Your Data in Safe Hands

Information and data are at the core of our business. Therefore, handling data responsibly and self-critically is an integral part of our corporate culture. The renewal of our ISO 27001 certification reaffirms our success in this area.

An ISO 27001 certificate must be renewed regularly. This time, again, the process involved a comprehensive audit that put our information security management system to a thorough test. The result: Knipp meets the requirements of the new version of the certificate. The "ISO/IEC 27001:2022" standard has undergone a fundamental revision, introducing extensive content changes as well as a new, modern structure.

We have continuously reviewed and adapted our security concepts — with success. This strengthens us in following our approach and justifies our customers’ trust that we handle their data with the utmost care and security.

ICANN Discontinues Domain Information Service

On January 28, 2025, ICANN discontinued the WHOIS service. Registries and registrars are no longer required to offer it. This officially marks the end of the domain owner contact information service on Port 43/TCP. It is being replaced by the more modern and privacy-compliant RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol), which provides tiered access permissions. This ensures that confidential information is only available to authorized parties, such as law enforcement agencies. RDAP is specified in the IETF RFCs 7480 through 7484 and 8056.

From now on, users should use the RDAP service ([1]) instead of WHOIS. In practice, however, basic registration information can often still be retrieved using the WHOIS command in the console. This is because ICANN can only mandate the transition from WHOIS to RDAP for generic top-level domains (gTLDs). Country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), on the other hand, are managed independently. Due to stricter data protection regulations, many of them already use web-based forms to request sensitive domain data, such as domain ownership details. An example is the WHOIS form for .de domains on the DENIC website ([2]).

If the RDAP system proves effective in practice, it is likely to become the standard for non-generic TLDs as well. However, the name "WHOIS" will likely remain familiar in the domain world for this type of information service.

[1] http://lookup.icann.org/en
[2] http://www.denic.de/en/domains/whois-service/web-whois.html

Misused domain now in the hands of the rightful owner

An unauthorized party maliciously registered the domain welt.pm in January 2024 and misused it for propaganda in the appearance of the "Die WELT" website.

Axel Springer Deutschland GmbH, as the owner of the name and trademark rights, then initiated proceedings before WIPO and was able to obtain a ruling to transfer the domain. With the WIPO decision in hand, Knipp was able to take over the administration of welt.pm for the rightful owner in a very short time.

Click here to go to the website of DIE WELT.

The whole story about the misuse of welt.pm and the enforcement of Axel Springer Deutschland GmbH's rights can be found on the domain-recht.de blog.

Hear ye! Hear ye! Grand prize for you, your ears, and your career.

We are very excited to meet you again in person at this year's REALITY event. Don't be shy — come talk to us and ask as many questions as you can. It's worth it! Primarily, because we offer fantastic career opportunities in an exciting, constantly growing industry. But also, because there's something to win.

For over 30 years, we've been located in the Technology Park Dortmund, right next to the university. This is the perfect setting for student employees to balance work experience and studies, with the prospect of permanent employment. We are especially interested in you if you enjoy learning about new network technologies and their components and applying them practically. However, we also need you in many other areas to grow together.

One of our key areas of activity is the domain industry, where our company has established itself as a global player. This industry has proven to be a crisis-proof foundation for healthy growth. Additionally, we handle a variety of projects for a diverse client base, both in software development and hosting in our in-house data center in the Technology Park. So, variety is guaranteed.

There are plenty of reasons to visit our booth on Wednesday, June 19, at Otto Hahn Straße 12. All visitors who fill out an entry form will have a chance to win Samsung Galaxy Buds FE with great sound and active noise canceling at the end of the event.

The toolkit implements an interface to DENIC's Real-time Registry Interface (RRI) for the Java programming language. It represents DENIC requests and responses, contact and domain data as well as messages as Java objects, allowing an easy access to the registry functionality.

The main feature of this new release is support for the DENIC RRI specification in version 4.0. At the same time, the support for previous versions has been removed. Other changes include support for the RegAcc info request, a switch from old Date and Calendar classes to the java.time framework, and a number of refactorings.

The latest version of the Knipp RRI Toolkit and an archive of previous versions are available for download on the Knipp Labs page.

Exciting changes are on the horizon for the Internet. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has announced that the next introduction round for new generic top-level domains (ngTLDs) will begin in April 2026. This presents the rare opportunity to create your own domain extensions!

ICANN's Chairwoman, Tripti Sinha, has disclosed a more detailed timeline for the upcoming ngTLD application round: the „Applicant Guidebook“ containing the introduction rules is expected to be available in May 2025. Starting from the fourth quarter of 2025, ICANN will then begin accepting applications for the „Applicant Support Program“ and initiate the evaluation of registry service providers. The actual application round for the new TLDs will commence in the second quarter of 2026, or more specifically in April 2026.

This means that both businesses and individuals have the opportunity to become part of this exciting process. Including you! You can establish your own top-level domain and use it, for instance, for your online presence or customer communication. Having a domain extension that matches your brand or company name offers countless advantages. It allows you to strengthen your brand identity, gain the trust of your customers, and stand out from the competition.

So, if the idea of having your own TLD fascinates you or if you are considering how a custom domain extension can support your digital goals, you should take action promptly. While the introduction round's start is still some time away, it's important to be well-prepared for the process, as it comes with some challenges.

We have extensive experience in the introduction, operation, and development of top-level domains and offer exceptional guidance and expert support in all phases of introducing and using your TLD. We are ready to assist you at every step along this exciting journey and ensure that you can fully harness the potential of your name.

For further information, please feel free to contact us without obligation (Mr. Swen Wojciechowski) +49 231 9703-233

Cooler than Apple, more relaxed than Alphabet, and more exciting than chatGPT.

"Knipp? Never heard of it." That's what many of you might say when you talk about Knipp as your new employer. That doesn't happen at Amazon, of course. But there's more to Knipp than you think! We proudly consider ourselves a "Hidden Champion" because in our sector, the domain industry, we are globally recognized. Our software products are among the best on the market, and we offer a wider product range than any competitor.

The diversity of software products is also the foundation for an exciting and varied working environment. And since we host all our products – among other sites – in our own data center, this does not only apply to developers but also to sysadmins, network experts, and those who aspire to be.

