InternetNZ has begun a process of replacing their backend registry, a process they describe as updating “the technology at the heart of the .nz domain name space.”
InternetNZ, the designated manager for the .nz ccTLD, is calling for expressions of interest from potential suppliers by 29 November and is planning to replace the registry with a new, modern and secure system with a potential of further growth.
The Shared Registry System is the core technology system for the operation of the .nz registry. It was originally developed in 2002, significantly evolved since that time, and has been operated in-house by InternetNZ since 2014.
There are currently around 712,000 .nz domain names across 15 second level domains and .nz, with 508,000 under .co.nz and 142,000 under .nz. Others with more than 10,000 registrations are .org.net (27,000) and .net.nz (21,000).
“We hope to have a good overview of existing solutions on the market by the end of the EOI submissions period,” said InternetNZ Chief Technology Strategist Dave Baker. “We are doing this market exercise to test the value, accountability and performance of best-in-class registry systems and to assess the capability of responding suppliers to enable and support InternetNZ to undertake the Registry Replacement project.”
“This is an important project that will improve New Zealand’s domain name system – reinforcing its reliability and security,” said InternetNZ Group Chief Executive Jordan Carter. “It’s an investment in keeping the core technologies behind .nz up to date. We will be taking a careful and thorough approach to this project.”
The request for expressions of interest is available on the InternetNZ website: https://internetnz.nz/rrp.