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Parameter Security, an ethical hacking firm, was born out of the need to help protect our businesses, government, health care, financial and educational institutions as well as various organizations nationwide from vicious hackers. As Certified Ethical Hackers, Parameter Security emulates the minds and motives of malicious attackers to test the security of your network and your employees.
In order to beat a hacker, you have to think like one. With this philosophy in mind, Parameter Security offers a vast array of hacking and offensive security services. Services range from network hacking services to human hacking services, offensive security training to computer forensics, compliance and more. Some of our many services include: network penetration audits, vulnerability assessments, wireless network audits, website security assessments, code reviews, social engineering, security awareness training, and various compliance audits.
Since Parameter Security's inception in December 2006, Parameter Security has received local, national and international media coverage including: Associated Press, CIO Magazine, Information Security Magazine, Computer World, Entrepreneur Magazine, Popular Science, St. Louis Business Journal and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch - just to name a few.
In 2008, Parameter Security's owners, Dave & Renee Chronister, received the Top Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award from St. Louis Small Business Monthly.
2009 kicked off with an invitation-only meeting with Governor Jay Nixon in his chambers immediately following his inauguration. During his first gubernatorial meeting as Governor, Parameter Security, along with a handful of other entrepreneurs, discussed how to improve the economic climate by starting at home. Economic discussions included access to capital, employee training and operations expansion within the state of Missouri.
So far 2010 has brought Parameter Security unique opportunities such as providing IT security training to U.S. military troops in Qatar and Germany - expanding Parameter's presence into a total of three international countries - Australia being the third.
Parameter Security's future is full of endless opportunities. Based on recent requests from clients, Parameter Security has developed vulnerability management software called Ballista. This SaaS was created by our hackers and provides 24/7 network security services such as identification of real-time vulnerabilities, automatic patch management, verification of compliance requirements and more.
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Topic of the Month
What Am I Missing
Jim Brasunas
Director, ITEN
As the Director of ITEN, I am very fortunate to have a unique vantage point from which to view the emerging tech start-up scene here in the 'Lou. I get to meet with a bunch of new start-ups nearly every month, I see companies doing their investor pitch to our Mock Angel group, I attend the Arch Angel meetings and see those presentations, and every day I have the opportunity to communicate with investors, mentors, and many different folks thinking about starting something new or interested in participating in ITEN in some way.
All of the new companies that are being formed naturally seek ways to maximize the chances for success for their new venture, and many of them are hoping to get investor dollars to help them grow bigger, better and faster. I've written here (see my earlier blogs below), and countless others have written more eloquently than I about some of the basic "must haves" for a successful venture: a venture that can execute successfully and can attract other people's money.
One of those must-haves is credible (read: experienced) management. I've had many investors tell me they'd sooner invest in a mediocre idea lead by a great team, than a great idea that has a mediocre team in charge. Investors are very reluctant to put their money into a new entrepreneur's on-the-job training program, there's just too much extra risk. Knowing how to build a successful company is not a skill we're born with; it's a learned skill, and a tough one to learn at that. Sure, there are stories about first-time entrepreneurs getting a couple of million dollars and going on to fame and fortune, just like there are stories about high school kids playing ball in the park and soon starring in the NBA. Good luck betting on that scenario!
So how can ITEN help an entrepreneur with not enough past management experience get over this funding hurtle and get their venture off and running? Read More...
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New Business Partner
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ITEN has just become a Business Partner ofConstant Contact. Sign up for your FREE 60-days trial!
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Press Release
1. Datotel To Provide Ten IT Entrepreneur Network Companies Free Cloud-Computing
Datotel, LLC, a state-of-the-art cloud-computing and colocation provider, is unveiling a program to provide more than $120,000 of free cloud-computing services in 10 IT Entrepreneur Network (ITEN) member companies. Each company will be eligible for $1,000 per month of Datotel's cloud-computing services for free for a total investment of $120,000 into the ITEN network of companies and St. Louis community.