The fact that our headquarters are located in close proximity to the campus makes it easy to reconcile work experience and studies. So come on! Whether as a working student alongside your studies or with an eye on a permanent position. Visit us at the REALITY and get to know us! We look forward to meeting you and answering your questions.

The REALITY 2023 takes place on July 5 2023 from 10:00 to 16:30 o'clock on the campus of the TU Dortmund (Otto-Hahn-Straße 12).

Dominik from Gladbeck explores the working world in the IT industry

An internship has now become an integral part of the curriculum in most types of schools. We believe it is a valuable initiative because it provides students with their first insights into the real working world, allowing for early orientation in exploring personal interests and abilities.

Finding a suitable internship position is undoubtedly one of the significant challenges for many students. However, this is not the case for Dominik from Riesener Gymnasium in Gladbeck. He has an uncle who works in the exact field he is highly interested in: the IT industry.

Today, Dominik thoroughly examined the entire Knipp company, receiving detailed explanations of all departments and work processes. He was particularly fascinated by software development and data center operations. Of course, there was an overload of information to absorb all at once. Nonetheless, he was able to take on some smaller tasks himself, gaining valuable practical experience and lasting impressions. For instance, Dominik personally programmed and published this news article.

Knipp presents tools and solutions for UA in software development

Universal Acceptance (UA) is the simple idea that all domain names and all e-mail addresses should work in all software applications. Achieving that, however, is not self-evident and requires awareness.

The technical infrastructure of the Internet including the Domain Name System has mostly been built with the focus on Latin character sets and Western scripts. Later on, many different scripts and character strings were brought to the Internet ecosystem, e.g. with the introduction of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs). Today there are more than 60 IDN country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) and more than 90 IDN gTLDs representing global communities online in native scripts, such as .сайт (.site) and بازار. (.bazaar).

However, people using domain names and e-mail addresses in their native languages still face many barriers as websites and applications do not recognize these as valid addresses. In order to be truly multilingual, devices and systems must accept, validate, store, process and display all domain names and e-mail addresses correctly and consistently.

To leverage this, a full day of Universal Acceptance training took place in Cologne on 21 April 2023. The morning session with contributions of ICANN, the eco Association, and Knipp was for anyone interested in the topic of Universal Acceptance of domain names and e-mail addresses. The afternoon session consisted of a hands-on technical training lead by Dr. Michael Bauland of Knipp. He presented tools, interactive tests, case studies and practical solutions around Universal Acceptance in the design and writing of software.

Knipp is proud to be able to make its contribution to raise awareness about Universal Acceptance, about why it matters, and how it can be achieved. We will continue our efforts to allow everyone to access the Internet using the domain name and e-mail address that best aligns with their interests, business, culture, language, and script.

Google subsidiary to launch eight new nTLDs

Alphabet subsidiary Charleston Road Registry Inc., is releasing eight new top-level domains (TLDs) that were already applied for during ICANN's »New gTLD Program« back in 2012. The launch phases for .esq, .foo, .dad, .nexus, .mov, .phd, .prof, and .zip will run from April to May 2023, before going live on May 10th.

During the Sunrise Period, which runs from April 2nd to May 3rd, only trademark holders with an entry in the Trademark Clearinghouse are eligible to participate. In the subsequent Early Access Period, there will be no access restrictions. Anyone can register available domains, albeit at higher prices than in the later General Availability phase. However, fees will decrease as the actual market launch date of May 10th, 2023 approaches.

New launch round taking shape

More than ten years have passed since the last application window for new top-level domains. During this time, there have been repeated calls for one or more additional launch rounds or even a permanent mechanism to create new TLDs.

ICANN has taken a lot of time to learn from the experiences of the »New gTLD Program« and to optimize the processes for future applications. Now, plans for another application round for new domain extensions are taking shape.

At the 76th ICANN meeting held in Cancun from March 11th to 16th, 2023, a series of recommendations for implementing future launch rounds were accepted, and the design of a corresponding implementation plan was commissioned. The goal is to have the plans completed by August 1st, 2023. The fact that a budget of nine million dollars was approved for the implementation process shows how concrete the plans have become.

The ICANN Board has also decreed that reports on the progress and status of the implementation should be published regularly until the actual opening of the next application round. This should happen no later than two weeks before the start of each public ICANN conference. The first such report is thus to be expected by the end of May, ahead of the ICANN77 conference, this year's Policy Forum scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. from June 12th to 15th.

The 76th ICANN conference takes place from March 11th to 16th in Cancún. The city is on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea and is one of Mexico's easternmost points.

A team of Knipp will be also present at the meeting. Use the opportunity to contact us and make an appointment. We would love to demonstrate the features and services of our Domain Name Infrastructure ironDNS^® in a live presentation, or to tell you about the latest improvements that we are currently preparing for roll-out.

Our experts are also ready to answer your questions around our domain portfolio management tool mambo⁺ and our registry backend TANGO Registry Services^®.

It is even possible to get demo accounts for a thorough testing during and even after the meeting. Simply get in touch! The Knipp-team is looking forward to seeing you in Mexico.

This year's host of the annual Domain pulse conference is the country code top-level domain (ccTLDs) registry for .ch (Switzerland) and .li (Liechtenstein), SWITCH, which has invited to the Swiss city of Winterthur on 6 and 7 February 2023. The participants of the largest domain name conference for the European German-speaking ccTLD registries can look forward to two days full of lectures and discussions all around the main topic Critical Infrastructure Internet.

About 300 experts, Internet Service Provider, Registrars and interested parties use the opportunity for the exchange of know-how, networking, and to get new perspectives on well-known as well as new topics. A team of Knipp will also be present in Winterthur. We are already looking forward to having interesting conversations and answering curious questions around all our products and services.

Learn about our name server infrastructure ironDNS^®, the domain analysis tool mambo⁺ and our Registry back-end solution TANGO Registry Services^®. You can see live demonstrations and even get demo accounts to be able to check out all functionalities of mambo⁺ and ironDNS^® during and after the event.

You may make an appointment with us or simply come and talk to us directly.

We are looking forward to seeing you in Winterthur!

