An Internet search for the term “fractals” displays fascinating, intricate images and entrancing videos. These are excellent visualizations for understanding fractals and fractal concepts, but graphics are only one of the many actual uses for fractals. The business applications for fractals should be of interest to anyone who manages a business or its IT operations.

Exploring the Business Applications for Fractals

Fractals are irregular geometric figures that appear in repeating patterns, creating an image that is self-similar at any scale and has infinite dimension. This can result in a representation that appears random or disorganized, but can ultimately be reduced to a logical form and order. These forms are common in nature, important in mathematics, and offer interesting solutions for small business infrastructure and technology.

The Business Applications for Fractals in Small Business Infrastructure and Security

Scalability is one reason fractals and small business technology and infrastructure are a good match. Fractals allow us to encode important and sensitive material in a simple, yet, secure way. And the fractal concept helps us make reasonable predictions within seemingly chaotic systems. Because of these qualities, fractals have practical and philosophical applications in mechanics, engineering, physics, financial markets, medicine, sciences of all kinds, and—as discussed here—small- and medium-sized business environments.

The applications of fractals in small business infrastructure and technology include the following:

• Fractal encryption;
• User and password authentication;
• File compression;
• Fractal security infrastructure; and
• General small business infrastructure, methodology, and planning.

Fractal Encryption and Authentication Systems

Even when employees or other users with access to your company network and systems follow best practices and create strong, dissimilar passwords, alpha-numeric passwords are just not that difficult for hackers to decipher. Fractal encryption algorithms can be used for password protection, data encryption, and remote user authentication.

Fractal image coding, which converts text—like passwords or authentication codes—to fractal images can be useful in solving the dilemma of protecting your networks while allowing users to access them from potentially insecure locations or connections. Fractal cryptography is a solution that provides simplicity at the implementation level, but complexity in the encoded result, making it ideal for small- and medium-sized businesses that need solid protection that can be managed efficiently.

Fractals and Small Business Technology: File Compression

File compression is another of the interesting business applications for fractals. Fractal compression stores file data as code. When similar parts of the object are identified, the file can be reduced to a smaller size for storage and transmission. Due to the infinite scalability of fractals, images that are compressed in this way retain full resolution and do not appear pixelated when enlarged. 

Fractal compression provides a particular advantage for audio and video files. Research on fractal video compression began in the 1990s. However, at that time, computing systems did not have the speed and power to support the process. As computers have evolved, fractal audio and video compression have become much more effective.

Envisioning a Fractal Security Infrastructure

The same benefits noted above related to fractals and small business technology also apply to fractal security infrastructure. By structuring network architecture and security in a way that repeats the same basic patterns and methodologies through all levels of the system, small- and medium-sized businesses can create an IT infrastructure that is stable, strong, efficient, and scalable.

While flaws in fractal systems will impact all levels, those problems should be easier to identify and address. And a fractal security infrastructure creates a more resistant attack surface with fewer points of entry for malicious assaults. As the Internet of things (IoT) continues to grow, this kind of scalability and strength will become even more important in small business infrastructure.

The Practical and Methodical Business Applications for Fractals

Just as a fractal security infrastructure applies the concept of repeating patterns to IT security, so can fractals be useful in general business systems and small business infrastructure. The business applications for fractals—whether practical, methodical, or philosophical—offer various opportunities for small businesses to achieve process and system security, efficiency, and scalability. The opportunities—like fractals themselves—are endless.