Security in Domain Registration – What's All the Hype About?
A breakdown of fundamental aspects you should consider when choosing the right registration company for your business, not only for your own peace of mind but for your clients and future business prospects.
Barcelona, Spain (PRWEB) January 18, 2006
When it comes to registering your domain name and establishing your presence online, there are fundamental aspects that need to be taken into consideration in order to prevent unnecessary hurdles from affecting both you and your customers.
Whether you are a small or large company, or simply interested in setting up your own personal website, what you need are effective solutions and the correct business tools at a respectable price to offer you peace of mind. I would strongly recommend not looking for cheap imitations of registrars offering you the best quality at ridiculously cheap prices as they don’t tend to go hand in hand. You should be looking for a registrar that will provide you a service that offers guaranteed performance, support, reliability, user-friendliness and, above all, SECURITY.
“But surely security is offered by all, right?”, I hear you ask. Although this statement is generally correct, this security aspect is often neglected by some registrars, even the top dogs in the business. Below are some key areas that you should consider regarding registration security, and will hopefully explain - without all the technical jargon - and assist you in deciding which registrar company suits your needs and expectations.
Why is security so important?
Security issues adopted by the principal registration companies guarantee that your domain is safeguarded against domain highjackers or others who want to transfer your domain(s) to another registrar without your specific authorization. The knock-on effects will not only imply loosing your domain name but will also result in a costly downtime of yours and your customers´ websites. Furthermore, you could even look at it as a direct attack on your online identity, the traffic base you have worked so hard to attract on the reputation of your service and products.
Password based security
Let us take the example of Anakena. com, a leading European registrar whose company policy places an important emphasis on security, real-time customer support and a multilingual service. They use a system whereby all your communications are encrypted, which means that when you access your Anakena personal account page you are automatically transferred to a secured connection using the secured protocol https. This measure has been put in place to prevent possible uses of ‘sniffers’ in your online connection. Furthermore, their security procedure also prevents anyone using your email to reset your password. The procedure is simple, and requests that all those clients who have forgotten their password need to answer 2 questions before receiving an email to reset their new one. If that security hurdle isn’t enough to keep the most demanding client satisfied, then knowing that his/her password is then encrypted on the Anakena servers, where nobody is able to see it, is just another reassuring and preventive measure. As the saying goes, it is always better to prevent than to cure (especially if the curing period comes too late!).
Payment
Payment has always been a soft spot, due to the fear of your bank details, access codes and personal information falling into unknown hands. Not only this, but the majority of people who purchase a product or service over the web also want to know exactly how much it will cost (be sure to read the small print), what payment alternative payment methods exist and when you will get invoiced. This equation might simplify this:
Consolidated Payment Options*
+
Secure & Automated Invoicing
=
RELIABLE PAYMENT PROCESS YOU CAN TRUST
Direct Debit, Wire Transfer and PayPal
On another note, you probably ask yourself, “Who keeps records of my credit card details?”. Well, Anakena, for example, doesn’t. Every payment is made with your bank directly and they do not have access to your card details. For them, there is nothing safer that your own bank processing your personal banking needs.
Account Lock
Another important factor you should consider when choosing the right registrar for you is the option of locking your account. The top players in the registration business may not even offer this feature in their service, resulting in greater exposure of your site to “domain predators” and infringing on the safety elements that a registrar might promise. A lock on the account allows only the website owner to modify features, personal information, and even transfer domain(s) to another registrar/customer. This locked status will remain until the owner wishes to remove it. The only downside to this is that a registrar cannot modify illicit signups where a customer doesn’t include valid information. In the case of Anakena, for example, this information is screened upon registration and the company will contact the customer to request further information in order to complete the signup process. Not only is the company looking out for the interest of the customer but also the partnership it hopes to consolidate in the future.
Email notification
The leading registrar companies, and the vast majority of service providers online, have automated email notification systems set up that send you relevant news or updates to the website, your account interface, etc. However, there have been examples in the past where companies or individuals have not been informed instantly of technical aspects or modifications to the service they receive from the particular registrar. It may even be a question of days before they actually realise that something has been modified, caused by a failure to communicate effectively with their customers. But those companies who do, and devote paramount importance to keeping their clients informed are consolidating themselves in the market thanks to growing customer loyalty and a healthy increase in their customer base.
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