In 1992, the founders of Topher Bay Technologies were called upon to do what seemed impossible
and create an international order and turn-around system for a large manufacturing plant.
Utilizing Open Source technology that was readily accessible at the time and working with a
community of developers, the McKenna Machine was released in that summer. At the time, an
unusual component of the software was the custom on-site training offered by Topher Bay.
This training element became a significant part of our business in the early to mid 1990s.
As the popularity of the Internet grew through the decade, so did the focus of Topher Bay.
Custom software and training became secondary to Web application design and development. During
this time various types of clients were added, from government to not-for-profit associations, and
Topher Bay gained experience working with a wide range of industries. As business culture
shifted from just a Web presence to Internet applications that could deliver a return on
investment, Topher Bay would go through another metamorphosis.
With an emphasis on Web, many clients had a need to integrate their backend sales operations
and customer service fuctions with Internet applications. Although generally a long-term
profit center or just a way to cut expenses, the cost of entry and time to market is often
significant. Many businesses found an alternative to the proprietary commercial
products in Open Source software. The advantages to this type of solution is that it minimizes
the cost of entry and offers access to the product's source code. However, these solutions
usually require technology experts with a higher degree of proficiency than most businesses
can afford on a full-time basis.
In this decade, Topher Bay specializes in offering a wide variety of services and support to
businesses embracing Open Source Software.
