Even with the best anti-virus and anti-malware software, we live in a challenging business environment, reinforced by the threat of cyber-attacks, online fraud and brand abuse, reputation protection, revenue and customers. Your business has never been so important. If there are many things to consider when it comes to brand protection online, the field is perhaps the most important.
Your domain is at the heart of your business identity and forms the foundation of your overall business strategy. Building your brand and building and maintaining the trust of your customers is essential. As a result, any damage that may result in the form of abuse or attack that would harm your Internet security can have a negative impact on your organization and affect the trust of your customers.
From the very beginning, when you select and register your domain name or your name, to its management and security, the best approach is to get a comprehensive view of your domains and the management process to limit risk. for your customers and your clients. intellectual property.
About the AuthorChrissie Jamieson is the VP of Marketing at MarkMonitor.
The growing cyber threat
This may be easier said than done depending on the approach taken by brands. This is one of the findings of the recent MarkMonitor Global Business Survey 2019.
The research also showed the state of the business of brand activity, revealing that 62% of brands have been affected by cybercrime in the past year. Additionally, 23% of brands experienced an attack specifically targeting their domain.
With 48% of brands reporting that brand violations have increased in the last 12 months, companies need to ensure they have the right tools, processes, and practices in place to ensure their safety. Especially when it comes to areas.
The domain management challenge.
While the seriousness of the threat and the need for full brand protection are increasingly being taken into account, there are other challenges. Research shows that security, cost, and domain monitoring are the three most cited barriers to effective domain management.
When you consider the number of areas a company can own, the problem becomes clear. Leading brands, and especially those that operate globally, find the domain management process more complex than simply choosing and registering an initial domain and then choosing the best web host.
Subdomains, name variants, campaign domains, defensive registries, and regional domains must be considered, saved, and managed. As a result, organizations manage large portfolios of domains that are expensive and time-consuming in terms of administration and renewal.
This is reflected in the number of domains that brands currently own. The majority (56%) of respondents reported fewer than 100 domains, while 15% had 100 to 249 domains; 9% have 250-500; and 8% between 500 and 1,000.
But all these areas are not active and add value to the business. The research found that almost a fifth (18%) of those surveyed said that up to 25% of their portfolio was active, while 18% said that between 76 and 100% were active. Most respondents fell in the middle, with 28% reporting 26-50% of their portfolio was active and 36% reporting 51-75%.
There are other factors influencing the areas as well, including the evolution of the domain space, regulatory changes like the GDPR, and political uncertainty around Brexit. The launch of generic top-level domains (gTLDs) has certainly had an impact; 39% of brands registered a gTLD and among these respondents, 32% were imitated and abused by the brand.
A silo management approach
Although more than half (51%) of brands agree that protecting critical domain assets is the most important topic of domain management, the way they approach the process does not always reflect that sentiment. This is evidenced by the fact that domain management and security are largely siled.
This is often IT or IT security responsible for domain administration (this is the case for 46% of the brands surveyed), followed by the legal department (16%) and marketing (13%). Only 13% of brands reported taking a mixed domain approach.
The renewal process is a key element of management; Make sure each domain name is renewed on time and all contact information is kept up to date. This may be easier for small businesses to handle because the number of domains may be small. However, the larger the organization, the more areas are needed and recorded, by different departments and individuals, which explains the need for an integrated approach.
Research shows that more than a quarter (26%) of respondents rely solely on renewal notices, while 25% subscribe to the industry best practice method, have a plan, and collaborate with multiple departments. 21% of brands assign responsibility for management and renewal to one person; 13% approach it in an ad hoc manner; and 10% work with an external provider to help them.
Delegating this crucial task to one person has a number of disadvantages. Without a holistic approach, it is difficult for this person to see which areas are more important than others, which are used, and which areas can be sold. It also means that if that person leaves the organization or changes roles, knowledge about renewals and management may be lost; important notices can be lost in an outdated mailbox; and the organization could miss renewal times and face potentially devastating consequences.
The best approach is to take a holistic approach to the process, with collaboration from all relevant departments, including IT management, security, marketing, legal services, and even the board of directors.
conclusion
Maintaining a healthy brand, safe from cyber attacks and optimized to ensure a return on investment, is essential to meet customer expectations, maintain brand identity and reputation, and preserve the bottom line. In the future for brands, it is clear that dominance strategies must be part of broader protection initiatives.
These initiatives are influenced by various factors, but domain management is at the heart of their concerns. In addition, these strategies must be created and implemented by interdepartmental teams, which collaborate throughout the process.
Chrissie Jamieson is the VP of Marketing at MarkMonitor.