’s right for you—no more and no less. We strive to achieve the highest industry standards and ethics. Our quest for perfection never ends.
In short, our values are what separate Torsys from the crowd. That’s the Torsys commitment: to professionalism, to quality, and to excellence. And, of course, to communication.
As a communications company, we’ve tried to communicate our vision. We encourage you to let us know what you think. For more information, please contact us at:
[contact info]
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Radio telescope dish/SETI: SETI (search for extra-terrestrial intelligence) uses radio telescopes to scan the skies for incoming signals at certain frequencies. With the discovery of planets around other stars, scientists find it increasingly likely that someday we’ll communicate with other civilizations.
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