IT Risks for Cloud Computing

John Kane — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:00:08 +0000

As the industry-wide paradigm shift to cloud computing and software-as-a-service gradually continues to make the transition from buzz to reality, security and availability continue to emerge as the main barriers to customer adoption. A recent ISACA survey of over 1,800 US IT professionals found that only 17 percent believe the benefits of cloud computing outweigh the risks. Only one in 10 respondents said they would consider using software-as-a-service (SaaS) for mission-critical applications.

Three things registrars must do to enhance security

Ram Mohan — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:47:30 +0000

If the rise of phishing has taught us anything, it's that on the Internet, if a digital asset has value, there's somebody out there who wants to steal it. Whether it's a bank account password, a credit card number, a PayPal login, or even a magic sword in an online game, there's a fraudster somewhere trying to misappropriate it for his or her own nefarious purposes.

Domain names have always been a target for such criminals. Companies and individuals doing business online have few assets more valuable than their domain name. It may cost $10 or less to register one, but the domain name is the glue that connects a company to its customers; revenue and brand equity depend upon its security.

Why hosting companies need advanced DNS

John Kane — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:27:15 +0000

Hosting companies face many challenges today, from differentiating their services in a crowded market with decreasing margins, to an increasing pressure to defend against growing sets of attacks against their infrastructure. As more and more services drift into the cloud, up-time is becoming one of the most critical factors for customers choosing a web host. A hosting company’s record of reliability can often be the deciding factor for a customer to choose one service over another.

New TLD Application Tip: Launch strategies

Roland LaPlante — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Almost exactly nine years ago, the .INFO domain first started accepting registrations. This was an historic event as it was the first time a new generic top-level domain (TLD) was launched to an existing domain marketplace and, in fact, was the first new TLD to be added since .com. We’ve seen (and provided technology to power) many other TLD launches since then, with many business models. As you seek to introduce your own new TLD however, you should carefully evaluate the different launch mode

July 2010: The End of the Beginning for DNSSEC

Ram Mohan — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:49:31 +0000

July 15, 2010 (yesterday) marked the end of the beginning for DNSSEC , as the DNS root was cryptographically signed. For nearly two decades, security researchers, academics and Internet leaders have worked to develop and deploy Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC). DNSSEC was developed to improve the overall security of the DNS, a need which was dramatized by the discovery of the Kaminsky bug a few years ago.

.ORG Celebrates its 25th Anniversary

Ram Mohan — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:24:34 +0000

What were you doing this week back in 1985? Answer: Probably watching the debut of Back to the Future, a early Steven Spielberg movie which incorporated novel uses of technology to travel in time. During that same time in 1985, however, another innovative use of technology was also making its debut—one with much greater implications for improving our lives on a global scale.

ICANN makes progress on new TLDs in Brussels

Roland LaPlante — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:39:11 +0000

The application period for the next round of new top-level domains moved one step closer to commencement after a productive and well-attended ICANN meeting in Brussels last week.

The board resolved on Friday to dedicate its two-day retreat in September entirely to working on the issues that remain outstanding in the Draft Applicant Guidebook. The current version of the DAG, the fourth, is expected to be the final draft before applications become open to potentially hundreds of prospective new TLD registry operators.

DNSSEC becomes a reality today at ICANN Brussels

Ram Mohan — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:06:22 +0000

Attendees at the public ICANN meeting in Brussels today heard from over two dozen companies that have implemented or are planning to support DNSSEC, the next-generation standard protocol for secured domain names. It is clearer than ever before that DNSSEC is becoming a reality.

Introducing goMobi

Roland LaPlante — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:00:00 +0000

The .mobi domain was launched in 2006 to provide a dedicated name space for content made for mobile consumption.

Preventing DNS strain when you deploy DNSSEC

John Kane — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:30:00 +0000

The barriers to DNSSEC adoption are quickly disappearing. There are nearly 20 top-level domains that have already deployed DNSSEC including generic TLDs like .org and .gov. This July, the DNS root will also be signed, and will begin validating DNSSEC queries. At this point, the decision for remaining TLDs to deploy DNSSEC is really no longer a question. In fact, as it stands today, all new TLDs approved by ICANN will be required to have DNSSEC deployed at launch.