Corporate domain name portfolios can be fractured for any number of reasons.
Sometimes — as is the case with rogue “outlier” domains registered by individual employees — holding domain names at multiple registrars is essentially accidental. In other cases — such as when business units operate independently or when an organization decides it’s in their best interest to hold domains at multiple registrars — the decision is intentional.
Most everyone would agree that this first type of fractured portfolio should be eliminated, and domains consolidated to a single registrar, allowing for a holistic view of domain name assets and reducing the risk of accidental expiry. It’s the second group we’ll address here.
Are the benefits of a split portfolio actually beneficial?
While Markmonitor believes that on-balance, consolidated domain management through a single registrar is the best choice, it would be disingenuous to disregard the counterarguments.
It’s not uncommon for corporate registrars to put forth the argument that splitting a domain name portfolio across two or more registrars is beneficial. As with much of life, black and white answers are rare, and decisions need to be made weighing the pros and cons of different courses of action.
There are serious implications to the decision to split a corporate portfolio across multiple registrars, and we’ll highlight some of the considerations which are frequently glossed over when being pitched the idea to split a portfolio.
What’s the rationale behind so many registrars espousing a split domain name portfolio?
Let’s start with a simple question: If registrars lacking the ability to manage an enterprise-scale domain name portfolio across all TLDs suddenly had the ability to manage all domain names for a global business, would they still promote the idea of splitting domain name portfolios across multiple registrars?
The answer to this question informs the rationale for such arguments and more specifically, informs the topic of whether or not a registrar is working in your best interest or selling you a bill of goods.
There are situations where your registrar should be willing to take actions which don’t maximize profit but do ultimately benefit their customers.
Domain name portfolio consolidation: A net positive action
Markmonitor has long maintained that domain name portfolio consolidation is a net positive action. A portfolio split across registrars introduces value negative workflow redundancies while expanding the attack surface. If presented with the argument that splitting a corporate portfolio across registrars is beneficial, it’s important to ask — beneficial
for who?
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