Corporate and product names, catchy phrases for advertising campaigns (e.g. "Just do it!"), promotions and events, and much more are all reflected in websites which bear the corresponding domain name (e.g. justdoit.com). Depending on the necessary range (e.g. Germany, Europe, worldwide), the domains need to be registered under many different endings, the so called Top Level Domains (TLD). In order to avoid confusion or even abuse, it is also mandatory to register similar-sounding names as well as those that result from typical mistakes in writing. This not only prevents a potential customer who makes an accidental typo (e.g. jutsdoit.com) from ending up on an external website but it is also extraordinarily important with regard to aspects of security (keyword: phishing attacks).
To cut a long story short: You may end up with a few 1000 domain names under different domain endings for a vast variety of goals and purposes - some with a long-term scope, some only on an as needed basis for the duration of a specific campaign - originating from different divisions or departments within your organization and connected to a tangled mass of formal requirements and procedures.
- Who is still in control of the number of used and necessary domains?
- Who is still in control of the expenses that are required for the monthly upkeep of the domains?
- Who knows when a domain is due for renewal or cancellation?
- And who is taking care of this on or before the due date?
- What are the incurred expenses for establishing a worldwide brand per the necessary registration of suitable domain names?
- Are there even enough available domain names to correspond with the brand?
- Who is in control of knowing who has iniitiated which registrations and when?
- Who is pursuing the acquisition of reserved domains that are supposed to be taken over?