To see the full Datotel/ITEN press release click Here
2. Arch Angels Make Donation to ITEN
 The St. Louis Arch Angels (www.stlouisarchangels.angelgroups.net) have made a $7500 donation, via Innovate St. Louis, for the support of ITEN. The Arch Angels are the premier angel investment group in the St. Louis region and have put money into many local tech deals, including a number of early-stage IT companies. ITEN has developed a close working relationship with the Arch Angels, primarily through our Mock Angel program. Companies that graduate from ITEN's Mock Angel program are referred to the Arch Angels for investment consideration.
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Mentor Spotlight
Jeff Zimmerman
VP of Product Management of Clearent
ITEN Mentor
In 2006, I was planning to move back to St. Louis after living in the San Francisco Bay Area for 12 years (I just couldn't live without toasted ravioli and Lion's Choice anymore). Searching for technology companies in St. Louis was a tremendous challenge. I knew that St. Louis was not Silicon Valley, but I was surprised to learn that technology companies were so few and hard to find. Today, this dynamic is changing due in large part to ITEN.
My name is Jeff Zimmerman, but you may know me as "Help Me Choose" because I lead a team of ITEN mentors which manages the "Help Me Choose" feature on the ITEN web site. I also participate in the Mock Angel program.
My interest in technology and early stage companies was ignited in my first job after college as an investment banker. I worked on the initial public offering of PSINet, one of the first Internet service providers. Netscape had not even gone public yet, so most people had never heard of the Internet. After that experience, I joined the technology group at my firm and have worked in technology ever since.
I later joined the finance group of an enterprise software company, but I soon wanted to get closer to the product. This desire led me to Stanford Business School and a career in product management. I spent several years in product management at Intuit (makers of Quicken, QuickBooks and TurboTax) where I developed my passion for creating products that "wow" customers. Between Intuit and my current role at Clearent, I led product management for MonsterCommerce, a provider of e-commerce and online marketing services (now part of Network Solutions).
I mentor for ITEN because I want to see the technology industry grow in St. Louis, and I believe that ITEN is a key driver of that growth. ITEN is helping to build the community of people who are passionate about startups and technology. ITEN facilitates the connections among startups, entrepreneurs, mentors, employees and investors. This community will help more startups mature into successful businesses, and I am excited to be part of it.
Jeff Zimmerman is the Vice President of Product Management of Clearent. Clearent is a merchant acquirer and payment processor whose proprietary technology gives financial institutions, ISOs and merchants easy-to-understand reporting and a clear view into all merchant services costs.
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 Sponsor Spotlight
Greensfelder, Hemker and Gale, PC is this month's featured ITEN sponsor.
 Spencer Garland, a lawyer with Greensfelder, is also a mentor in the ITEN network. He's an Officer in, and serves as Manager of, the Intellectual Property and Technology Transactions Practice Groups. He also is a member of the Corporate Practice Group . His practice focuses on representing and advising companies and individuals in intellectual property, technology and corporate matters.
About Greensfelder: "If the idea of innovation in a law firm sounds out of place, you don't know Greensfelder..."
Their law firm focuses on comprehensively addressing the legal needs of business organizations, whether private or public, in all sizes and industries. Greensfelder attorneys bring practice skills and experience to support business operations across the full range of legal needs.
They have a rich history representing clients who have an entrepreneurial spirit - they have fashioned their law firm in the same entrepreneurial spirit. It's in this spirit they utilize innovative solutions to meet their clients' needs
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Three Statistics to Live by
For anyone who is interested in what's happening to media and generally to our lives as they migrate online (and that should be all of us), a very helpful guide is the Pew Center for American Life. For the last 10 years, the Pew Internet and American Life Project has been tracking the trends that speak to just how much the Web has influenced the everyday.
Here are three stats that speak neatly to our three-pillar philosophy of search, social and digital PR:
- On a typical day, 61% of Americans get news online, which puts the Internet just behind television as a news source and ahead of newspapers.
- 57% of adults who are online use social network sites.
- Nearly 90% of online adults rely on search engines to find news and information.
Read More
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News