Today, new Terms and Conditions for domain name holders under the top level domains .eu, .ею (Cyrillic) and .ευ (Greek) take effect. According to EURid, the registry manager of the stated top level domains, the changes became necessary to comply with a new legal framework. At the same time, the regulations are said to be clearer and more »accessible« now.

This was reached by combining the existing Terms and Conditions and the Registration Policy into one document and by outsourcing many procedural and technical information. The latter can now be found on EURid's Website, together with the new Terms and Conditions.

The following points are among the most important changes:

• Explanation that EURid is to perform verification of the registration data and security checks on the domain name registration, before or after delegation of the domain name (section 2);
• The verification of the registration data upon request by EURid is part of the domain name holder’s obligations (section 4);
• Definition of the term “Revocation” (section 1) and the cases in which it can be used (provided that the ground for revocation is not remedied in due time) are listed (section 4);
• Availability, technical and lexical requirements of a domain name have been moved to the EURid website;
• Procedures for transferring a domain name have been moved to the EURid website.

The new regulations are considered as being accepted with every registration and renewal of a domain name. A rejection is only possible by deleting the concerned domain. Every customer of Knipp who is holder of at least one domain name under the relevant top level domains has received upfront notifications about the upcoming changes.

The 75th ICANN meeting will be held from 17-22 September 2022 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) in the capital of Malaysia.

ICANN holds three Public Meetings each calendar year, which traditionally take place in different regions around the world. With Kuala Lumpur, which most inhabitants colloquially simply refer to as »KL«, the Asia Pacific region was selected for the Annual General Meeting 2022.

The ICANN75 meeting will be conducted as a hybrid event to accommodate both in-person and virtual attendance. A team of Knipp will be present in Kuala Lumpur and would be pleased to welcome you. Make an appointment for a meeting or simply contact us there.

We would love to demonstrate the features and services of ironDNS^® in a live presentation and to illustrate the handling of the system to you. Our experts are also ready to answer your questions around our domain portfolio management tool mambo⁺ and our registry backend TANGO Registry Services^®. Simply get in touch!

 

The contact fair for Informatics and IT is back on the Campus of University Dortmund.

We are delighted to have the opportunity to meet you in person at REALITY this year and engage in direct conversations. Personal contact indeed makes many things easier. Therefore, we hope that you have no hesitation and bombard us with as many questions as possible. So, just come by and get to know us and our working environment, which has a lot to offer.

One of our most important fields of activity is the domain industry, where our company has established itself as a global player. This industry has proven to be a crisis-resistant foundation for healthy growth. In addition, we have diverse projects for a customer base from various industries, both in software development and hosting in our company-owned data center in the technology park. Variety is guarantee.

We have been located in the Technology Park Dortmund, in close proximity to the university, for over 30 years. It's a perfect setting for student employees to balance work experience and studies, with the potential for permanent employment. We are particularly interested in you if you enjoy learning and practically implementing new networking technologies and their associated components. However, we also need you in many other areas to continue growing together.

So come to our booth A6 on Wednesday, June 22nd, at Otto Hahn Straße 12 and say hello to your potential new colleague.

Mina Flora from Hagen scrutinizes Knipp

On April 28, 2022, the "nationwide day of action for cliché-free career orientation for boys and girls" took place – or Girls' and Boys' Day for short. The purpose of Girls' Day is to make girls more interested in new career fields that deviate from traditionally female job profiles and offer more opportunities for the future. To this end, students in grades 5 to 10 shall gain insights into the practice of various areas of the working world. Contacts to participating companies can be found on the website of the action day, for example, and through school. Or, you can simply ask your godfather if he can take you into the world of working in a company in the IT industry.

So, on her day at Knipp (which took place in June due to Corona), Mina Flora (11) from the Ricarda-Huch School in Hagen first had everything important shown to her: The company's own data center with many server systems and the complex infrastructure around it; the printing hall with the large printing machines; and of course the offices and meeting rooms with the many hard-working developers, support staff and the helpful team that supports them.

But of course Mina didn't just want to watch, she also wanted to work on her own. In the finishing department of the print production, she became acquainted with folding, creasing, wrapping in cellophane and labelling. Above all, however, she gained insights into the work as a software developer, especially into the programming of websites. A product of that work is this news – Mina's first publication on the Internet.

Unfortunately, Mina was not allowed to test the fire alarm. But except from that, she could press (nearly) any button.

Protection and security for your DNS. With ironDNS^®.

We are happy to be able to attend this year's Domain pulse in person again. For this first face-to-face event since a long time we have prepared something special: visitors can get vouchers from Knipp that are valid for an ironDNS protection package for three zones for a full three years. And consistently, each voucher comes with a waterproof rain jacket as a useful giveaway to keep you safe and dry.

Domain pulse is the yearly forum organized by the German-speaking registries DENIC, nic.at and SWITCH. This year, DENIC invites the industry to Bonn on May 17 and 18 for a two-day conference. Topics include the consequences of the pandemic on society and the industry, questions around digital policy, and of course the latest news and developments in the domain business.

Meet our team in Bonn and get to know our services. Learn about our software products in more detail, for example with live demonstrations. This year's focus lies on our name server infrastructure ironDNS^®. Next to that, we will also be happy to explain our domain portfolio management tool mambo⁺ and our Registry back-end solution TANGO Registry Services^®. Profit from getting demo accounts for mambo⁺ and ironDNS^® and check out all their useful functionalities during and after the event.

Make an appointment with us or simply come and talk to us directly at our booth.

See you there!

Zero-day exploit threatens computer systems worldwide

Since the last weekend, large parts of the IT world have been in a state of turmoil because a security gap has been discovered in the widely used software library Log4j, which makes many computer systems worldwide potentially vulnerable. Servers affected by the flaw can be attacked and taken over by criminals with little effort and then be used for their own purposes.

The Federal Office for Information Security in Germany (BSI) has issued a security alert in the highest warning level Red for the so-called zero-day vulnerability in the Java library, after countless attack attempts have been observed, which apparently have already been successful, at least in parts.

