Resolution #4: Streamline the DNS and SSL coverage of your domain name portfolio
In an ongoing blog post series, CSC’s Vincent D’Angelo shares 6 resolutions for brand owners.
With the New Year just a few weeks in, it’s the perfect time to take a good look at your online businesses and understand where positive changes can be made for the future.
One element that should not escape your eye is the infrastructure behind your websites, which includes domain name system (DNS) services. 
With the internet growing so quickly and the launch of hundreds of new gTLDs the security of your web assets is more important than ever.
Securing new gTLDs when they are launched could put brands in a positive position, but this will leave them in the crosshairs of attackers, as social engineering attacks, such as distributed denial of service (DDoS), are predicted to increase dramatically in the coming years.
As a brand it is crucial to ensure your DNS is not compromised in any way, which means working with a registrar that has stringent security measures in place, enterprise data centers and a proven history of registration policies and procedures.
While fraudsters are looking to take advantage of weaknesses within the DNS, lapsed SSL certificates are also appealing, so it is important that brands take the time to audit and streamline coverage in the New Year.
SSL certificates are used to keep data safe and secure, but many brands allow these to lapse, leaving the door open for criminals to access personal information and credit card details, or listen in on confidential discussions.
This, quite simply, cannot be allowed to happen and should be avoided at all costs.
Renewing a lapsed SSL certificate is really not a simple process, as Domain Control Validation takes place upon each renewal, which requires brand owners to prove they are the rightful owners of the domain the certificate applies to.
There is also a limited window to complete this process, adding further complications to the process. However, with cybercrime on the increase around the world, it is vital you resolve to keep track of these elements of your online presence and renew them when necessary, which is usually every one to three years.
As you can imagine the process of keeping on top of these issues can be complex and time consuming, making it imperative that your digital intellectual property is centralized and managed with a portfolio-based approach.
(Stay tuned for our next blog post and Resolution #5: Evaluate your brand monitoring program)
