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Ask HN: How do I secure the domain for my business?

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Re: Ask HN: How do I secure the domain for my business?

#21

Post by kkfx »

The best protection for that is your local laws: choose a domestic provider and keep good lawyers around. Also remember the scale: an over-the-top provider have lobbyist, lawyers etc, a smaller one have probably more human relation and less power in local justice system.

Other protections are obviously good, but less effective like:

- buy your domain on different TLDs and registars and host the same site and all services that can be duplicated on them, citing all other domains you own on all, as needed you have well established evidence that you are the right owner and others if one disappear easily find the others;

- keep you customers informed of all your domains/services/public part of your infra so in case of issues (of any kind) they understand that something happen and probably most interesting one can still find you;

- mirror your websites on ZeroNet and advertise them in all officials ones, of course 99.9999% of business customers never ever even try ZeroNet for curiosity but it's evidence, something working and something you can potentially embed in other software (depending on your activity).

Re: Ask HN: How do I secure the domain for my business?

#23

Post by technion »

I know you're getting a lot of good technical advise in this thread but let me bring out something that needs to be said more often:

No web developer or web development agency or SEO person or whatever needs your EPP/transfer codes. I say this because I have absolutely lost count of the amount of businesses that just hand this over because these people just say they need it and before you know it, the domain you put so much effort into managing ends up on some crappy web hosting service. It's gotten beyond the joke. I feel like every business I've ever been associated with has seen this. Marketing hires some "digital marketing consultant". Suddenly the domain is sitting on Crazy Domains and the entire zone is empty.

Re: Ask HN: How do I secure the domain for my business?

#24

Post by davidkuennen »

technion wrote: post #23

I know you're getting a lot of good technical advise in this thread but let me bring out something that needs to be said more often: No web developer or web development agency or SEO person or whatever needs your EPP/transfer codes. I say this because I have absolutely lost count of the amount of businesses that just hand this over because these people just say they need it and before you know it, the domain you put…

Yes, I think business domains should be handled with absolute care and know how internally. Hence why I put so much importance on this matter.

Re: Ask HN: How do I secure the domain for my business?

#25

Post by davidkuennen »

mickimnet wrote: post #19
davidkuennen wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, that's propably what I'm gonna do. Currently looking into Hetzner for the domain hosting since I'm from Germany.

I prefer to use a different company for my domains, as for other services--like Mail, Web, Hosting. Therefore, if something happens to one, it doesn't affect my other services. As you mentioned, you are from Germany. I can highly recommend https://INWX.de —I use them myself, and for hosting, I use Hetzner as well.

Thanks a lot. Signed up a few minutes ago on https://INWX.de and quite like what I see so far. It's nice that they are specialized in domains. For Hetzner it's just another service.

Re: Ask HN: How do I secure the domain for my business?

#26

Post by technion »

davidkuennen wrote: post #24
technion wrote: post #23

I know you're getting a lot of good technical advise in this thread but let me bring out something that needs to be said more often: No web developer or web development agency or SEO person or whatever needs your EPP/transfer codes. I say this because I have absolutely lost count of the amount of businesses that just hand this over because these people just say they need it and before you know it, the domain you put…

Yes, I think business domains should be handled with absolute care and know how internally. Hence why I put so much importance on this matter.

Honestly have a look at web development subs. You'll often find posts like "this business asked me to change their landing page but they want to manage their own domain WTF is this possible??".

And I have to admit, yes I'm salty. I got torn to pieces over a large mail cluster "failing" and this turned out to be the cause.

Re: Ask HN: How do I secure the domain for my business?

#27

Post by davidkuennen »

Tijdreiziger wrote: post #20
davidkuennen wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, that's propably what I'm gonna do. Currently looking into Hetzner for the domain hosting since I'm from Germany.

Another option in Germany is Key-Systems: https://www.key-systems.net/ No affiliation with them, but my personal domains are registered with a local Dutch registrar, who in turn registers some of them with Key-Systems.

Will look into it, thanks!

Re: Ask HN: How do I secure the domain for my business?

#28

Post by taubek »

Register it to an email that you have full control of, e.g. don't use email address linked to your University or employee. Take good care of your email (2fa). Use a domain registrar that you trust. Saving a few dollars each year on domain is not worth the possible complications. If you are enabling auto renew be sure at all time that your credit card is valid. Put reminders in your calendar about exportation dates.

Re: Ask HN: How do I secure the domain for my business?

#30

Post by technion »

ivanr wrote: post #11

Here's a very good guide from GOV UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/keeping-your-domain-name-secure It's written for domains under gov.uk, but, ignoring that, the rest is universal and thorough.

Unfortunately a registry lock for most TLDs seems very difficult to get.
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