Email received on Oct 31, 2022: Helm is shutting down 12/30/22.
We are writing to inform you that Helm services will cease operation on December 30, 2022. We understand this may be surprising and disappointing and have some additional information below about why we are planning to shut down and what this means for you.
Why we are shutting down
We have been unable to overcome manufacturing and supply chain challenges brought on by Covid-19. In late 2019, we shifted our supply chain from Mexico to China in an effort to reduce cost and improve manufacturing scalability. At that time, we undertook designing and developing our v2 product.
With the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, our expected timelines to ship product more than doubled. Supplier issues further delayed getting enough inventory to meet demand and we are at a point where the business cannot continue sustainably.
We are currently searching for a suitable buyer for the company, but given the macro economic environment, we recognize this is not a likely outcome. If we cannot find a suitable buyer by the end of the year, we have made the difficult decision to shut down.
What this means for you
On December 30, 2022, we will be suspending the subscription service which means we will be stopping all security gateways, purging all encrypted backups and all DNS entries for primary Helm domains. As a Helm customer, it is critical that in the next 60 days you find an alternative solution for the email, contacts, calendar and file sharing services your Helm provides today and complete migrating your data.
After December 30, 2022, you will no longer be able to access your data on your Helm server through its domain. If you registered a domain through us and wish to continue using it, please contact support to get an authorization code for transferring your domain to another registrar before December 30, 2022.
We are working on a firmware update for Helm servers to be converted to Linux servers running Armbian. We will provide documentation for this conversion, along with pointers to some guides for running mail and file sharing services if you would like to continue using your Helm. We expect to make this firmware update available in the next 4-6 weeks.
Thank You!
We appreciate your support of Helm over the years. When we started the company in 2016, we had an ambitious vision to improve online privacy by returning control of personal data to the people. We have been heartened by the community of thousands of you who have joined us on this journey to make the internet more private and secure.
While we are deeply disappointed Helm will cease operating, we hope that you continue searching for and supporting more products and services that prioritize your privacy. The future of a healthy internet depends on people just like you.
If you have any questions about this, please check out our FAQ. If your question is not answered by the FAQ, please contact support.
Thanks,
Giri and Dirk
Helm shutdown notice on website
Helm services will cease operation on December 30, 2022. We understand this may be surprising and disappointing and we have some additional information below about why we are planning to shut down and what this means for you.
Why we are shutting down
We have been unable to overcome manufacturing and supply chain challenges brought on by Covid. In late 2019, we shifted our supply chain from Mexico to China in an effort to reduce cost and improve manufacturing scalability. At that time, we also undertook designing and developing our v2 product. With the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, our expected timelines to ship product more than doubled.
Supplier issues further delayed getting enough inventory to meet demand and we are at a point where the business cannot continue sustainably. We are currently searching for a suitable buyer for the company, but given the macro economic environment, we recognize this is not a likely outcome. If we cannot find a suitable buyer by the end of the year, we have made the difficult decision to shut down.
What this means for customers
On December 30, 2022, we will be suspending the subscription service which means we will be stopping all security gateways, purging all encrypted backups and all DNS entries for primary Helm domains. For Helm customers, it is critical that in the next 60 days you find an alternative solution for the email, contacts, calendar and file sharing services your Helm provides today and complete migrating your data.
After December 30, 2022, you will no longer be able to access your data on your Helm server through its domain. If you registered a domain through us and wish to continue using it, please contact support to get an authorization code for transferring your domain to another registrar by December 30, 2022.
We are working on a firmware update for Helm servers to be converted to Linux servers running Armbian. We will provide documentation for this conversion, along with pointers to some guides for running mail and file sharing services if you would like to continue using your Helm. We expect this firmware update will be available in the next 4-6 weeks.
Thank You
We appreciate your support of Helm over the years. When we started the company in 2016, we had an ambitious vision to improve online privacy by returning control of personal data to the people. We have been heartened by the community of thousands of you who have joined us on this journey to make the internet more private and secure.
While we are deeply disappointed Helm will cease operating, we hope that you will continue searching out and supporting more products and services that prioritize your privacy. The future of a healthy internet depends on people just like you.
If you have any questions about this, please check out our FAQ. If your question is not answered by the FAQ, please contact support.
