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Choosing a Registry Operator for New TLDs
Though HEXONET has no plans to become a Registry Operator ourselves (see recent posting), as an experienced registrar, we have some interesting insights on the operator choices. For those planning on launching a new TLD, this post may be of keen interest.
How HEXONET Would Choose a Registry Operator for a new Top-Level-Domain:
- HEXONET would choose a Registry Operator with a proven track record, who clearly has had success managing multiple TLDs. In respect to managing, this means more than 50,000 domains for any one registry. We highly recommend NOT choosing a Registry Operator who is doing this for the first time.
- Preferably the Registry Operator would already have experience managing a gTLD (generic Top-Level-Domain) and already implemented many of ICANN’s procedural policies including processes like transactional redemption periods. Not a must-have but a nice-to-have.
- Preferably the Registry Operator already has an existing distribution network (depending on the respective TLD and your business plan, this is NOT a MUST)
- Choose a Registry Operator with a mature infrastructure so that you can push them on price (economies of scale). A new Registry Operator will have higher capital inputs to recoup and hence likely inflexible on pricing terms.
- Choose a Registry Operator who can offer reliable and proven DNS Services. A solid DNS infrastructure is crucial. Make sure the DNS infrastructure is an Anycast solution with a minimum of 6 different DNS cluster installations (preferably 9 cluster locations).
- The Registry Operator should have their own in-house registry software that they developed. Operators that purchased their software may not be able to support functional changes you want or may in fact prevent you from developing future services.
- Ensure the Registry Operator is known to provide direct and personalized service. With hundreds of new TLDs, some registry operators may simply treat you like a number. Be sure the Registry Operator can accommodate and also time-line new development or registry feature requests for your TLD. Being proactive and having the Registry Operator detail how they will support you can save your TLD from being left in the dust.
- The performance of the registry platform is critical for the success of a registry. Slower performing platforms can lead to slow domain searches and potentially even slower response times for more intensive registry transactions. Factor in load considerations also, since the more new TLDs a Registry Operator adds to its platform, the more additional TLDs will impact yours. A good rule of thumb is the 0.3 second mark. If the round trip times for commands take longer than this, be wary.
- Choose a Registry Operator who is willing to back up their platform and services with a tight SLA (Service-Level-Agreement).
- Lastly, even though price plays an important role, the cheapest option is likely not the best option. Think and plan ahead of the initial launch and proactively define the goals of the TLD for 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 years. Determine which Registry Operator has the best platform and team to help your TLD achieve its goals. Again, the cheapest solution may only come back to bite your in your backside.
HEXONET easily integrate with following Registry Operators for New TLDs Awarded to Them:
- ccTLD Operators:
- CloudRegistry
- AUSRegistry
- NIC.AT (Registry-In-A-Box)
- The above list are just a few and does not include all registry operators that will be offering registry services. HEXONET would be able to integrate with any registry. The above registries would simplify work on our end.
HEXONET can Assist:
In the event, that you are interested in applying for a newTLD and you would like to get in touch with one of the above registries, please reach out to us and we would be more than happy to make an introduction. Applying for your own TLD is a big step with a lot of investment. If you are unsure of the technology, please feel free to contact us and we would happily give you a quote to provide technical guidance.
HEXONET’s Domain Backorder Service Expands Again
The popularity of backordering valuable domain names as they expire is driving more customers to use HEXONET’s backorder service. Eighteen (18) TLD extensions can be backordered now including .CO, .CA, .CH, .LI, and .NU.
Vancouver, Canada (PRWEB) August 01, 2011. HEXONET (http://www.hexonet.net) announced today the addition of five more Top-Level-Domain (TLD) extensions for its popular backorder service. The launch of .CO, .CA, .CH, .LI, and .NU backordering expands HEXONET’s backorder service to eighteen (18) different TLDs, making it a leader in terms of TLD selection anywhere industry-wide. HEXONEThas plans to expand its backorderable TLDs even more in the months ahead.
HEXONET’s mandate to continually innovate and quickly deliver new services to the growing domain aftermarket is showcased in the release of these five new backorder TLDs. Backordering services for .CO domains for instance comes on the heels of HEXONET’s recent accreditation with the .CO registry just a month earlier. Even development of .CO backordering was expedited to give HEXONET customers the greatest opportunity to snap up prized expiring .CO domains that are likely to drop following .CO’s first anniversary. Many excellent .CO domains are expected to become available.
