2018: A Year of Loss and Renewed Purpose
This year has been one of profound change, both personally and professionally. In August, I lost my father. His vision of a free and secure internet, which inspired the creation of OrbVPN, continues to drive our mission forward. As we navigated this personal loss, our team remained committed to advancing the service he helped inspire.
Technical Evolution
Our Spring Boot architecture matured significantly:
- Enhanced API performance
- Improved system scalability
- Better resource management
- Advanced monitoring capabilities
- Streamlined backend operations
Infrastructure Expansion
AWS infrastructure growth continued:
- New strategic server locations
- Enhanced network capacity
- Improved global routing
- Advanced DDoS protection
- Better failover systems
Security Innovation
We strengthened our security framework:
- Enhanced encryption standards
- Improved protocol security
- Advanced leak prevention
- Better traffic masking
- Enhanced privacy controls
Market Development
Our user base expanded across sectors:
- Corporate solutions growth
- Increased streaming users
- International market expansion
- Enhanced business features
- Improved enterprise support
Performance Optimization
Key improvements included:
- Faster connection speeds
- Reduced latency
- Better server selection
- Enhanced stability
- Improved streaming performance
Mobile Advancement
Mobile platform enhancements:
- Better battery efficiency
- Enhanced connection stability
- Improved auto-reconnect
- Advanced settings
- Streamlined interface
Looking Forward
As we enter 2019, our focus includes:
- New protocol development
- Enhanced mobile features
- Expanded server network
- Improved user interface
- Advanced security measures
A Personal Note
A Personal Note
This August, we lost my father, Hamid Golsharifi, at the age of 56. As a political analyst and human rights advocate, he spent his life fighting for freedom of speech and human dignity. His sudden departure left a void that can never be filled, but his legacy lives on in every aspect of our work.
One evening in particular stays with me. We were discussing the role of technology in society when he said something that would forever shape our mission: "In the modern world, privacy isn't just a right – it's oxygen for freedom. When people can't breathe freely in the digital space, they suffocate in the real world too."
I remember the countless evening discussions where he would passionately explain how access to secure communication could change lives. His most powerful teaching came when I was focused too heavily on technical solutions: "Never forget, son – technology without humanity is just machinery. Our work isn't about building better walls; it's about building better bridges. Privacy tools should unite people, not isolate them."
"Information is like water," he would often say, "it should flow freely, and everyone has the right to drink from it. But just as water needs to be protected from pollution, information needs to be protected from manipulation and surveillance." This simple yet profound philosophy became the foundation of OrbVPN.
In the early days of 2007, when I shared my technical ideas about a secure network, his eyes lit up with excitement. He didn't see just the technology – he saw the potential for protecting journalists, enabling free speech, and giving voice to those who needed it most. While we've grown to serve a global and diverse user base, his vision of accessible, secure communication remains at our core.
My father never saw technology as just tools or business opportunities. For him, they were instruments of freedom, bridges across censorship, and shields for human rights. He would be proud to see how we've expanded beyond his initial vision, now protecting privacy for people from all walks of life while staying true to those fundamental principles.
Hamid, your understanding of human dignity and freedom shaped not just OrbVPN's beginning, but its entire journey. Your voice still guides us: "Make it accessible, make it reliable, make it serve the people." Even as we serve businesses, streamers, and everyday users, your principles of privacy and freedom remain our foundation.
To honor his memory, we will continue building technology that embodies his values - protecting privacy, enabling free communication, and standing against digital oppression. While he began by showing me the need for secure communication tools for journalists and activists, I know he would be proud to see how we've expanded to protect privacy for people from all walks of life.
To our users: your trust in our service drives us to continue innovating and improving. To our team: your dedication through this challenging year has been remarkable. And to my father: your vision lives on in every connection we protect, every message we secure, and every user we help.
The best tribute we can offer is to continue building what you helped inspire - a service that makes the digital world a little more free, a little more secure, and a little more like that freely flowing water you always spoke about.
Rest in peace, Hamid.
Dr. Nima Golsharifi
Founder, OrbVPN