The Minds + Machines Ecosystem
There’s a lot more to running a top-level domain than registry services, as important as they are. There are many things we don’t do, but we know the people who do. In our years running businesses in the domain name industry, we’ve worked with lots of people, some good, and some not so good. The pages in this section list those people and businesses that deliver great value for the money you pay them.
In most cases, we’ve negotiated discounted rates for our clients, so while we’ve provided links so that you can contact them directly, you might want to check with us as well. We are familiar with these partners, and we can recommend the best of them for your needs. One size definitely does not fit all, whether you’re talking about DNS resolution services or auction providers.
Preferred Partners
- Auction Providers — This is an extensive list, because each auction provider has its own strengths. For your TLD, you might want one for live auctions, one for collision auctions during Sunrise and Landrush, and yet another for collision auctions. Or you might want a general purpose auction provider. We can help you choose based on your auction strategy.
- Business Finance — The core of the ICANN application is a business plan, and the core of a business plan is a story backed up by numbers. Here is some very qualified help.
- DNS Services — There are quite a few good DNS providers out there, at different price points and different services. These are providers that we have worked with and to whose value we can attest.
- Escrow Services — Iron Mountain is the designated escrow agent for ICANN. Iron Mountain’s services are provided to Minds + Machines customers without cost.
- Network Security — Nothing erodes the market perception of a TLD more than appearing on the malware reports from McAfee, Knujon or others. Good network monitoring will prevent the nasties from getting in.
- Public Relations — Sometimes you need a pro to get your message out, whether you want to crow about something or hide from something else. These guys are pro.
- Registrar Channel — These are not recommendations — you can never have too many registrars selling your product — but rather a list of registrars who are already pre-integrated with Espresso. Save time, save money.
- Trademark Validation — During your Sunrise period, you need someone to make sure that the trademarks your customers send in are valid. Meet the master.
- Web Design — The most important marketing piece you’ll produce is your web site. People make up their minds about whether they like a site in a few microseconds, which strongly influences their decision to buy. Make that time count.
- Dispute Arbitration — Dispute and Arbitration can be thorny matters to address. Having people with experience can help when these services are needed. When a project becomes tangled, use that experience and knowledge towards resolution.