Knipp Support also had numerous inquiries from customers who were concerned about the issue. However, we can give the all-clear for the software products of Knipp. Although Java plays an important role in our software development, we rely on an alternative framework to Log4j for logging system events. Our products TANGO Registry Services®, mambo⁺ and ironDNS® as well as the Domain Registration System DRS and the Knipp website are therefore not affected by the Log4Shell vulnerability. The same applies to the Sardana mail service and the BOLERO™ ITSM system.

For requests of the type "I have registered the domain example.com via Knipp. Are my systems secure?" however, this all-clear cannot be easily generalized. For example, we cannot make any statements about web servers, e-mail systems or other services that are not operated by Knipp. Therefore, please ask the responsible service providers for the status of their threat analysis, if they have not yet provided the relevant information on their own.

The first ICANN Meeting of the year is in the starting blocks, and so is Knipp. This time we will not be present with a booth onsite, but in purely digital form.

The conference which will run from March 22nd to March 25th, 2021, was originally supposed to take place in Mexico’s beach paradise Cancún. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, however, it is now being held in form of a “Virtual Public Meeting”, as it has already been the case for the ICANN meetings of the previous year.

Get in touch – virtually and safely

We, of course, have also adapted to the circumstances so that you can meet our experts digitally. The Knipp team will be happy to present our products and services in online demonstrations where you can also ask individual questions. It is also possible to setup trial accounts for you so that you can take the time and examine all functionalities extensively.

Check out our name server infrastructure ironDNS^®, our domain analysis tool mambo⁺, our Registry backend solution TANGO Registry Services^® as well as the Domain Registration System. Let our software solutions win you over. Simply make an appointment with us.

We are looking forward to see you – online!

The end of last year saw an important milestone: The transition period for the United Kingdom leaving the EU ended on December 31st, 2020. The so-called Brexit also had an [impact on registrants of .eu domains| Link alte P3 News]. In order to keep their .eu domains, registrants in the UK had to either prove their EU citizenship or change the registrant's data to an address within the EU, for example a different business site. Otherwise, the affected domain registrations would have become invalid. According to EURid, the registry for .eu, over 81,000 .eu domains were suspended. All affected registrants now have time until March 31st, 2021 to update their data and restore their domains.

Our team was able to save all .eu domains registered with us from suspension. Thanks to early actions taken and contacting affected customers individually and in time, we were able to make all necessary changes in a timely manner.

ironDNS^® the DNS infrastructure from our Knipp product family, has a new interface. It now offers a REST API. You can use it in addition to the already existing SOAP interface. "Having more variety and a bigger choice of interfaces allows our customers to use their own infrastructure and to communicate with ironDNS^® via already existing systems", explains Dr. Michael Bauland, the Senior Systems Architect of the Knipp product. Thus, automatically managing your zones with ironDNS^® becomes even easier and offers you even more flexibility.

The new REST API comes with an extensive technical documentation including all requests and allowed parameters as well as numerous hands-on examples. The REST API Guide helps you to implement the REST API easily within your own infrastructure. können Sie das REST-API unkompliziert an Ihre eigene Infrastruktur anbinden.

Visit www.irondns.net for more information or contact our team directly at info@irondns.net.

Knipp passes the reduction on to their end customers

Starting today, Germany's temporary value added tax (VAT) reduction becomes effective. We want our end customers to benefit from that, which is why we voluntarily and fully pass the tax reduction on to them.

From July 1st, 2020 to December 31st, 2020, the VAT rates drop to 16 percent instead of 19 percent and to five percent instead of seven percent. We will pass on this tax advantage directly to our end customers. In that way, they can benefit from even better prices in all our business areas: IT-Enterprise-Services as well as Domains and Print.

Since fiscal law is a complex thing, some special rules apply to the domain business. Domain registrations usually have a duration of at least one year. Whether the tax reduction applies to a domain registration or domain renewal does not depend on the date of commissioning but rather on the date of complete service delivery. For domains, that key date is the end of the registration period. This means that for domains that are newly registered or renewed between July 1st, 2020 and December 31st, 2020 the regular VAT (19%) applies. Domains with registration periods that end in that time frame, however, are eligible for the reduced VAT rate of 16 percent.

Our customers will receive credit notes for all domain services that are eligible for the reduced taxes. One-time services such as recovering expired domains (RGP), which are usually completed within a couple of days, will of course also be billed with the reduced VAT rate of 16 percent.

For more information on our domain prices, please visit our Price Overview .

 

Knipp is Still on Top

In this year's ISO 27001 audit, Knipp has yet again proven that their information security concept complies with highest international security standards. The IT service provider, based in Dortmund, is compliant with the strict requirements, which earned the company a recertification.

"The ISO 27001 standard is defined by a comprehensive measure catalog in order to define and guarantee an international standard for highest information security. Therefore, the auditor examines all our security concepts, our risk analysis, all measures taken as well as all relevant documentation", says Björn Mönikes, Knipp's Data Protection Officer (DPO). This year, Knipp passed a so-called surveillance audit. Those are scheduled on a yearly basis, whereas companies also need to pass an even more comprehensive recertification audit every three years, which Knipp succeeded last year.

How well is information protected? Were there any security incidents? If so, how were those treated? Did the overall situation and risk change? All of these and other questions are part of the risk analysis – and of everyday practice. Knipp's team for information security works according to the mantra "Plan Do Check Act": they need to plan, implement and check measures and constantly adapt and improve the processes. It is crucial to be flexible in order to react to new technical developments, new laws or... a global pandemic. "Most of our employees are now working from home. This is why we had to create the completely new infrastructure for everyone to do so. Of course, we had to consider new potential security risks that come with working from home, which we have taken into account and for which we have also raised the awareness of our employees", explains Damian Lusiewicz, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Knipp.

ISO 27001 is the leading international standard for defining and guaranteeing information security. Complying with highest operational standards in this area is crucial for companies like Knipp who handle information as their core business. With the renewed successful certification, Knipp has proven to handle information accordingly with highest care and awareness for security. Damian Lusiewicz is content because "this confirms our customers who have shown us long-lasting trust in all operational fields, from our data center to software engineering and our print department." The certification also includes Knipp's software products: the registry back-end TANGO Registry Services^®, the nameserver infrastructure ironDNS^® and the domain portfolio management tool mambo⁺.

For more details, please visit the ISO 27001 page on our website.

Our Services Continue!

