Each year we publish our Annual Report & Review which takes an in-depth look at our company, our activities and our industry.
2023: The .ie DNS is recognised worldwide as resilient, secure and trusted
.IE continues to make a positive contribution to the safety, security and resilience of the national internet infrastructure, fulfilling our responsibilities as a designated Operator of Essential Services (OES). Our teams continue to protect the national DNS infrastructure against ongoing and new external cybersecurity threats, in particular, in the face of the continuing global increase in ransomware, malware and DDoS attacks. Protection of our mission-critical systems and the DNS is our never-ending focus.
New registration growth was again flat for 2023. On a positive note, the growth in the .ie database was up 6% over a three-year period, and up 25% over the five-year period. Market share of hosted domains of 54.3% for .ie improved again in 2023 vs .com’s share at 29%. Our ccTLD domains of ‘000 per capita is better than Italy, France and Spain. We are confident that there is headroom for future growth, as Ireland continues on its digital development journey, during this EU Digital Decade.
Registration revenue in 2023 decreased by 2% to €4.21 million (2022 – €4.31 million). The financial position of the Company is solid. Members’ Funds increased marginally from €5.3m to €5.4m by the end of December 2023.
As we face into a new era – the end of self-regulation in the digital sector – our multi-stakeholder Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) continued its important work. This will continue into 2024, focused on building national Awareness of the new NIS2 regulations, Alignment with the transposed legislation and Advocacy for stakeholder protections.
We were pleased to retain Ibec’s KeepWell MarkTM , an evidence-based workplace wellbeing accreditation, which is recognised as the business standard for health, safety and wellbeing in Ireland. We take pride in creating in .IE a people-centred culture in a digital age – an inclusive working environment, where our people are fully engaged and where continuous personal and professional development is a strategic priority for all.
Louise English, Chair of the Board
“We are using our financial resources to invest in developing new sources of revenue to ensure that we have the long-term capability to fulfill our Purpose and Vision. Ensuring that the .ie namespace infrastructure is safe and secure for our internet users and for Irish business is a critical priority for the Board of Directors. The Company’s financial position remains strong and in line with our strategic objectives. .IE’s financial reserves are its only source of capital and is therefore critically important that we maintain a capital base fully adequate to meet current and prospective business requirements.
While we welcome the EU regulatory focus on cybersecurity and its objective to harmonise standards across the EU, we are acutely aware of the potential for short-term disruption and the challenges and implications of a higher cost base for our Registrar channel, and for SMEs. The Board is acutely aware of the intense competition for talent in the digital economy. Directors will resource and enable our dedicated team at the Registry, so it can continue offering trustworthy, dependable and efficient infrastructure and services, empowering the citizens and businesses of Ireland to thrive online.”
David Curtin, Chief Executive
“In 2023, we continued on our mission to elevate Ireland’s digital identity by providing a trusted, resilient and accessible .ie domain.
During 2023, the team behind our rapidly developing centre of expertise in data analytics and data visualisation produced innovative cybersecurity risk-based tools and informative DNS data insights.
Operating losses of €629k for the year 2023, compared to a profit last year of €331k. The result for 2023 is predominantly explained by regulatory, compliance and policy development costs along with setup costs associated with implementing the company’s new strategic initiatives which are within the parameters of our corporate reserves management policy. All of our programmes meet the company’s enterprise risk criteria.
Administrative expenses increased by €865k (21.8%) from €3.98m to €4.84m in 2023, in line with the company’s Strategic Plan 2024 and its operational plans for 2023. We look forward to working with our industry colleagues and partners as we face the future with optimism for digital development, but cognisant of the ongoing challenges facing the sector and the economy. Stronger together, we will continue to be a positive driving force in Ireland’s digital economy, enabling Ireland’s online community to thrive and prosper.”
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