Quick’n Safe! This could be the battle call for successful domainers who need to maneuver instantly when it comes to getting hold of rewarding domains and protecting their valuable haul. Being able to register rewarding domains quickly and keep them safe is a strategic advantage, which can pay off in hard cash.

The German registrar InterNetX has taken these challenges to heart and arms domainers with winning agility and safety features integrated in its in-house domain registration system AutoDNS 3.0. Apart from improved  user-optimized implementations, InterNetX provides domain specialists with innovative add-ons  such as the AutoDNS App for iPhone enabling mobile domain registration, a useful parking system synchronized with leading monetization providers and DomainSafe.

Shifts in the Domain Market

The domain market is undergoing change. “Getting hold of really remunerative domains under popular TLDs like .COM, .NET, .ORG is no longer as easy as it used to be in the past. There are still undiscovered gTLD domain valuables out there, but actually finding them can be quite difficult without a streamlined search and registration tool”, says Thomas Moerz, CEO of InterNetX, about the current domain market situation.

The emergence of IDNs is bringing about another crucial change – especially in regions with a populous online market such as South-East Asia, Russia and the Arabic speaking world – and appears set to shape the future of the Internet. The user tendency to search for domains in the local language and typology is on the rise. It is much more comfortable and users can assume that websites under IDNs will contain content in their own language.

“This development is leading to modifications in domain registration”, explains Thomas Moerz. “Clever domainers will try to register domains with appropriate keywords in various languages at the same time. Consequently, portfolio management will increase and the coordination of domain collections will become ever more complicated. The probability of missing deadlines, transfers, renewals or cancelations will augment and good business chances might slip through ones fingers.“

Governing your Domain Kingdom

Using reliable, multifunctional software is one means of meeting these challenges – allowing domainers to carry out searches within a broad range of TLDs, create promising domain names and register domains immediately with just a few clicks.

“When developing AutoDNS 3.0, our core issue was to make domain management as comfortable and time-saving as possible – to help users create more revenue with it”, says Marco Schrieck, Director of Development at InterNetX. “We have designed many features to optimize domain registration by combining different tools and putting them in line – so all necessary processes intertwine and can be executed precisely – like the cog wheels in clockwork.”

Starting the registration process with the Domain Name Generator, users can paste in their keyword list, including typos, indicate pre- and suffixes and generate a list of up to 1.000 new domain names. The list can be transferred to Multi Whois with one click, where the availability within a variety of more than 300 ccTLDs and gTLDs worldwide is checked. Another click starts the registration process. “The Whois Proxy Service is of particular interest to domainers here, as it enables really large availability queries to be run”, explains Marco Schrieck.

Less is More

Time means money in the domainer’s world. The most comfortable way for users to save time is to reduce the click rate needed to execute domain processes. Domainers very often juggle large domain portfolios that need to be managed within short periods. Nothing can be more time-consuming, error-prone and annoying than the need to open a new mask for each single domain to execute the same process. To simplify this task, many features in AutoDNS 3.0 can be used in bulk mode. For example, the Domain Update Wizard allows users to change specific values for a whole bundle of domains at one click. With the Zone Update Wizard, it’s possible to update existing nameserver entries in a targeted bulk request. And bulk domain transfers can be executed simply.

The “Favorites” area is another click-reducing feature in AutoDNS 3.0. Users can use drag and drop to store and access frequently used tasks like domain contacts, domains or IP addresses.

Domain Parking and Sales

Domain parking is a big issue for domainers – as is the selling of domains through a monetization provider. The developers of AutoDNS 3.0 recently came up with a new feature that might just get domainers’ blood pumping. “We’ve implemented a parking account – directly connected to the account of parking providers”, explains Marco Schrieck, “so that all users with a parking account at a monetization provider can coordinate their parking business directly in their domain management account. They can easily track all actions executed in their parking account and additional login isn’t necessary anymore.”

Keeping Control

Registration of certain TLDs requires different operational steps, depending on the registry policies. A short overview of the relevant TLD registration policies supports speedy and accurate completion of domain processes.

If you have to deal with several hundred domains at once, you might find yourself losing sight of the status of certain domains. This can turn out to be really troublesome, especially when it comes to transfers and cancelations. Missing key dates can lead to higher costs and reduced profits.

Marco Hoffmann, team leader and ccTLD expert at InterNetX, knows the best remedy for this. “You need precise and reliable cancelation management that helps to plan transfers and deletions ahead of schedule and shows the status of incoming and outgoing transfers. Additionally, you want to keep yourself posted with clear logging and history administration. The detailed overview of all tasks in the account that have not been executed yet helps you stay in control of all domain actions and avoid unwanted expenses.”

Safety first!

Using a domain management software that runs on a certified web space – protected by up-to-date security features like Secure Sockets Layer certificates is a basic requirement for storing domain data safely. An additional security effect is attained by the so-called “Extended Validation” for SSL certificates.

This feature colors the address bar green showing the name of the certified company and certificate authority in all popular browsers – a striking indication of a validated sender and reliable guarantee that the website is safe. For domainers who need to handle many SSL based websites the ‘SSL Manager’ might be of good use. This software has been developed by InterNetX to enable an easy comprehensible administration of SSL certificates.

Using redundant data storage and multiple nameservers is another security factor domainers should keep an eye on – especially with regard to the increase of strategic attacks on network infrastructures that hinder the performance of the Internet. It seems advisable to use at least four nameservers in order to strengthen data protection and enhance system reliability.

“In order to optimize the availability of domains we permanently extend the structure of our nameservers and keep on developing new nameserver locations around the globe”, says Marco Schrieck. Ensuring that all data and domain transactions are stored redundantly brings huge advantages when it comes to maintaining the availability of websites and its contents. Using multiple nameservers results in a big security effect that is certainly worth the small effort it takes to set them up.

Apart from setting up multiple nameservers, the protection of domain data in itself is of high significance. Phishing is still very popular amongst cyber criminals.

Every domainer has special treasures hidden in his domain portfolio that he is proud of and turns his attention to. This suggests in itself that those domains need special protection from unwanted access by third parties – whether it be accidental or illegal. The so-called “DomainSafe” has now been introduced, helping to reassure domain owners and protect them against loss. This security feature allows domain owners to store their valuable domains in a virtual safe, where they are protected by multiple layers of security and locked with a PIN/TAN system. The comprehensive authentication process is the central key to the security procedure. In order to make any changes to a protected domain, multiple, personalized verification steps are required – optimal protection for valuable domains against unwanted third-party access.

It’s a Mobile World

The Right Tool makes the Difference