The new coronavirus challenges all of us in unforeseen ways. One thing that you can rely on: our business hours have not changed, we are available for you as usual. Of course we cannot predict the future. However, we will do our best to keep up our services running smoothly in all our business divisions, including the domain business, our IT-Enterprise-Services as well as our print shop.

We implemented extensive precautionary measures in order to minimize health risks for our employees and customers. Our employees are all able to work from home while all meetings take place virtually. Strict rules of conduct regarding hygiene and distance assure a safe, continued business activity on site. In that way, we can keep providing our services as usual.

Stay healthy and safe!

Domain pulse 2020 is coming up and Knipp is pleased to announce that our team will be present.

Domain pulse is the yearly forum organized by the German-speaking registries DENIC, nic.at and SWITCH. This year's Domain pulse takes place on February 20 and 21 in Tyrol – nic.at invites participants to Innsbruck. Thematically, the event will discuss questions about the future of technology, Internet Governance as well as the future of work.

Meet our team in Innsbruck and get to know our services. Learn about our software products in more detail, for example with live demonstrations of our name server infrastructure ironDNS^®, the domain analysis tool mambo⁺ and our Registry back-end solution TANGO Registry Services^®. Profit from getting a demo account to check out all functionalities of mambo⁺ and ironDNS^® during and after the event.

You may make an appointment with us or simply come and talk to us directly at our booth.

See you there!

Knipp at ICANN's Annual General Meeting 2019

Knipp will be present the next ICANN meeting. ICANN66 takes place November 2 to 7, 2019 in Montréal in Canada. Meet representatives of all our teams and get to know our products and services on the spot.

We will present our domain portfolio management tool mambo⁺, our registry back-end TANGO Registry Services^® as well as our domain name infrastructure ironDNS^®. Our experts can show you live demos of the software and answer all your questions. We can also set up free trial accounts so that you can look into ironDNS^® and mambo⁺ in more detail.

You can schedule an appointment with us now directly talk to us on the ground.

We are looking forward to seeing you!

 

Information on our full product suite

The 65th ICANN conference takes place from June 24 to June 27 in Marrakech. The provincial capital in the southwest of Morocco is one of four former imperial cities and often referred to as the »Pearl of the South«.

It goes without saying that a team of Knipp will be present at the meeting. So use the opportunity to contact us and make an appointment. We would love to demonstrate ourpremium products ironDNS^®, mambo⁺, TANGO Registry Services^® and our Domain Registrierungs System.

Our experts are also ready to answer your questions around your domain strategy and your portfolio.

Simply get in touch! We are looking forward to meet you.

 

We will again have a booth at the job fair REALITY in Dortmund. On June 5, we will present ourselves to students and graduates who are looking for job opportunities.

What exactly does a network administrator do? What are chances and challenges in agile software development? And what possibilities do you as students have to start your career at Knipp? We are happy to answer all of your questions at our booth over a cold and refreshing beverage. Come and get to know us.

Our student assistant Marvin Rensing will give you a first-hand insight into his work life as a student at Knipp. His talk "die Arbeit statt nur dabei - Berufseinstieg als Werkstudent bei Knipp" will take place at 10:35 am in room 1.026.

By the way: We are currently looking for new team members for both our software engineering department as well as the network administration center. You can find more information on our current job offers on our career site, or come to our booth E10 in the tent.

We are looking forward to meeting you!

Wednesday, June 5 2019, 10 am to 5 pm
Computer Science Facilities of the TU Dortmund, Otto-Hahn-Straße 12, 44227 Dortmund

REALITY is a job fair for Computer Science in Dortmund. It is organized by the Department of Computer Science of the TU Dortmund University. Both students as well as graduates and IT professionals are welcome.

Knipp has successfully renewed its ISO 27001 certification. The recertification proves that Knipp's information security concept and the way information is handled comply with highest international security standards.

Knipp was first certified in 2016. At that time, the ISO working group had designed a comprehensive security concept. It follows a so-called full scope approach and includes all business services, infrastructures and processes, but it doesn't stop there. "It is essential to question existing structures and to continously develop and improve the security concept", explains Damian Lusiewicz, Knipp's Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), "We keep observing the latest trends and developments and assess how we can implement them. A good example is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that became effective last year." Constant development also calls for regularly training employees so that they are aware of the latest requirements of information security. After the first certificate was valid for three years, it now had to be renewed.

ISO 27001 is the leading international standard for defining and guaranteeing information security. Complying with highest operational standards in this area is crucial for companies like Knipp who handle information as their core business. With the renewed successful certification, Knipp has proven to handle information accordingly with highest care and awareness for security. Damian Lusiewicz is content because "this confirms our customers who have shown us long-lasting trust in all operational fields, from our data center to software engineering and our print department." The certification also includes Knipp's software products: the registry back-end TANGO Registry Services^®, the nameserver infrastructure ironDNS^® and the domain portfolio management tool mambo⁺.

For more details, please visit the ISO 27001 page on our website.

The toolkit implements an interface to DENIC's Real-time Registry Interface (RRI) for the Java programming language. It represents DENIC requests and responses, contact and domain data as well as messages as Java objects, allowing an easy access to the registry functionality.

The main feature of this new release is support for the DENIC RRI specification in version 3.0. At the same time, the support for previous versions has been removed. Other changes include an updated test application, additional help output, a new message visitor and updated error codes.

The Knipp RRI Toolkit is available for download on the Knipp Labs page.

Knipp will be present with a booth at this year's Domain pulse.

The event takes place on February 18 and 19, 2019 in the Swiss capital Bern. The meeting will focus on topics such as Internet governance and resilience, digital identities as well as Internet architecture security. Meet our team and get to know our products and services on the spot.

We will present our domain portfolio management tool mambo⁺, our registry back-end TANGO Registry Services^® as well as our domain name infrastruktur ironDNS^®. Our experts can show you live demos of the software and answer all your questions. We can also set up free trial accounts so that you can look into ironDNS^® and mambo⁺ in more detail.

You can schedule an appointment with us now, or directly talk to us at our booth.

We are looking forward to seeing you!

At the 63rd ICANN Conference in Barcelona, Knipp is an official sponsor.