According to Robert Birkner, Chief Strategy Officer of HEXONET, “our strength has always been engineering and innovation, and in the first half of 2011, we have been in overdrive.” Robert Birkner continued to say, “Though we are always working on adding more TLDs to the backordering service, we have also been innovating new services like integrated private auctions. These private auctions make allocating domains with multiple bidders more equitable, transparent and seamless for everyone. The feedback from our customers and resellers has already been overwhelmingly positive. Customers love the abundance of TLDs to backorder from as well as the assurance of private auctions through our auction platform Premiumsale.com.”
HEXONET Newly Accredited for .CO Domain Registrations
HEXONET Newly Accredited for .CO Domain RegistrationsOne of the first of a select few companies to gain accreditation by the rapidly expanding .CO domain registry
Vancouver, CANADA – July 14, 2011 – HEXONET (www.hexonet.net) is ecstatic to announce today that through its subsidiary, 1API GmbH, the company has been selected as one of the new exclusive registrars for the .CO domain registry. In fact, HEXONET is one of the first to be chosen and also one of the first of the new registrars to be officially accredited. This accreditation will serve to meet the growing demand for .CO domain registrations from HEXONET’s thousands of domain resellers.
Robert Birkner, Chief Strategy Officer for HEXONET, expressed his enthusiasm over the accreditation by saying, “In just over a year, the .CO registry has shaken the domain industry to its core and has now become one of the most successful global TLD launches in history. Our own resellers and customers confirm the exploding demand for .CO domains and this is why we desired our own direct accreditation with the .CO registry. HEXONET is happy to be working with the remarkable and visionary .CO team and we look forward to contributing to the overall growth of .CO through our global reseller network.”
Both companies are known for building strong relationships throughout the domain industry, so a .CO accreditation is a natural fit for both organizations. According to Crystal Peterson, Director of Channel Marketing of .CO Internet SAS, “HEXONET has proven itself to be a fast growing, nimble company with an expansive global reach. We are pleased to accredit this experienced and established registrar, and its broad, diverse network of global resellers.”
About HEXONET
Since 1999, HEXONET has been a leading developer and service provider of reseller technologies for the domain industry, including domain backordering. Thousands of resellers, startups and service providers from across the world trust HEXONET as their domain platform provider. And today, HEXONET manages over 700 thousand domains for its clients. 1API GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of HEXONET.
About .CO Internet
.CO Internet S.A.S. is the Registry Operator for the .CO top-level domain. The .CO domain offers individuals and businesses a truly global, recognizable and credible option in branding their online presence. Thanks to leading-edge technology, enhanced security and unprecedented rights protections for brand owners, the .CO domain is poised to become the world’s next premier web address. For additional information, please visit www.COinternet.co or www.Opportunity.co.
“Let’s Be More .MX”
Guest post by Patrick McCleery, Sales Manager North America & Asia/Pacific at HEXONET:
Seamosmas.mx, translated as “Let’s Be More .MX”, is the recent slogan used by NIC Mexico, the official registry operator of the newly liberalized .MX ccTLD. The idea behind this slogan is to showcase users of .MX, in an effort to reach and educate the Internet public in Mexico, as well as, highlight the change from third-level (.com.mx. ,net.mx and .org.mx) to second-level .MX availability. These recent iniatives and campaigns show the aggression that NIC Mexico is going into the market with. The Mexican domain market really has some great potential.
To share their thoughts and knowledge on .MX, we were fortunate to have garnered feedback from Sergio Igartua and Mike Culver. Sergio Igartua operates a successful marketing and media firm in Los Cabos, Mexico and also operates a very popular blog called DomainerBlog.org. Mike Culver, an active domainer and is also a publisher of domain sales and aftermarket research, specifically on .MX. Mike also runs Sales.Mx.
HEXONET wants to sincerely thank Sergio and Mike for their insight into the .MX ccTLD. It is clear that .MX is still at the early stages of adoption, but there is a tremendous and latent potential with the ccTLD.
