Businessmodel of Verisign

Customer Segments

Verisign has a segmented market business model, with customer groups that have slightly different needs. The company targets its offerings at consumers and businesses.

Value Proposition

Verisign offers two primary value propositions: risk reduction and brand/status.

The company reduces risk by maintaining high security standards. It works to ensure the stability of key Internet services and infrastructure, including the authoritative directory of all .net, .com, .cc, .name, and .tv top-level domains as well as the back-end registry for generic top-level domains.

The company has established a strong brand due to its success. It manages and protects the DNS infrastructure for more than 143.2 million domain names and processes over 130 billion transactions per day. It manages two of the world’s 13 internet root servers. Lastly, it has won a number of honors, including the following:

• Recognition as one of Forbes‘ Most Innovative Growth Companies in 2016
• A “Rated Outstanding Assisted Support, North America” certification from the Technical Services Industry Association (TSIA) for its Customer Service group
• Recognition in the Q3 2015 Forreter Wave for its DDoS services ### Channels

Verisign’s main channel is its direct sales team; it also sells its services through indirect channels. The company promotes its offerings through its website, social media pages, advertising, and participation in summits and conferences.

Customer Relationships

Verisign’s customer relationship is primarily of a personal assistance nature. The company assists customers in the following ways:

General Support Services – Verisign offers customer service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Support is provided through phone, e-mail, and chat from employees with technical expertise. Clients can sign up for Premium Support to receive prioritized case management.

Dedicated Account Management – Verisign assigns clients a dedicated Technical Account Manager (for a fee) to provide them with a more tailored service experience. Specifically, they assist with onboarding and change management, and check in with customers at scheduled touch points.

Training Services – Verisign offers free customer user training, which includes demos.

Despite this orientation, there is a self-service component. The company’s website features a customer portal that gives clients access to account details, historical and current alerts, and standard reports.

The site also has a product knowledgebase that provides useful information about offerings. Lastly, is has a “Resource Center” that includes a number of useful resources, including white papers, eBooks, data sheets, case studies, infographics, reports, webinars, and videos.

Key Activities

Verisign’s business model entails designing and developing its services for its customers.

Key Partners

Verisign has the following types of partners:

Domain Name Resellers – The company works with firms that promote and sell its offerings in order to extend its reach. They are provided with best practice resources and marketing research tools.

Domain Name Registar – The company works with firms that register domain names for their customers in Top Level Domains (TLDs) it supports, enabling the firms to earn revenue.

Key Resources

Verisign’s main resources are its human resources. They include the engineers that design and develop the services it offers, the sales employees that promote and sell it, the training employees that provide instruction, and the customer service personnel that provide support.

Cost Structure

Verisign has a value-driven structure, aiming to provide a premium proposition through significant personal service and frequent service enhancements. Its biggest cost driver is cost of revenues, a variable expense.

Other major drivers are in the areas of administration, sales/marketing, and research/development, all fixed costs.

Revenue Streams

Verisgin has one revenue stream: revenues it generates from sales of its registry/naming services.