At the six-day conference held from October 20th to 25th in the capital of Catalonia and second largest city of Spain, Knipp will be present as a sponsor with its products ironDNS^®, mambo⁺ and TANGO Registry Services^®.

A great opportunity for you to get presentations of the most important Knipp developments of the recent years. Experience our products in revealing practical demonstrations: Our premium name server technology , the abuse monitoring tool ironDNS^®, the abuse monitoring tool mambo⁺ and the world-class TLD solution TANGO Registry Services^®.

We also offer individual testing accounts on request with which you can put ironDNS^® and mambo⁺ to the test – not only directly during the conference, but also afterwards back at home.

Our team of experts in Barcelona will happily answer your questions and help you with your individual requirements and wishes. Please make an appointment for a non-binding consultation, or contact us directly on the spot.

The Knipp team looks forward to meeting you!

Official Sponsor of the 63. ICANN Conference in Barcelona

Our form for the processing of online payments via credit card has moved. From now on, you can find this function on a separate sub page of your personal account administration.

Pay easily, quickly and safely: Online Payment at Knipp

Accepted cards are American Express, Mastercard und Visa.

As every year, we will attend the job fair REALITY in Dortmund. On June 6th (10 am to 5 pm) we will present ourselves and our businesses to interested students and graduates. Come and visit us and get to know us as an employer!

Die REALITY wird von der Fakultät für Informatik der TU Dortmund organisiert und richtet sich sowohl an Studierende als auch an Absolventen und IT-Professionals. Sie können den Arbeitsalltag in der IT-Branche erkunden und so den richtigen Arbeitgeber finden.

Auch wir haben freie Stellen für Studierende und Vollzeitkräfte. „Wir sind ständig auf der Suche nach guten Leuten, die unsere Leidenschaft für IT teilen“, erklärt Dr. Jan-Hendrik Lochner, Gruppenleiter und System-Architekt bei Knipp. „Momentan suchen wir zum Beispiel Verstärkung für unsere Softwareentwicklung und die Netzwerkadministration“.

Im Vortrag „Beyond Scrum – Agile Softwareentwicklung in einem dynamischen Umfeld“ erhalten Sie erste Einblicke in unseren Arbeitsalltag. Am Messestand beantworten wir gerne Ihre Fragen. Wir freuen uns auf spannende Gespräche mit Ihnen!

Sie schaffen es nicht zur Messe und wollen trotzdem wissen, welche Stellen gerade bei uns frei sind? Dann schauen Sie doch mal in unserer Übersicht der offenen Stellen.

Meet us at the REALITY 2018: Informal Registration

Mittwoch, 06. Juni 2018, 10 bis 17 Uhr
Computer Science Facilities of the TU Dortmund, Otto-Hahn-Straße 12, 44227 Dortmund

At the 60th ICANN Conference in Abu Dhabi, the Annual General Meeting 2017, Knipp is represented as an official sponsor.

At the seven-day conference held in the capital of the United Arab Emirates from 28 October to 3 November 2017, Knipp will be present as a sponsor with its products ironDNS^®, mambo⁺ and TANGO Registry Services^®.

This is a great opportunity to get presentations of the most important Knipp developments of the recent years. Experience our products in revealing practical demonstrations: Our premium name server technology ironDNS^®, the abuse monitoring tool mambo⁺, and the world-class TLD solution TANGO Registry Services^®.

On request, we also offer individual testing accounts with which you can put not only ironDNS^® to the acid test, but also mambo⁺ – calmly, during breaks or after the conference.

Our team of experts will also be happy to answer specific questions about your individual requirements. Please make an appointment for a non-binding consultation, or contact us directly.

The Knipp team looks forward to seeing you!

Official Sponsor of the 60th ICANN Meeting in Abu Dhabi

The continuous improvement of mambo⁺ goes on. The enhanced abuse monitoring offers compliance with Spec 11 3b of the ICANN registry agreement. Further to that, mambo⁺ now provides additional business intelligence functionality for registries, registrars and registrants.

By analysing technical information and usage data of domain names the users gain important insights for operative and strategic decisions. Concretely, mambo⁺ helps to improve services, to determine the demand and market potentials of new functions, and last not least to enhance reputation and customer support.

Besides these improvements a lot of further innovations have been added to mambo⁺. The user interface has been redesigned to become even more comfortable, and a new app (for iOS and Android) has been developed which provides instant user notifications on mobile devices and tablets about new or omitted abuse cases.

Another technical innovation is the new smart mambo⁺ bulb. These LED RGB Bluetooth bulbs signal status updates of domain abuse cases within a domain portfolio, supplementing to the automated reports and e-mail alerts that mambo⁺ provides out of the box. This allows to respond to domain abuse cases even quicker.

The first public presentation of the smart mambo⁺ bulbs will be on the upcoming ICANN meeting in Copenhagen from March 11th to March 16th. There, interested registries have the possibility to get sample devices for free.

For more information, visit mambo.plus and contact our team directly: info@mambo.plus

Last week Knipp announced its new product at the ICANN meeting in Helsinki: The monitoring tool for domain portfolios — mambo⁺.

mambo⁺ is an acronym for „monitoring and management beautifully organized“. The simple and user-optimised business intelligence tool for domain portfolios provides a variety of sophisticated features that fulfill the needs of different user groups. Registrars, resellers and registrants can watch their domains to identify important trends over time or track changes within seconds of their occurrence. Individually configured reports and state-of-the-art statistics help to gain an extensive overview. In addition, alerts ensure that the user is informed immediately in the event of relevant incidents.

Registries can achieve ICANN compliance concerning Spec 11 3b of the Registry Agreement by using mambo⁺ to detect domain name abuse. Additionally, the in-depth analysis functionality of mambo⁺ empower users that need specific information, e.g. journalists, to gain extensive insights into domain names and their history.

Data protection is of outstanding importance. mambo⁺-data is stored on servers located in Europe and the data storage complies to the high standards of European Data Protection. Furthermore, Knipp as the provider of mambo⁺ is ISO/IEC 27001-certified which reflects the comprehensive security concepts.