…
To read the entire Q&A Session, please visit HEXONET Blog
HEXONET Services moves to a new and better office
While I was in Asia, my colleague and partner Tony Kim moved our office. In the fall of this year we had briefly talked to our landlord about extending our office lease to June of next year. Unfortunately a few days later we received a letter informing us that he will regrettably not be renewing the lease, as he is expanding his lawyers office and he needs the space to add additional lawyers/partners. It was unfortunate as we had felt extremely comfortable in there.
Tony and I basically had two options.
Option1: We would simply stay in the office until June of 2011 and start looking for an office shortly before our lease expires.
Option 2: Start looking immediately. Why make it more difficult for our landlord and stay until June 2011?
We chose option 2, as our landlord had been excellent towards us and if there was a way for us to help him expand and grow his business sooner, then the choice was an obvious one.
Both Tony and I had most likely looked at 10 – 15 possible office space and finally chose one that suited our needs the best and gave HEXONET room to expand. We now have a work space twice the size of our previous office and represents HEXONET in what we do on a daily basis.
The new address is:
HEXONET Services Inc.
Unit 104 – 7455 132nd ST
Surrey, B.C., V3W 1J8
Special thanks to Tony for organizing the move while I was in Asia. Last Thursday all I had to do was drive to the new location and assume work in my new office. Everything had been taken care of and the office was already up and running. Picture of the new office will soon follow. If you are ever in the area, please do stop by our office for a visit.
.ME Premium Auction ends close to 400K
The Premium .ME Domains Auction at SEDO ended on November 18 with close to 400,000 USD in Sales. Simply amazing and huge congrats to my friends in Montenegro.
Some interesting auction results:
- line.me –> 26,500 USD
- contact.me –> 15,600 USD
- game.me –> 13,100 USD
- poker.me –> 12,099 USD
- friend.me –> 10,099 USD
- art.me –> 10,000 USD
- note.me –> 10,000 USD
- keep.me –> 8,600 USD
- shop.me –> 8,200 USD
- movie.me –> 7,600 USD
Source: Exploretheworldof.me
These numbers simply underline the value of .ME Domains and that they are perfect for individuals wanting to express themselves, corporations who are wanting to try something new, great call-to-action domains, … and much more.
Get your .ME Domain now, by checking to see if it is available at HEXONET.NET. If you are interested in registering larger volumes, please send an email to sales@hexonet.net.
With the new TLDs on the horizon, I doubt there will be many that will be able to show the same success story as .ME has.
It’s all about ME – .ME Domains in Auction
The official .ME Registry (www.domain.me) is holding another round of premium .ME auctions in partnership with SEDO.Currently there are over 150 .ME Domains in auction at SEDO. Some these domains include gems such as “text.me”, “try.me”, “feed.me” and many more. View the entire list in auction here.
If you have development resources and a vision there is quite a bit you can do with these domains.
The top five domains currently leading the auction are:
#1. game.me –> currently at 7,600 USD with 17 bids
#2. poker.me –> currently at 3,300 USD with 20 bids
#3. try.me –> currently at 2,650 USD with 12 bids
#4. track.me –> currently at 2,200 USD with 17 bids
#5. home.me –> currently at 1,930 USD with 10 bids
I am sure this will change tremendously in the last minutes of the auction.
Out of the entire list of 150 domains, currently only 28 domains have not yet received a bid, however the auction will still last another 2 1/2 days.
HEXONET has had tremendous success with .ME Backorders thus far. If you find that your desired .ME is taken, then why not place a backorder for the domain through HEXONET?
.JP and Other Trends in the Japanese Domain Market…
Guest post by Patrick McCleery, Sales Manager North America & Asia/Pacific at HEXONET:
.JP and Other Trends in the Japanese Domain Market …
As a fluent speaker of Japanese and a former resident of Japan, I have always tried to keep my finger on the pulse the country including technology and Internet trends. I thought I would take this opportunity to shed some light on the domain market in Japan and in particular the Japanese country-code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) .JP.
Considering Japan is the third largest economy in the world with over 127 million inhabitants and an Internet penetration rate of 78%, one would think that the domain market in Japan would be large and highly developed. The strange thing is that it is not. Currently there are only 1,190,404 registered .JP domains. To put this number into perspective, the UK with only 61 million people has nearly 9 million registered .UK domains. More starkly, Canada with just 33 million people has almost 1.5 million registered .CA domains. To get some answers as to why .JP is so under utilized, I turned to an active domainer in the Japanese market and here are his conclusions:
1) The co.JP domain for many years was the only extension available for registration. Tight regulations like having to show proof of business registration to even qualify to purchase the domain of one’s own company name (to ensure that only Sony Corporation can buy sony.co.jp) made it difficult and discouraging for many small businesses.
