An alchemy of technology, branding, and mindshare established VeriSign as the name in digital encryption for more than 85,000 customers. Even with its eminence in virtual security, VeriSign decided it had to continue to enhance its standing. That business registered and renewed 15.1 million names and name extensions in the fourth quarter. It's an impressive complement to a company that already rings up 2 billion transactions per day, supporting a customer base of 28.2 million. To hold onto this enviable position, VeriSign must keep pace with continual advances in the basic hardware of the Internet.
New technologies mean new services, which portend new markets and revenue streams.
In January, VeriSign announced that its technology will be compatible with the projected 20.3 million cable modems expected to be installed in the next three years. In the past five months, it has registered more than 800,000 domain names that use characters from the Japanese, Chinese, and Korean languages. If VeriSign keeps this up, you couldn't leave home without it if you tried. Related Articles Kevin Hogan is a New York-based features editor for Business 2.0 .