Visit mambo.plus for more details and feel free to contact us directly: info@mambo.plus mambo.plus

ironDNS^® offers an easy option to check the criteria

The German federal IT security law (the so-called IT-Sicherheitsgesetz) became effective in July 2015. It was supposed to enhance the security of home IT infrastructures. However, many telecommunication service providers as well as web server and web shop operators are not aware of the fact that they since have to comply with stricter standards concerning data and IT system security.

On May 3 2016, the IT security law was supplemented by an ordinance regulating all branches supplying the general public. This includes, for example, the so-called critical infrastructures in the areas of information technology and telecommunications, energy, water and alimentation. The areas transportation and traffic, health as well as the financial system and the assurance industry will be covered by 2017.

System operators and service providers thus need to establish a single contact point to the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) within six months and implement a minimum IT security standard within two years. In addition, reporting obligations for security relevant incidents, such as cyber attacks, phishing or IT-based attempted extortion, are effective. These obligatory reports serve to provide an insight into the current threat potential in Germany and to plan preventive measures accordingly.

The so-called „BSI-Kritisverordnung“ provides a list of criteria that helps to define critical infrastructures. For web-based DNS services for example, the definition is based on the amount of daily requested IP adresses. However, the operators themselves are obliged to determine whether their facilities classify as critical infrastructure. The problem is that many operators are not aware of these obligations and the possible consequences. Not complying with the new standards might result in fees as high as €100,000.

This is why every company working in the mentioned fields should check the list of criteria. The time for implementation is already running out.

The „Online-Test Critical Infrastructure“. is an easy and comprehensible tool to check whether your infrastructure are classified as critical. This online tool is an interactive questionnaire created by the DNS specialists at ironDNS^®. Furthermore, you will find short and clear explanations, instructions for the next steps and further information via the link below.

„Online-Test Critical Infrastructure“: https://irondns.net/kritisv

With the enormous increase of data available in all fields of daily life, for many people the question about the security of the processed data becomes more and more pressing. In order to permanently guarantee IT security, the international standard ISO 27001 has been developed. The Dortmund based Internet system house Knipp Medien und Kommunikation GmbH has now been awarded the ISO/IEC 27001 certificate for its comprehensive security concepts.

The ISO 27001 norm specifies requirements and procedures to maintain the availability, integrity and confidentiality of information in a sustained manner. These include, for example, technical and physical means such as data encryption and redundancy of critical system components. Moreover, the security awareness of employees is of central importance. A permanent risk analysis of business-critical processes additionally ensures that threats are identified early and appropriate measures are taken.

For Knipp, the security of the handled information has always been an integral part of its corporate culture. The ISO 27001 certificate now proves that the security measures established at Knipp fulfill the sophisticated international standards. The certification of Knipp was carried out following the so-called full-scope approach and comprises all services, infrastructures and processes. This confirms the longstanding trust that Knipp customers like alltours, Daimler, Evonik, SAP or Deutsche Telekom have grown in the services around the data center, the custom software development and the print production.

In addition to the immediate customers of Knipp, many Internet users benefit from the outstanding level of safety: With its products „TANGO Registry Services^®“ and the nameserver service „ironDNS^®“, Knipp is the technical operator of a variety of top level domains and of important infrastructure components for the Internet.

„We have always considered information security and privacy as highly valuable assets and have invested accordingly in the necessary technical and organisational requirements. With the ISO 27001 certification, we now have the official confirmation that this commitment pays off. This is a pleasant appreciation to us, and for the users of our services it is the assurance that their data are securely protected at Knipp.“ (Elmar Knipp, Managing Director)

Further information is available on our ISO 27001 page: ISO 27001 Certification

Knipp's DNS infrastructure technology ironDNS^® is continuously getting better. During the first quarter of 2015, a two factor authentication was introduced that allows ironDNS^® customers to secure a zone's content even before it gets signed.

In addition to that, ironDNS^® also supports signed and forgery-proof DNS responses based on the innovative encryption technology DANE/TLSA. With DANE (DNS-based Authentication of Named Entities) it is possible to verify the authenticity of a certificate before establishing a secured connection to a server. This is achieved with the help of DNS Resource Records of type „TLSA“ which conatin the necessary information to verify certificates.

By additionally applyling DNSSEC technologies, the authenticity of the sender of the DANE information can be ensured so that any manipulation of the data during the transport is prevented and a reliable authentication can be guaranteed. Wiretapping data from supposedly secured connections with the help of falsified certificates, as hackers or intelligence agencies would use them, is effectively circumvented in this way.

In the meantime, the ironDNS^® user base is constantly growing. New in July 2015 are the new top level domains for Moscow, for example. Both TLDs, the western version and the one in Cyrillic writing (.moscow and .москва, respectively) are now using the sophisticated ironDNS^® infrastructure.

This reflects a pleasing trend, since the number of IDN domains and, more recently, IDN TLDs as well, is steadily increasing. (Also see the link at the end of this news.) This development is only logical, however, since the major part of the Internet Community speaks languages that can not or at least not entirely be represented in US-ASCII form.

We are especially happy about the fact that we can observe this same trend among our ironDNS^®-customer base, which not only includes the Cyrillic .москва (.moscow), but also .сайт (.site) and .онлайн (.online) and the Arabic بازار. (.bazaar).

Further information on our ironDNS^® services: http://www.irondns.net

Example of an ironDNS^® customer who actively uses DANE/TLSA to offer secure e-mail communication: https://mail.de

Interesting facts and background information on the development of Internationalised Domain Names (IDNs): IDN World Report 2014

The number of new top level domains that are operated on Knipp's Registry platform TANGO Registry Services^® is growing even after the first ngTLD application round has closed. Besides the originally settled partnerships, an increasing number of TLD owners is aiming at a reorientation and would like to benefit from the technical possibilities that TANGO offers.

To further improve the performance of the existing instances and to increase capacities for the operation of additional TLDs, Knipp has upgraded the available resources. The Amsterdam location alone has been upgraded with server hardware providing the computing power of 512 processor cores and more than 1.1 Terabyte of RAM.

The improvements do not only target the underlying hardware, however. The software is also actively being worked on. In development cycles of three weeks each, errors get fixed and improvements or new features are introduced. These are, for example, extended customisation options for the White Label Interface (ranging from the Control Panel via the Web WHOIS output to the templates used for e-mail generation), a Reporting Server to provide registrars with various automated reports, or a new e-mail interface for TANGO's the integrated Issue System.