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If you would like to read the entire article, please visit .JP and Other Trends in the Japanese Domain Market …
Want to Resell Domains? Choose Your Registrar Wisely!
With the multitude of registrars offering reseller solutions and platforms, it can be difficult to find the registrar that is right for you. The best registrar will be one that offers a comprehensive set of features, a long history of operational excellence, and an abundance of services to resell:
1.) A Large Variety of TLDs from a Single Source
Whether one is only interested in selling a few TLDs or many, going with a registrar with a wide selection of TLDs is better than a registrar with less. More TLDs means more options and less headaches over the long term.
Imagine being approached by a large customer of yours about a TLD that you don’t offer. You check with your registrar and they don’t offer that TLD. Now you are in a bind. You either tell your customer, at the risk of losing their business, that you can’t offer the TLD or you frantically try to provision the new TLD through another registrar. Trying to bring up another TLD through another registrar can entail:
- Review and execution of a new reseller agreement, which possibly adds more financial commitment or requires upfront capital.
- Possibly time and energy to integrate a new API with the new registrar
- Additional time for initial and ongoing testing to ensure the integration stability
As one can see, the scenario is not pretty. With a registrar like HEXONET, which has a wide variety of domains, such problems are avoided. In fact, adding a new TLD can be as simple as a few mouse clicks. This is the power of a registrar with hundreds of TLDs.
2.) ccTLD Growth
Market economics are hard to deny. The domain industry is seeing a prominence of ccTLDs. At of the end July, 2010, the following stats were published:
- .COM – 88,831,766 Domains
- .DE – 13,752,101 Domains
- .NET – 13,241,122 Domains
- .UK – 8,654,260 Domains
- .ORG – 8,611,202 Domains
- .CN – 7,246,686 Domains
- .INFO – 6,753,547 Domains
- .NL – 3,976,037 Domains
- .EU – 3,220,758 Domains
- .BIZ – 2,142,157 Domains
As the .com namespace becomes ever so scarce, ccTLDs as an alternative will continue to grow in popularity. Having a registrar like HEXONET, who offers the wide selection of TLDs makes reselling ccTLDs a snap.
3.) Importance of High Performance Real-Time Systems
In a nutshell, having transactions execute within seconds mean more business for a reseller. Resellers on a fast platform will have advantages over the competition on a slower platform.
- Check Domain Availability – Execution in seconds results in more domain searches; long execution times will result in customers leaving or never coming back to use your domain search again.
- Domain Registrations – Some registrar have parts of their system running in manual or batch mode, this means the actual registration may happen long afterward, putting a registration in jeopardy. Registrations need to be completed within seconds and the respective WHOIS should be available immediately (registry dependent)
- Domain Modifications (such as WHOIS Uupdates, DNS Updates, …etc.) should get processed to the respective registry immediately, thus providing you immediate feedback if an update was successful or not.
Speed and execution of the reseller platform will effect how customers view a reseller. The faster and more reliable the registrar platform the better a reseller looks to the buying public. At HEXONET, not only do we pride ourselves on having real-time systems throughout our platform, but also for having some of the fastest domain checks and transactions anywhere.
4.) Comprehensive Registry Features
Features and functionality provided by the various registries are intended to assist in the registration and management of domains. Given the importance of these features, strangely enough not every reseller platform makes these features available. HEXONET prides itself on allowing for as many registry features in our solution.
- Autorenew feature, including allowing for an autorenew grace period (a defined period of time, which allows you to delete a domain in this period and still receive a refund)
- Multiyear registrations
- IDN (Internationalized Domain Names) capabilities – though many registries allow IDN registrations not many registrars support it. IDNs are however on the horizon.
