GoDaddy

Type:	Private
Industry:	Internet, Registrar
Founded:	USA (1997)
Founder(s):	Bob Parsons
Headquarters:	14455 N. Hayden Rd. Suite 219, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, USA.
Businesses:	Domain Hosting Email Site Builder Business SSL & Security Resellers .pw
Employees:	2450 (2009)
Revenue:	610 million dollars (2009)
Website:	http://www.godaddy.com
Key People
Bob Parsons, Founder and CEO Warren J. Adelman, President and COO Tim Ruiz, VP Domain Services Michael J. Zimmerman, EVP and CFO

GoDaddy is a web hosting and internet domain register company and the main concern of GoDaddy Group Inc.. Founded in 1997 by Bob Parsons, GoDaddy has become the world’s largest Domain Register Company accredited by ICANN and has more than 40 million domain names under its management. Along with hosting and registration services the company also provides e-business solutions and services like: email services, website developing, internet marketing services, SSL and security services.

GoDaddy is known for its racy superbowl advertising campaign. which began in 2005; since then it has been continuing to sponsor various sporting events. CEO Bob Parsons has called GoDaddy's advertising "GoDaddy-esque"; which he defines as "fun, edgy and a bit inappropriate".

The company filed for an IPO to go public in 1996, but later withdrew its filing. During early September, 2010 it was reported that GoDaddy was up for sale and could fetch as much as $1 billion. However, during late October, 2010, Wall Street Journal reported that the company took itself off the market and pulled out of a potential sale.

History

• GoDaddy Group was founded in 1997 under the name of Jomax® Technologies by Bob Parsons. In 1998-1999 they started to provide web development services. During that time they changed their name from Jomax® to Go Daddy Software®, Inc. The CEO and Founder Bob Parsons commented in his blog that they were looking for a more remarkable name than Jomax® and came up with GoDaddy after someone suggested Big Daddy, which was already taken.

• GoDaddy Software became an ICANN-accredited registrar in 2000 and started to provide domain name registration services at 70% less than the industry leaders’ prices; despite the fact that in 2001 GoDaddy was approximately the same size as its major competitors. In 2005, it became the largest ICANN-accredited domain registrar in the world.

• In 2002, GoDaddy filled a lawsuit against VeriSign over its site, Finder Services.Later, VeriSign shut down Site Finder to meet ICANN's terms. GoDaddy was sued for violating a patent by web.com in 2006.

• A DDoS attack was made on GoDaddy.com in January 16, 2009 which affected thousands of shared hosting customers for many hours.

• In early 2010, in response to a new government rule, GoDaddy stopped registering websites in China.

Business

The Major concern of GoDaddy Group is GoDaddy.com. The group also includes other concerns, such as:

• Wild West Domains, Inc. - A concern of the company that deals with reselling domains and domain related products and services.
• Domains By Proxy - This is a private domain registration sevice provider branch of the company.
• Starfield Technologies - A branch that handles research and development affiliates.
• Blue Razor Domains - This concern of the company acts as a membership-based discount register.

Products and Services

According to their official website, the products and services GoDaddy provides are:

• Domain Name Registration- Providing comparatively cheaper domain name registration and transfer for both bulk and regular categories.
• Web Hosting- Different kind of website, blog, word press, podcast hosting on virtual, dedicated, cloud etc severs.
• Email Service- Email plan for home and business users with additional add-ons.
• Site Builders- Website design and development for different purpose and platforms
• Business- Providing different business solutions, online marketing, online promotion etc
• SSL & Security- Providing SSL certificates and code signing certificates along with other security services
• Resellers - Reselling and affiliate plans

Awards

GoDaddy has been named “Best Registrar” by DomainNameWire.com, a domain name industry news source, for five consecutive years (2005-2010). For six consecutive years, GoDaddy has also ranked as one of the top employers in the Phoenix-metro area by The Phoenix Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work in the Valley” employee survey. GoDaddy was honored as the AZCentral.com “Best Perks” Employer in 2009 and 2010. GoDaddy received several 2007 Arizona Corporate Excellence (ACE) Awards, including the prestigious distinction as the state's "Most Innovative Company". GoDaddy also ranked #2 on the ACE "25 Fastest-Growing" companies list and #20 on the ACE "Top 50" companies list. It was ranked #8 on the 2004 Inc. 500 list of the nation's fastest-growing privately held companies; #20 on the 2005 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 (growing 8,274 percent); and won the CNET Editor's Choice award in 2001, the Name Intelligence Largest Net Gain Award in 2002, 2003 and 2005; and the Name Intelligence Users' Choice Award in 2005.

Refusal to Register Domain Name in China

In February 2010, the Chinese Government imposed new rules for web site operators. They have to submit a photograph and other information and meet the service provided in person according to this new guideline.

Google protested this legislation by refusing to censor their search results on Google.cn on March 22, 2010 . March 24, 2010 GoDaddy announced to the lawmaker that it will cease registering websites in China opposing the new intrusive government rule.According to the company, this rule of in creased monitoring and surveillance will put the individual or firms at risk. The company also said the rules will have a "chilling effect" on new domain name registrations

However, their effort has been criticized as a publicity stunt because it quickly followed Google approach. The company published different announcement saying their refusal to do business in China is not a PR spectacular act and that they are really concerned about the whole situation in Chinese web Industry .

Potential Sale Issue

Duirng the early September, 2010, the rumour began to escualte that GoDaddy is up for sale. The rumour later confirmed by the Wall Street Journal when they published a report that GoDaddy is indeed up for sale. The report also mentioned the company could fetch more than $1 billion and that the company has hired Financial Firm Qatalyst Partners to find the company potential buyers.

At first the company spokesman said “it does not comment on rumours”. But later another report on Wall Street Journal published on late October, 2010, confirmed the company pulled itself out of the market and not for sale anymore.

External links

• GoDaddy.com
• Bob Parson's Blog