You are the operator of a top level domain and looking for the most suitable platform for its operation? Then get in touch with us: (Mr. Swen Wojciechowski) +49 231 9703-233

Further Information: TANGO Registry Services^®

Starting today, Germany's largest federal state North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has its own top-level domain. The TLD .nrw is now available to the general public.

Previously, only trademark holders could register for the .nrw TLD during the so-called Sunrise Period. This allows trademark holders to secure their rights according to the requirements of ICANN. Now all individuals as well as legal entities that have their place of residence or business in the state of Northrhine-Westphalia can register a .nrw domain.

When Garrelt Duin, minister of economic affairs, presented the new domain the day before, he explained that „economy, tourism, health, traffic and administrations, basically everyone in NRW can now benefit from the possibility of being easily found on the world wide web and having a clear regional connection“.

Several of the much sought-after domains are already taken. Soccer club Borussia Mönchengladbach of the German Bundesliga for example secured the domain borussia.nrw. Düsseldorf Airport registered airport.nrw and the State Government of NRW, the so-called Land, is now found online under land.nrw. All interested parties should register their domain as quickly as possible as domains are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

Both the Minds+Machines GmbH and Knipp Medien und Kommunikation GmbH are responsible for securely operating .nrw. Knipp's software TANGO Registry Services^®serves as technical platform. In addition, Knipp's own nameserver service ironDNS^® guarantees that .nrw domains are highly available all around the world.

.nrw powered by TANGO Registry Services^®

For further information concerning the launch and the launch event in Düsseldorf, please see the „BLOG NRW“ on the TLD's official website: http://nic.nrw/blog/

Das Ruhrgebiet schreibt Internetgeschichte: Am 11.12.2013 hat ICANN die Top-Level-Domain .ruhr als erste deutsche Top-Level-Domain seit der Einführung von .de in 1986 in den Rootserver eingetragen. Ab Anfang 2014 sind die neuen .ruhr-Domains registrierbar.

Zum ersten Mal seit der Einführung von .de im November 1986 ist mit .ruhr heute eine deutsche Top-Level-Domain live geschaltet worden. Damit ist .ruhr technische Realität und unter www.nic.ruhr die erste .ruhr-Website aufrufbar. Ab Anfang 2014 können die „Ruhris“ nun ihre lokalen .ruhr-Domains registrieren und sich ihr eigenes Stück Netz im Revier sichern.

„Bislang gab es nur nationale und globale Namensräume im Internet. Eine Domain-Endung wie .ruhr bietet dagegen regionale und individuelle Identität, eine eigene Heimat für die Ruhris im Netz. Und das viel besser, als es länderspezifische Endungen wie .de je vermögen“, kommentiert Anja Elsing, Geschäftsführerin von regiodot, den historischen Moment.

Sei es die Möglichkeit, seine Verbundenheit zur Region auch online auszudrücken, der Wunsch nach einer lebenslangen, individuellen E-Mail-Adresse mit Bezug zur Heimat oder die optimierte Platzierung im Suchmaschinen-Ranking – die Argumente für eine .ruhr-Domain sind vielfältig.

Während der ersten Registrierungsphase von .ruhr können Inhaber von Marken- und ähnlichen Schutzrechten ihre Domains bevorrechtigt registrieren. Voraussetzung dafür ist, die Marken im Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) zu hinterlegen. Weitere Informationen zum TMCH finden Interessenten auf den TMCH-Seiten von Knipp.

In den weiteren Phasen können Einwohner des Ruhrgebietes und im Anschluss alle Deutschen Domains unter .ruhr registrieren.

Zum Betrieb von .ruhr setzt regiodot das Knipp-Produkt TANGO Registry Services^® als technische Plattform ein. Außerdem trägt mit der ironDNS^®-Technologie ein weiteres Produkt aus dem Hause Knipp zum ausfallsicheren Betrieb der .ruhr-Domains bei.

Knipp – neue Technologien für neue Domains.

That's what friends of the ruhr area waited for. The application for the new Top Level Domain .ruhr successfully passed ICANN's initial evaluation and will go live this summer. From that time on companies, organisations and private individuals will be able to even better express a local connection to their region by using a .ruhr domain.

For a reliable technical operation, regiodot (the registry of .ruhr) decided to use Knipp's product TANGO Registry Services^® for their own Top Level Domain. Failsafe operation of .ruhr domains is assured by the underlying ironDNS^® technology – another product powered by Knipp.

The many year long experience of Knipp with the technical operation of Top Level Domains was not the only reason for regiodot's decision to work together with Knipp, but also the location of Knipp's head office, which is right within the Ruhr Area at TechnologiePark Dortmund. That way Knipp provides the essential technical know-how as well as the geographical reference, which was important for regiodot.

Knipp – a powerful partner for the Top Level Domain of a powerful region.

The Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH), which was established by ICANN as part of the launch of new generic Top-Level-Domains (ngTLDs) to protect the rights of trademark owners, will begin its operation on March 26, 2013. From that date, trademark holders or their agents can register brand names at the TMCH to prevent unsolicited domain registrations under the new TLDs.

In order to incorporate a trademark into the register, an application has to be filed with the TMCH first. After a successful review of the claimed rights, the trademark is added to the central database of the Trademark Clearinghouse. Since the operators of any new top-level-domain are obligated to check against the TMCH register during the Sunrise Period and for later domain registrations, the enlisted terms are protected against registrations by third parties and trademark violations can be avoided.

With incorporation into the TMCH repository, the trademark owner also get the possibility to register the corresponding domain names during the Sunrise Period of every new top level domain.

Furthermore, holders of enlisted trademarks will get notified by the Clearinghouse if an identical domain name or a close match to their trademark is applied for under one of the new TLDs.

For brand protection and also to prevent possible legal costs e. g. for trademark rights violation lawsuits, trademark owners are well advised to register their marks with the TMCH.

As a matter of course, Knipp is ready to assist trademark holders in this process and offers to conduct the registration of brand names with the TMCH. Do not hesitate to contact us. We are pleased to inform you in detail about this topic. Simply send an e-mail to sales@knipp.de.