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Helm: Personal Email Server

thehelm.com

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Re: Helm: Personal Email Server

#191

Post by hawski »

andr wrote: post #65

I never understand why people think having your files physically in their homes is somehow more secure than a data center. - You run the risk of hardware failure, which would take days to recover. When your warranty expires, it'd cost you, too. - Disk failure may lose all your data. - Fire, theft, or hurricanes may destroy it. - You still give access to your data to a company, which controls software updates and the…

You can always put your encrypted backup on a cloud storage. This way you're left with only the key to be concerned with.

Re: Helm: Personal Email Server

#192

Post by arendtio »

garry wrote: post #105
andr wrote: post #65

I never understand why people think having your files physically in their homes is somehow more secure than a data center. - You run the risk of hardware failure, which would take days to recover. When your warranty expires, it'd cost you, too. - Disk failure may lose all your data. - Fire, theft, or hurricanes may destroy it. - You still give access to your data to a company, which controls software updates and the…

I'm the first and biggest investor in Helm and I'm on the board. I created email-based Posterous previously (YC funded) and was a YC partner for 5 years. I funded this team because they're high integrity software engineers first, and we built this out of need— a company like this needs to exist because for this to work, you need both great user experience as well as great software. Helm actually solves this exactly -…

I like the idea as I run my own home server for about ten years now (Nextcloud (calendar, address book, file-sync), DynDNS, XMPP, NFS, IMAP, ...). At first, I thought how you are going to send emails from consumer IP-ranges, but then I read that you are using a gateway with a static IP address. Cool.

I think it is a great idea to have a device which is as simple to use as a router but focused on typical cloud services. As security is a critical aspect of the whole idea, the subscription service is a smart move too. Maybe you should offer a monthly subscription too (consumer friendly).

Are there any plans to start shipping to Europe in the near future?

Re: Helm: Personal Email Server

#193

Post by xienze »

heavenlyhash wrote: post #56
bachmeier wrote: post #34

$99/year? They are targeting an extremely small market. I can get Fastmail for a fraction of that amount, and I don't see much of an advantage with this - and I'm one of the few willing to pay for something I get elsewhere for free.

I mean, "a fraction" is "half" in this case, which is actually pretty close to par in my mind. And that's what I pay for one address for a year; so if this is more addresses and more domains at better scaling prices, that's quite interesting.

Fastmail lets you use all the domains you want with one account, it just routes the messages to a different folder.

Also, remember the $99 per year is AFTER shelling out $500 for the device.

Re: Helm: Personal Email Server

#194

Post by simias »

So this is bikeshed territory but what with the shape of the "box"? You can't stack anything on it and it seems to take much more room than necessary that way.

Reading the (mouse hijacking) technology page I see:

>Helm is a high-performance server with capabilities normally found in larger, business-class hardware. To accomplish this performance in a smaller (and quieter) form factor, Helm has been engineered to dissipate heat through its aluminum base.

Is that the reason behind the design? Does it mean it's fully passive cooling? Also is it really necessary to have that much cooling in the first place? An email server doesn't need that much juice normally, especially for a small handful of users.

Re: Helm: Personal Email Server

#195

Post by gsreenivas »

ThePhysicist wrote: post #184
garry wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm the first and biggest investor in Helm and I'm on the board. I created email-based Posterous previously (YC funded) and was a YC partner for 5 years. I funded this team because they're high integrity software engineers first, and we built this out of need— a company like this needs to exist because for this to work, you need both great user experience as well as great software. Helm actually solves this exactly -…

Hey, since you're here already, I have some questions (in case you're able/allowed to answer them): What's the base operating system and hardware architecture the box is based on? It says "Linux" on the page but doesn't go into specifics. Why not just use regular hardware, e.g. Intel NUCs, or even allow people to run your software on their own hardware (like OwnCloud does)? In Germany there was/is a startup, Protonet…

We spin our own build of Linux using Yocto.

We are using an ARM-based SoC from NXP. We chose this to ensure that the device can only run signed, trusted code by implementing secure boot and signature verification of software updates. We will make a developer program available in the future.

