IE Domain Registry Annual Report 2019

IE Domain Registry  Annual Report & Review  2019 6 Chief Executive’s Report Chief Executive’s Report The year 2019 might appear to be a year of consolidation when compared to the major achievements in 2018 which witnessed the arrival of GDPR and liberalisation. However, 2019 was an important year of building foundations - foundations for expansion and foundations for the future security, stability and resilience of our infrastructure which underpins the .ie domain name space and the DNS. At Registrar Day in November 2019 we announced the planned cessation of the direct registration service, and promised the delivery of a new state-of-the-art registry management system which will, before the end of 2020, provide a platform for the next decade of growth and expansion in the .ie namespace. The multi-stakeholder Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) considered the topical issue of cybercrime / cybersecurity and reached initial consensus on a proactive policy response for handling technical abuse and online illegality. In July 2019, following a productive period of engagement with the PAC, we achieved the consensus needed to launch a new alternative dispute resolution process for .ie, with independent mediators providing ‘fair play and a fair hearing’ for all. With ongoing emphasis on strategic execution, the management team delivered a solid performance, with net growth of over 18,000 .ie domains, and we ended the year in a very strong financial position with €4.1m in Members’ Funds. Leveraging our ongoing research, in 2019 we continued to advocate for the digitalisation of SMEs’ business processes. This is essential if Irish SMEs are to reclaim the loyalty of Irish consumers, who clearly want, and value, an efficient online shopping experience. The operating profit during the year ended 31 December 2019 incorporates expenditure of €216,500 from our Strategic Development Fund, to finance a set of promotion, marketing and customer service initiatives to meet the strategic objectives and priorities of expansion and protection of the .ie namespace. Operational review New registrations of 50,167 in 2019 were in line with the record- setting year of 2018 (51,040). These registrations were offset by 32,151 non-renewals/deletions which were up 22% over 2018 (26,425 domains), giving a net increase of 18,016 which compares to the net increase in 2018 (24,615 domains). Continuation of these exceptional levels of new growth is due to the marketing and promotion activities of our accredited Registrar community. This performance was in the context of a domestic economy where offline indigenous micro and small businesses continued to experience competitive pressures from international e-commerce providers. Buoyant consumer confidence led to increased use of websites for new online businesses, products or services. However, website growth is somewhat challenged by the use of mobile apps and the use of social media for small businesses’ promotions. The Company continued to encourage excellence in SME’s website functionality, design and e-commerce through sponsorships and direct funding.