Thanks,
Giri and Dirk
Helm Shutdown FAQ
Why is Helm shutting down?
We have been unable to overcome manufacturing and supply chain challenges brought on by Covid. In late 2019, we shifted our supply chain from Mexico to China in an effort to reduce cost and improve manufacturing scalability. At that time, we undertook designing and developing our v2 product. With the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, our expected timelines to ship product more than doubled. Supplier issues further delayed getting enough inventory to meet demand and we are at a point where the business cannot continue sustainably.
When is Helm shutting down?
December 30, 2022
What happens to my data?
On December 30, 2022, we will be suspending the subscription service which means we will be stopping all security gateways, purging all encrypted backups and all DNS entries for primary Helm domains. As a Helm customer, it is critical that in the next 60 days you find an alternative solution for the email, contacts, calendar and file sharing services your Helm provides today and complete migrating your data. After December xx, 2022, you will no longer be able to access your data on your Helm server through its domain.
How long can I keep access to my data?
You can access your data through its domain through December 30, 2022.
What about my backups?
After December 30, 2022, you will not be able to restore backups to your Helm server. They will be permanently deleted.
What about my domain?
If you registered a domain through us and wish to continue using it, please contact support to get an authorization code for transferring your domain to another registrar by December 30, 2022.
Are you continuing to renew subscriptions?
No, we suspended renewing subscriptions on 9/30/22.
Can I get a refund?
We are unable to offer any refunds.
What can I do with the Helm server after you shutdown?
We are working on a firmware update for Helm servers to be converted to Linux servers running Armbian. We will provide documentation for this conversion, along with pointers to some guides for running mail and file sharing services if you would like to continue using your Helm. We expect this firmware update to be available in early to mid December.
Are any refurbished Helm servers available for purchase?
We may have a very limited number of Helm servers available for sale. Please contact support if you are interested.
What happened to the community site?
As we are focusing on supporting the transition off Helm servers and winding down the service, we do not have the resources to maintain and moderate the community site going forward so it has been taken down.
Updated Helm shutdown notice Dec 2022
Helm services ceased operation on December 30, 2022. We have sent out several notices to customers started on October 31, 2022. We have captured below a summary of those notices.
Why we are shutting down
We have been unable to overcome manufacturing and supply chain challenges brought on by Covid. In late 2019, we shifted our supply chain from Mexico to China in an effort to reduce cost and improve manufacturing scalability. At that time, we also undertook designing and developing our v2 product. With the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, our expected timelines to ship product more than doubled.
Supplier issues further delayed getting enough inventory to meet demand and we are at a point where the business cannot continue sustainably. We are currently searching for a suitable buyer for the company, but given the macro economic environment, we recognize this is not a likely outcome. If we cannot find a suitable buyer by the end of the year, we have made the difficult decision to shut down.
What this means for customers
On December 30, 2022, we suspended the subscription service which meant stopping all security gateways, purging all encrypted backups and all DNS entries for primary Helm domains. For Helm customers, it is critical that you find an alternative solution for the email, contacts, calendar and file sharing services your Helm provides today and complete migrating your data.
After December 30, 2022, you will no longer be able to access your data on your Helm server through its domain. If you registered a domain through us and wish to continue using it, please contact support to get an authorization code for transferring your domain to another registrar by December 30, 2022.
We have published pre-release updates [on GitHub](https://github.com/HelmSecure/armbian-images) to convert Helm v2 servers to Linux servers running Armbian. There is documentation for this conversion, along with pointers to some guides for running mail and file sharing services if you would like to continue using your Helm. We are still working on firmware updates for v1 servers to run Armbian.
Thank You
We appreciate your support of Helm over the years. When we started the company in 2016, we had an ambitious vision to improve online privacy by returning control of personal data to the people. We have been heartened by the community of thousands of you who have joined us on this journey to make the internet more private and secure.
While we are deeply disappointed Helm will cease operating, we hope that you will continue searching out and supporting more products and services that prioritize your privacy. The future of a healthy internet depends on people just like you.
If you have any questions about this, please check out our FAQ. If your question is not answered by the FAQ, please contact support.
Thanks,
Giri and Dirk