Why Domain Outages Occur and How to Mitigate Risk Using Azure.
We’ve all experienced a domain outage either internal to our business or when trying to access another companies resources.
Domains expire for several reasons:
Non-Renewal: Domain names are registered for a specific period of time, typically ranging from one to ten years, depending on the registrar and the top-level domain (TLD) chosen (such as .com, .org, .net, etc.). If the domain owner fails to renew the domain registration before it expires, the domain may expire and become available for registration by others.
Failure to Pay: Domain owners need to pay a registration fee to the domain registrar to maintain ownership of the domain. If the domain owner fails to pay the renewal fee by the expiration date, the domain may expire and become available for registration by others.
Domain Transfers: If the domain owner initiates a transfer of the domain to a different registrar but fails to complete the transfer process before the domain's expiration date, the domain may expire during the transfer process and become available for registration by others.
Domain Disputes: In some cases, domain names may expire due to disputes between the domain owner and a third party, such as a trademark dispute or a legal dispute over the ownership of the domain. If the dispute is not resolved before the domain's expiration date, the domain may expire and become available for registration by others.
Domain Abandonment: Some domain owners may choose to intentionally let their domain names expire, either because they no longer need or want the domain, or because they forget to renew it. In such cases, the domain may expire and become available for registration by others.
It's important for domain owners to keep track of their domain registration expiration dates and renew their domains in a timely manner to avoid losing ownership of their desired domain names. Registrars usually send reminders to domain owners when their domains are approaching expiration, but it's ultimately the responsibility of the domain owner to ensure timely renewal.
While most companies are the official “Domain Owner”, they often rely on a series of vendors to manage the renewal and upkeep of their domains.
Traditionally this can involve multiple vendors and human links in the chain that can at times be a fault for not renewing your domain. What this can mean for you is that you lose access to your Email, Website and any other services linked to your domain until it is renewed. In the worst circumstance, a rival company or hacker may have been waiting for this to happen so they can hijack your domain while it is temporarily available.
By using streamlined and automated tools such as Azure App Services and Azure DNS, this ensures that domain renewals are part of your regular billing with Microsoft while also allowing streamlined management and administrative access to your records.
