A few months after implementing a desktop management strategy, Paragent, LLC has developed a strategic marketing plan utilizing the research of a group of Ball State University marketing students as the foundation of their strategic security plan.

Through Ball State's Business Fellows program, eight undergraduate and graduate students developed a plan last spring for Paragent. Business Fellows offers juniors, seniors and graduate students a chance to spend a semester in an intense applied work experience that will benefit an Indiana business, industry or community. The initiative, funded by a $1.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., works in collaboration with Ball State's Building Better Communities initiative.

Paragent, developer of a newly distributed computing technology, is a start-up company located in offices at the Muncie Innovation Connector on Marsh Street, adjacent to Ball State's campus. The firm is one of several new businesses receiving support in the community's business incubator, which is a partnership between Ball State, Cardinal Health Systems and the City of Muncie.

"Our company has a security focus, and the students were able to provide research into the security market," said Eric Banter, Paragent's chief operating officer.

Under the direction of marketing professor Joe Brown, the student team provided marketing research and developed the necessary objectives, strategies and tactics, as part of a strategic marketing proposal.

"It was a great project for the students, who learned a great deal about working with a start-up," Brown said. "New companies have different needs than older firms." The strategic marketing plan addressed objectives, strategies and necessary tactics to meet recommended strategies that detail Web site development, a professional sales plan, a public relations plan, and a trade advertising and promotion plan."

"A big benefit came when the students held the focus groups," Banter said. "That information allowed us to better understand the security market, giving us an idea of what potential customers are looking for in a security product."

Paragent is testing a beta version of Paragent Secure, which Paragent advertises as having the power to assess computer security vulnerabilities automatically.

"I can't say enough about working with Ball State," he said. "We've been able to play a role in the Digital Middletown Project and have been able to meet with faculty such as Sushil Sharma, information systems professor, to discuss security topics. It has been a great relationship that we look forward to continuing."

More information about the company may be found at www.paragent.com.

About Business Fellows

Business Fellows, funded by a $1.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., gives Ball State students the opportunity to turn academic knowledge into business solutions through intense, semester-long applied work experiences that will benefit an Indiana business, industry or organization. The program works in concert with Ball State's Building Better Communities initiative.

About Building Better Communities

Building Better Communities is an initiative designed to spur economic development and quality of life advancement in Indiana by applying Ball State's strengths in applied research and hands-on learning to projects across the state. With financial support from the Indiana Legislature and Lilly Endowment's Business Fellows Program, Building Better Communities works to match the university's expertise and resources to the varied needs of Indiana communities.

(Note to Editors:For more information, contact Banter at ebanter@paragent.com or (765) 285-4906.)