|
domain assets. By becoming a registrar - with
yourself as the sole customer - you can enjoy a level of security
for your assets and management control that others can only dream
of.
|
MyRebel.com
CEO Dave Chiswell |
Dave
Chiswell, CEO of
Ottawa
, Canada-based MyRebel.com,
noted that the value of large portfolios can be greatly
impacted by events outside the control of the registrant.
“The risk of incomplete WhoIs data, a wrong email address,
or the distraction of managing a large portfolio across too
many registrars, have recently confirmed the need to
move not only to a centrally controlled solution, but one
that includes control of the registrar,” Chiswell
said.
The problem has always been that becoming an
ICANN accredited registrar is an expensive
proposition. In preparation for this article I spoke with a friend
who recently set up their own registrar operation. Between
the
|
|
cost of the credential and the cost of licensing
management software (or having it custom built as most major
registrars do) the outlay to start up is likely to run
between $50,000-$70,000, plus annual dues of another $8,000
every year. At the
recently concluded ICANN meeting in Los Angeles there
were also discussions indicating that ICANN will make it
considerably more difficult to become an accredited
registrar (including a possible change to the Registrar
Accreditation Agreement that would require anyone
purchasing an existing registrar to successfully go through
the accreditation process themselves in order to keep the
credential). |
For those who want to function as their own
registrar but have been unable or unwilling to make the sizeable upfront cash
outlay, MyRebel.com is the first company to offer a turnkey
alternative to buying and setting
up your own registrar operation. Their solution is a leasing
program that allows you to control a registrar dedicated entirely to
you at a flat monthly rate with no other upfront
costs.
The new service
features a user-friendly interface with a log file that details all
domain operations. Users have the power to execute on any command
– from registration to deletion to transfer – and My Rebel said
this provides the highest level of security as no names can be
adjusted without the user’s approval. Lessees can also easily
execute bulk operations, such as getting the auth codes for all of
their domains at once. The main page a lessee sees when they log
into their account is shown in the screen capture below.
To help lessees
handle any issues that arise from managing their own registrar, each
lessee is supported by a dedicated account representative.
For example, when you are ready to transfer your domains into your
new registrar, your rep will handle the task and get the domains
moved in for you. If you have problems with an un-cooperative
registrar who tries to make it difficult for you to leave, MyRebel
said your rep will also deal with them and get any problems
resolved.
Lessees will connect
directly with the .com, .net, .org and .info
registries. No other extensions are supported at this time but
MyRebel plans to add support for others as soon as possible with .mobi
and .eu the next to be added, followed by .biz and .us.
The company can provide you with a time line for when extensions you
are interested in are likely to be added.
|
Jason Lavigne,
MyRebel's Manager of Business Development, said "MyRebel.com
allows you to control an ICANN accredited registrar for your exclusive
use. Upon signing a contract with MyRebel.com, the lessee would
receive a set of login credentials for MyRebel.com which acts as a
secure web portal directly into the registry. No one else would have
access to that registrar, only the lessee would have access to the
domains being managed. This is the highest form of security a domain
owner can get."
Lavigne added
"With MyRebel.com you also never have to worry about another
one of your domains deleting or being sold to someone else because
you forgot to renew. Every domain at the registry is auto renewed,
so as long as there are funds in your registrar account your domains
will always renew. The only way that one of your domains could be
deleted would be if you purposely issued a delete command against
the domain."
|
Jason
Lavigne, MyRebel.com
Manager of Business Development |
"Perhaps best of all, you are paying
registry prices (currently $6.42 for .com plus a 20-cent
ICANN fee) instead of retail prices.
Your financial transactions are between you and the registry
directly. The only additional fees to your registry transactions
would be your MyRebel.com leasing fee which would be a monthly fee
that will be determined by a portfolio analysis and contract
negotiation."
For those who want more price guidance
before they invest time in exploring the MyRebel.com option, Lavigne
said, "the leasing fee is determined by the size of the
portfolio being managed and the type of domains owned. The
approximate leasing fee will be $3,000 a month, but there is
some flexibility in this so those interested should contact us for
final pricing."
The "type" of domains that could
result in higher pricing are those that could be trademark
sensitive, typos, etc. Lavigne said "Typos
and TM's will have a higher leasing fee as these types of domains
receive UDRP's and WIPO's and those cause additional
overhead costs with our legal department. While the lessee is
responsible for responding to those challenges we will train them in
the proper way to respond. We would also have to make sure that they
are responding properly and that the registrar is in good legal
standing"
The
MyRebel.com crew has had a high profile at recent domain
conferences. This shot is
from their exhibit at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East conference in Hollywood,
Florida last month.
