Fractal Networks is a Starkville-based technology company that aims to provide ordinary people with the tools and software they need to protect and control their data.
Mo Baraa, CEO of Fractal Networks, said the idea for the company came to him during his final year at Mississippi State University in 2009. He said he was interested in building a company that went beyond the standard tech company goals by rejecting tech company trends. Exploiting users for the value of their data.
“First and foremost, I would say we are focused on user privacy,” Baraa said. “We do not collect personal data about our users for the purpose of monetizing their data. Our mission is actually the opposite, to provide our users with the ability to keep their data private and secure. And instead of just giving that data away, it's a free service that monetizes that data and gives you the ability to get value out of it.”
Balaa launched Fractal Networks in February 2021, and the company is currently based at The Hub in downtown Starkville. The startup has three full-time employees and five interns who work on various business operations.
Fractal Networks has been working on software that can store customer data and isolate it from conglomerate data sharing. This device is tentatively called Fractal Data Safe. The portable tool has a screen and software capabilities and is expected to be generally available by the end of the year. Fractal Data Safe stores large amounts of data while connected to and stored in the user's home. The idea behind this tool is to allow users to save important information such as passwords, photos, financial information, etc. Certain Fractal Networks applications and apps may be run through software designed to protect user data.
“Because our mission is to empower our users and empower you through the applications on our platform, we do not intend to place applications in our app store that misuse your data, like most applications today.” There is no,” Baraa said.
Another feature of Fractal Data Safe is that the device powers off when not in use, effectively taking the user's data offline. When users need to access their data, they can simply turn on the software again using their mobile phone from a remote location. This feature protects your data from potential hackers and saves power. Users can also share their data access with friends and family.
“Fractal Networks is essentially an operating system for building your own private cloud or your own kind of home server operating system,” Balaa said.
Justin Russell has been Head of Software Engineering since 2021. He explained how this connection helps users avoid dependence on third-party applications.
“Your data is never in the hands of anyone else. It is in the hands of you and the chosen people you deploy to your personal cloud. One of the benefits of our architecture is that “It's end-to-end encryption support, which means the data is only safe for people who actually belong to the group,” Russell said.
Joshua Britt, a senior information technology services major at MSU and former editor-in-chief of The Reflector, joined the company in March as director of business operations. He said he was immediately intrigued by the company's core foundations and goals.
“Fractal Networks is different from your typical technology company because we are a public benefit corporation, which means our business mission must be to promote and generate social good.” said Britt. “What this means for Fractal Networks is not only giving back to the users of our products across the country, but also giving back to the cities we are in, the places we are in, and overall good. Good service. and to make something better than what we found.”
Russell commented that Fractal Networks is dedicated to creating an easy-to-use space for customers to manage their data.
“Our philosophy is to empower the average user and even the developer. Our goal is to get people out of the cloud and into their own private cloud that they're running. ,” Russell said. “Our goal really is to help people become independent a little bit more easily.”
Balaa said that while large technology companies typically view users as a product, Fractal Networks' capabilities are very different.
“We are unconventional in the sense that we want to give people the tools to get the real value of their data and allow people to come together to create groups that can anonymize their data and contribute it to data exchanges. It’s a future that doesn’t actually exist,” Baraa said.
Balaa also said that Fractal Networks is about advancing the available knowledge of the digital world. Fractal Networks is committed to helping the public better understand technology and how they can take control of their digital footprint.
“Our mission as a public interest corporation is fundamentally educational. We are here to educate people and give them the tools they need to succeed in the future through technology, but in spite of No,” Baraa said.
Britt said Fractal Networks is a company that understands where data goes, who gets it, how it's used, and how it impacts customers' lives, businesses, and networks of contacts. He said he is dedicated to answering people's questions, such as, “Does it have a positive impact?” He also said that Fractal Networks is working to give people ownership and control of their data.
“Opportunities like this don't come around very often,” Britt said. “Even beyond Starkville, this is something really unique. I mean, on a global scale, this is something that’s really unique and I wanted to be a part of it. Creating something and actually fleshing it out is something that's very interesting to me and something that I do a lot. As soon as I learned what Fractal Networks was doing, I wanted to help as well. thought.”
Balaa said Fractal Networks aims to inform the public about their ability to take control of their data. The goal is to give his IT capabilities back to people outside of large conglomerates. He said he realized this by noticing that these large conglomerates that control the cloud are asking more and more institutions and people to rely on third parties for their data needs.
“That was one of the big motivations for me to eventually go out on my own and start a company that wants to keep the physical infrastructure of the Internet in the hands of more people than just a few,” Baraa said. he said.
Baraa, a Starkville native, said Fractal Networks is focused on local empowerment in the community. He shared information about local projects they are working on. The project, named Starkville.net, will promote both Starkville and its local businesses while being owned by the community and sourced through the fractal network technology being developed.
Balaa said Fractal Networks focuses on helping and supporting small and medium-sized businesses rather than large enterprises.
Baraa said she had a new appreciation for Starkville from her childhood. He returned to Starkville and spoke of his gratitude for being able to give back to the community and university that he grew close to and that influenced his upbringing.
“We want to have a long-term, sustainable, positive impact on the digital landscape, and we think Starkville is the perfect place for that to happen,” Baraa said. .