- Transfer capability via all methods – many registrars do not offer the full range of transfer capabilities for the respective TLDs they sell
5.) Integration Flexibility
Many registrar systems only offer one way to connect with them. As it is with TLD selection, a wide variety of choice makes it easier for the reseller. HEXONET for instance allows for six different ways for resellers to connect and register domains:
- Mailrobot
- SOAP
- XML/RPC
- HTTPS-API
- WebInterface or User Interface or Control Panel
- And as of recently possibly an EPP Gateway
6.) Future Proofing Through Accreditation Management
A reseller many potential one day have enough domains of a particular TLD to consider becoming directly accredited with a respective registry. Reseller platforms without a TLD management solution will create huge pains for the reseller at the point of separation or migration. This pain is also evident if the TLD management solution only supports a small number of TLDs (typically gTLDs only). Again, support for a wide variety of domains is key.
HEXONET has a decade of experience and expertise with gTLDs/ICANN and ccTLDs. Accreditation migration and management has been made as simple as flicking on a switch. Because of the wide selection of TLDs offered at HEXONET, all gTLDs and most ccTLDs accreditation can be quickly and easily migrated for a reseller.
7.) Updated Engineering – The DNSSEC Example
Some reseller platforms are stagnant. Feature releases are slow or nonexistent. New TLDs may rarely happen. Resellers stuck on such platforms are losing out on both revenue and big profits. Resellers should look for a platform that is growing and constantly improving. A simple test, as of the fall of 2010, for your registrar’s engineering speed or willingness is to check if your registrar supports DNSSEC.
DNSSEC is a significant change to the way DNS is handled over the Internet. If your registrar doesn’t have DNSSEC or doesn’t plan to support it, this might indicate engineering slowness. To read more on DNSSEC and why your registrar should already be on top of this topic, please read the recent blog post “DNSSEC – Overview for Resellers“.
If you have any questions or need advice on reseller platforms please feel free to direct your questions to sales@hexonet.net. HEXONET would be happy to provide more insight.
DNSSEC – An Overview for Resellers
DNSSEC – An Overview for Resellers via HEXONET Blog
Why DNSSEC is Important to Resellers and End Users
Though technologies like the Domain Name System (DNS) are fundamental to making the Internet work, businesses using the Internet, typically don’t need to know the details of the technology to make use of it. Most resellers go on without ever giving such technologies a second thought. However, for those businesses, spending a little time trying to understand important technology shifts can result in real benefits and competitive advantage. DNSSEC (Secure DNS) is one such technology that resellers should monitor.
Without going into the technical mumbo jumbo, in a nutshell, DNSSEC is a secure version of the well established and insecure version of DNS. Cache poisoning, the unauthorized access and modification of DNS caches to intentionally spoof websites, hijack email, and even steal passwords has been a major vulnerability. DNSSEC ensures cache poisoning is prevented, that DNS data cannot be forged and that data originating from its stated source is not modified in transit.
DNSSEC is a High Value Security Feature
With the domain and hosting markets being so competitive, a new feature, especially a high value security feature like DNSSEC, can create an opportunity to gain customers. This is particularly true if one’s competitors are unable to offer the same feature. Right now, .DE, .ORG, .EU and .SE domains registered at HEXONET can be signed with the registrant’s DNSSEC validation keys. DNSSEC not only adds a technical layer of security for the domain holder, but more importantly, provides the registrant the peace of mind that their domain can’t be used for malicious purposes.
First DNSSEC Accredited European Registrar with .ORG
Robert Birkner, Chief Strategy Officer of HEXONET, “wants to congratulate the Public Interest Registry, for being the first generic Top-Level-Domain registry to fully deploy DNSSEC. We are delighted to support PIR in many of its initiatives and in particular its leadership in DNSSEC.”
“We congratulate 1API for passing the DNSSEC certification for .ORG,” says Alexa Raad, CEO of .ORG, the Public Interest Registry, “and applaud them for taking a leadership role in the European registrar community for supporting DNSSEC.”
Why Choose HEXONET’s Future-proof DNSSEC
HEXONET is one of the first registrars to fully support DNSSEC. In fact, HEXONET’s implementation of DNSSEC supports both DS based and DNSKEY based delegation to ensure seamless interoperability with a wide variety of registries for today and in the future. Technically this means, as a HEXONET reseller, we have you covered no matter how individual registries implement their DNSSEC.
“”As pioneer in DNSSEC, .SE welcomes 1API as a registrar that can offer DNSSEC to their customers.” – Danny Aerts, CEO of the SE Registry
