Problem solvers turn profits Catalyst Technology Group develops new credential repository BioPassword-secured application for local firm SecureWebManager. Publication: Indianapolis Star Date: December 2, 2007 By: John Ketzenberger Mike Kovaleski is used to tackling problems. The ex-Notre Dame linebacker, who is a salesman for Key Benefits Administrators here, has built a company around a big problem -- remembering all of your Internet usernames and passwords. SecureWebManager stores those passwords in a single place so people only have to remember one password. The site uses security protocols to protect the information and includes a biometric device to track how you type the password. Even if someone gets your password, it won't work unless they type it in just like you do. SecureWebManager joins other companies developed across Central Indiana in recent years to solve specific problems. "We probably have the same number of good ideas that we've always had," observed Steve Dutton, a Barnes & Thornburg attorney who works with upstart tech companies. "Now we're seeing more people with good ideas find money to turn those ideas into companies." The region developed enough technology startups over the past 20 years that there are more angel investors. People like Mark Hill, who made a fortune when he sold software company Baker Hill to Experian. David Becker, like Kovaleski, built and sold a software company designed to solve a very specific need: credit union transactions. They are among area people on the prowl for good ideas to back. There's another spinoff effect that Kovaleski tapped: people who provide services for a piece of the action. In the 18 months since Kovaleski's entrepreneurial epiphany, three men have become partners in the venture. Joe Brandon was the first. The president of Connecticut Electric in Anderson has known Kovaleski for years and helped develop the idea. Next came Bob Thompson, vice president of business development for Indianapolis-based Catalyst Technology Group and Kovaleski's buddy at Notre Dame. Catalyst developed the Internet site. And Joe Guzman, head of Benefit Strategies here, honed SecureWebManager's two-pronged pitch -- recruit consumers directly (for $75 a year), then hit up financial services or employee benefits companies to offer the service to their clients. The idea impresses Indiana University associate professor Markus Jakobsson, an expert in computer security. It's especially useful for people who try to access accounts from cell phones or BlackBerries. "The scary part is if this becomes successful, it will become the No. 1 target for hackers," he said. Kovaleski knows people won't use the site if they doubt it's secure, hence the constant vigilance against hackers and the biometric key. The idea was to make life easier for his Key Benefits clients with several passwords for their online accounts. "I was one of those guys," Kovaleski said. Not anymore. Problem tackled. About Catalyst Technology Group, Inc. Founded in 2002, Catalyst Technology Group, with headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, provides IT support, technology infrastructure, and custom enterprise-level business applications to clients throughout the United States. Catalyst sales and technical staff in Indianapolis and Chicago provide remote and on-site consulting and managed services to a diverse client base, including international manufacturers, wholesale, retail, insurance, medical, and banking. For More Information: Contact: Info@CatalystTG.com Catalyst Technology Group 8888 Keystone Crossing Suite 1300 Indianapolis, IN 46240 Telephone: 317.705.0333