So where is
MyRebel.com getting the registrar credentials they are
offering for lease? MyRebel is a division of Canada's Momentous
Corporation, a well-known domain conglomerate that over the
years has built up a large stable of registrars, most of which are
used by other company divisions including Pool.com,
NameScout.com and Rebel.com (the registrar the MyRebel
program was named after). A limited number of those credentials are
being made available for the MyRebel program and those that are
leased will no longer be available for use by any other Momentous
division.
|
MyRebel
does not allow you to provide registration services to other
customers. The purpose of the program is give professional
portfolio owners a way to control their own registrar and
domain names. Also, if you are thinking about leasing
one of their registrars to attempt to catch drops on your
own, that wouldn't be an option as the leased registrar's
credentials do not provide access to the drop pool. |
|
|
Under current registry rules,
you can however engage in catch
and release domain tasting. Within 5 days of registering
domains (and seeing whether or not they have any existing
traffic) you can issue a delete command through your
registrar to get a credit for the domains you decide to let
go.
To
get a closer look at how MyRebel's registrar interface system
worked, I took up an offer from Lavigne to provide a live
online demo. He will do the same thing for you (and also send
you a detailed Question and Answer document on the program) - just
email your request to Jason at MyRebel.com or call 1-613-768-5153. |
Lavigne said the
system was custom built from scratch to make management as
simple as possible and it is indeed a very slick system, one that
would obviously be expensive to duplicate if you bought your own
registrar and had to build or buy your own interface software. I
found it to be a very intuitive process with all functions and
commands easy to execute. The three screen shots below show you some
of the page layouts and controls in the MyRebel interface.
The
Contact management page above is a good example of the clean
layout
and simple navigation in the MyRebel.com interface.
This
page allows you to access reports directly from the registry
The
Audit Trail provided on this page is also very helpful
for
keeping tabs on all activity at your registrar
The MyRebel solution
is being discussed on several public and private domain forums. Two
topics have dominated the conversation, 1) Whether or not the cost to lease a registrar is a good
value and 2) a desire for more detailed information of domain
security for registrar lessees. We asked Lavigne to address both
points.
Regarding the fee
structure, Lavigne said, "You may be able to buy a registrar
accreditation however before you can begin managing and registering
domains you need a back end to power that registrar and that
requires both hardware and staff. The MyRebel.com lease fee covers
the actual use of the registrar as well as the registrar fees that
must be paid annually. The lease fee also covers the technology and
staff required to run the registrar."
"We
must maintain the hardware and go through recertification
and testing processes each year. We must also have legal
staff on hand to address any legal issues with domains under
the leased registrar. In addition to this each customer has
a dedicated account representative to aid in managing their
portfolio and registrar. As you can see we are not only
providing the registrar but all the support needed to keep
things running smoothly."
"With
regard to the security issue, security is increased through
both limited access to the registrar and increased
messaging. Only the user leasing the registrar will have
access to it. No staff members will have access to the
registrar and there are no other customers. Limited access
makes it much easier to keep tabs on what is being done
through that registrar," Lavigne said.
"MyRebel.com
is architected in such a way that should someone gain
access |
Jason
Lavigne and MyRebel
Marketing Associate Marie Prentice |
|
to
the registrar once logged in they would not have the ability
to act against the domains unless they already knew which
domains were being managed. Should someone either gain
access to the registrar or attempt a malicious act against
one of the domains under management via another registrar
the MyRebel.com customer would immediately be notified via
the messaging they receive directly from the registry." |
Lavigne added, "Say
for example you submit an unauthorized transfer against one of my
names. I would immediately be notified by the registry that a
transfer request had been submitted and I would have the ability to
stop that transfer before any harm was done. All registrars receive
this level of messaging from the registry but not many provide that
same level of detailed messaging to the clients. By running your own
leased registrar you are now tapping into that information provided
by the registry which would act as an early warning system against
domain theft and malicious acts. You will know exactly what is going
on with your registrar at all times."
|
CEO
Dave Chiswell and Marketing
Manager Kindha Gorman greeted
attendees at the Domain Roundtable
conference in Seattle this summer |
With
respect to security there has also been a lot of talk lately
about registrars or other service providers
"stealing" domain research by monitoring names
that clients search for and then registering them before the
client has a chance to do so. ICANN is currently looking at
this issue which they have dubbed "domain front
running." Lavigne promised that would not be an
issue for MyRebel.com clients. "Your WhoIs searches are
completely private. They are not logged or tracked in
any way," Lavigne assured.
Now the
choice is up to you. Keep searching for a reliable
registrar that puts your interests first (a pool that is
rapidly shrinking), pony up and buy your own registrar or
take a look at MyRebel's unique leasing program. As the domain boom continues
unabated, you have a lot at stake so making the right choice
is more important than ever.
|
*****
Return
to Domain Name Journal Home Page |
