GMO Internet’s Onamae.com begins handling .io domain name registrations
The domain name, which may be interpreted as “input/output”, is particularly attractive for tech startups.
As the number of technology startups is on the rise, so grows the need for them to have websites that reflect their business niche. Onamae.com, an ICANN-accredited domain registrar which is a part of GMO Internet Inc. (TYO:9449), has sought to respond to this trend.
Earlier today, the company announced that it starts handling registration applications for .io domain names. The Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) .io is assigned to the British Indian Ocean Territory but this domain’s usage goes well beyond the geographical concept.
In computer science, for instance, “IO” is interpreted as an abbreviation for input/output, which makes the .io domain useful for entities whose activities are associated with technology. .io domains are often used for open source projects, application programming interfaces, and startup companies. Companies whose activities involve virtual currencies and/or blockchain also tend to use this domain name.
One of the benefits of the “.io” domain name is that this TLD is less occupied than other TLDs, like .com.
Onamae.com says it will handle the applications on a a “first come first served” basis.
About a couple of months ago, the company started accepting registration applications for .ai domain names. This move, as one may expect, is targeted at companies whose activities involve artificial intelligence (AI), as well as at media that focus on content about AI.
In April this year, Onamae.com started offering domain protection services to its clients. The logic of the solution is simple. The owner of the website sets additional protections for a range of parameters – any change concerning these parameters will require an approval by the owner. The list of such parameters includes domain management, server name management, “whois” information management, automated updates management, etc.
The service also seeks to prevent non-voluntary errors that may damage a website. For instance, domain administrators often manage multiple domains with a single ID. As the number of domains to be managed increases, so does the likelihood of changing the setting of the wrong domain. The new domain protection service also helps avoid such a mishap.