I didn't use Protonet so I shouldn't speculate about what's similar or different about the products. I think we are in a time right now where people have a strong desire to own their data and are looking for a viable alternative to the cloud. They key, beyond building something very private and secure, is in nailing the experience and we're excited to share more about that.

Re: Helm: Personal Email Server

#196

Post by gsreenivas »

arendtio wrote: post #192
garry wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm the first and biggest investor in Helm and I'm on the board. I created email-based Posterous previously (YC funded) and was a YC partner for 5 years. I funded this team because they're high integrity software engineers first, and we built this out of need— a company like this needs to exist because for this to work, you need both great user experience as well as great software. Helm actually solves this exactly -…

I like the idea as I run my own home server for about ten years now (Nextcloud (calendar, address book, file-sync), DynDNS, XMPP, NFS, IMAP, ...). At first, I thought how you are going to send emails from consumer IP-ranges, but then I read that you are using a gateway with a static IP address. Cool. I think it is a great idea to have a device which is as simple to use as a router but focused on typical cloud service…

Thanks for your comment! Yes - we are working on making the product available in Europe early next year. Please sign up for our mailing list on our website and we'll keep you posted!

Re: Helm: Personal Email Server

#197

Post by hawski »

cwyers wrote: post #114
garry wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because with Helm only you hold the encryption keys.

But that's completely orthogonal to owning a piece of hardware. You could run a managed cloud e-mail service where only the users hold the encryption keys, too. How is this a hardware problem?

Then the keys are on the premises of the cloud company. Also data has to be at one time unencrypted in computer's memory. When there is a physical access to the computer you can't do much to ensure your data's safety.

Re: Helm: Personal Email Server

#198

Post by isserson »

I really appreciate that the "hero" video _asked_ me to click. That already shows you respect me enough not to just auto-play in my face. I think the video suffers from a bit too much dramatization, especially at the end with the triumphant movie trailer music and awkward shots of people looking directly into the camera. I also think some of the copy on the main page could be edited to sound clearer and more natural. For example:

* "Keys only you have access to" -> "Only you have the keys"

* "Room for growth" -> "Room to grow"

* "Gets better over time" -> "Always improving [etc.]"

I mention all the above because I really like what I see here and I'm looking for room in my budget after I post this comment :)

Good luck!

Re: Helm: Personal Email Server

#199

Post by stevehawk »

gsreenivas wrote: post #51
stevehawk wrote: post #36

I feel like I'm the target market for this as I pay for Fastmail .. 1 - how many domains can I use? I currently use ~6 with my Fastmail account 2 - can I have multiple users? I recognize that fastmail doesn't let me but at this price point I would want it. It looks like you support that but I'm unsure. 3 - How do you convince my ISP to let me receive traffic on the ports required to run a mail server? (most firewall…

hey stevehawk - thanks for your questions. I'm the co-founder and CEO of Helm. Let me take them one by one: 1 - how many domains can I use? Each Helm Personal Server currently supports 1 domain 2 - Can I have multiple users? Yes, we have no limits on the number of users. 3 - Please see my response above about how we navigate around ISPs blocking ports. We route traffic through an EC2 instance with an iptables configu…

I appreciate the response. Anecdotal situation - I have to admit the 1 domain thing is a drawback for me. In order for me to commit the financials to this I'd need to be able to use it for more domains (ie, spread the costs across my personal businesses as well). As a solution for 1 domain only it has the feel of Silicon Valley millionaires solving problems for Silicon Valley millionaires.

There is no break-even point on this because by default the subscription is more than Fastmail, including their business offering, and even amortizing the device over a decade is still a stretch (what device lasts a decade anymore?). I think what I'm realizing is that even with a gross annual household income over half a mil USD is that I can put a price on email and it's lower than this.

All of that said I do think you've got a neat product. The EC2 solution for tunneling is novel and explains the higher subscription cost. I hope you are successful because I'm curious to see what version 2 would be like service/pricing wise.

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