A Tool to Survey Domain Names Registered with a NIC

29/07/2021

The proposal by NIC.ar for developing a solution to automatically and regularly survey the domain names registered with a NIC was selected as one of the winners of last year’s edition of LACNIC’s FRIDA Program.

In her interview with LACNIC News, Romina Auletta Guirado of NIC Argentina mentioned that the goals of the tool developed by NIC.ar are to identify the features, strengths and weaknesses of registered domain names for the purpose of optimizing the use of resources within an organization and to design actions to meet the needs of its users.

What can you tell us about NIC.ar’s software solution for surveying the domain names registered with a NIC?

We are developing an ongoing survey tool, a complete software solution that allows the constant, automatic, and periodic survey of the domain names registered with a Domain Name Registry to monitor compliance with international standards and current best practices in the domain name ecosystem. We call this tool HRC, the Spanish acronym for Herramienta de Relevamiento Continuo.

What are the goals of this project in the domain name ecosystem?

HRC’s mission is to identify the features, strengths, and weaknesses of registered domain names in order to optimize the use of resources within an organization and design actions to meet user needs.

What strengths and weaknesses will this tool help identify?

The survey module can collect information on the following indicators:

• Use of SSL certificate
• Use of DNSSEC
• Use of CMS
• Support for responsive design
• Accessibility
• Use of DKIM and SPF records

How might an organization’s use of resources be optimized based on your proposed software solution?

The information will increase the efficiency of an organization’s decision-making processes. Furthermore, the surveyed data may be useful not only for NICs or registries. For example, having information on parameters such as accessibility allows collaborating with organizations and institutions that promote the implementation of standards approved by the W3C on this matter. The tool also allows checking a history of surveyed parameters, which results in comprehensive support: HRC helps detect weaknesses, design assertive actions, and measure their impact by following the parameters’ evolution over time.

What are your takeaways and lessons learned from your participation in the FRIDA program?

I can’t but highlight the region’s spirit of collaboration and the importance of teamwork. From the willingness of the LACNIC staff to answer our questions and support us during a process that took place during the pandemic, to the colleagues from neighboring countries who accompanied us with their interest and followed the development of this tool which we consider will be a functional solution for everyone.