Introducing Helm: Helping You Retake Control of Your Data
I don’t consider myself a security expert, but I do worry about my privacy and my personal information. Every day I read another article about a data breach at a company that potentially exposes my personal data to very skilled hackers. And what happens when those companies themselves don’t work in my best interest?
There is nothing truly free in this world, and this includes Facebook and G-Suite services. Both companies openly admit they read your “private” information, optimizing ads and other services based on knowing everything about you. I might have naively given them permission to do this years ago, but I’m done with these companies mining my personal information (finances, personal email to family and friends, business email, etc.) for their exclusive gain.
Until recently, I didn’t know how to easily end my dependency on Google. I could run my own servers, but this is expensive, time-consuming, and makes me the expert in charge of my own security, something I’m woefully unprepared for. Then in early 2017, we met Giri and Dirk, the co-founders of Helm. Giri and Dirk shared my concern about the future of personal information, but they were doing something about it.
Imagine a small, stylish device that you alone own with enterprise-grade Internet services that anyone can setup in less than five minutes. Imagine a service where Helm takes care of protecting your data, your data is always encrypted, and the only person with access to it is you. Helm doesn’t mine my data, they help me protect it. We loved this vision of individuals being in control of their most valuable and intimate data, and that’s why we are so excited today to see Helm’s product and service being announced for availability later this year.
As Giri said in their announcement, “We have designed Helm so that we as a company know as little about you as possible – just what it takes to fulfill an online order and provide customer support. That means no more retargeting, no more insecure information, no more fear of being caught up in mass surveillance, no more being used to sell whatever. It is our mission to empower people to live a free life online.”
Helm for me is an important product, a product that makes a difference. If data security and your data belonging to you are important, Helm might be the product that gives you back control of your personal information. This is a company and service that we at Lemnos are proud to invest in and partner with.
And the feeling is mutual. “Lemnos has been instrumental to our progress and success to date,” says Giri. “We have learned so much from the team about developing a hardware product and bringing it to market. The community of founders and the Lemnos network have all been helpful and supportive. We couldn’t be happier with our decision to partner with Lemnos at the earliest stages of our company.”
Helm’s first product protects email through the Helm Personal Server. Helm Personal Servers are available for sale online at thehelm.com.