Clarivate-品牌在线安全调查报告（英文）-2019.8-20页_2mb

2019 Global Business Survey: Online Brand Protection Life Cycle

Core Content

This report explores the evolving domain landscape and the challenges brands face in securing and managing their domain portfolios. It emphasizes the importance of domain management as a core element of brand protection and outlines how legislative changes and cyber threats are influencing domain strategies. The study surveyed 700 IT, legal, and marketing decision makers across the U.K., U.S., France, Germany, and Italy to gather insights on current practices and future trends in domain and brand protection.

Key Findings

• Cybersecurity Challenges:

  • 62% of brands reported impacts of cybercrime in the last 12 months.
  • 23% of organisations experienced a cyber attack specifically targeting their domain.
  • 48% believe brand infringement has increased over the last year.
  • 46% said the cyber threat has influenced their domain strategy.

• Domain Management Challenges:

  • 43% of respondents said their domain portfolio was vital to brand building and customer trust.
  • The most cited challenges in domain management were:
    • Security (56%)
    • Cost management (40%)
    • Keeping track of domains (34%)
  • 32% of organisations don’t monitor domain value as part of domain management.
  • 56% of brands own up to 100 domains, but only 18% say more than three-quarters are active.

• Domain Portfolio Management:

  • 62% of brands monitor the value of their domains.
  • 28% do it to identify and retire low-value domains.
  • 22% do it to protect core brands.
  • 32% (possibly more) may not be monitoring domain value, potentially missing opportunities for optimisation.

• Responsibility for Domain Management:

  • IT/IT security is the main department responsible for domain management (46%).
  • Legal (16%), combined effort (13%), and marketing (13%) also play roles.
  • 26% rely on renewal notices, 21% on one person, and 25% on a collaborative approach.

• Impact of Legislation and External Factors:

  • 39% of brands have registered a gTLD, with 32% experiencing brand impersonation or abuse.
  • 39% of brands say Brexit has impacted their domain strategy.
  • 46% say GDPR has impacted their strategy, with 18% finding it harder to enforce against infringements.

• Cyber Threats and Their Impact:

  • 61% of respondents identified fraud (malware and phishing) as a main threat.
  • 37% cited piracy, 32% domain impersonation, 27% brand abuse, and 18% the dark web.
  • Threats primarily originate from Asia (58%), with China accounting for 35% of these threats.

• Future Brand Protection Budget Allocation:

  • Over the next five years, respondents expect to allocate most of their brand protection budget to:
    • Fighting phishing fraud (26%)
    • Implementing new technology (26%)
    • Protecting domain names and company IP (25%)
    • Combatting piracy (22%)

Main Viewpoints

• Holistic Approach is Essential:
  Domain management and online brand protection should be integrated into a broader organisational strategy, involving collaboration across departments.

• Security is a Top Priority:
  Protecting critical domain assets is seen as the most important issue in domain management by 51% of respondents.

• Budget and Resources are Constraints:
  25% of respondents cited lack of budget as a challenge in monitoring brand protection, while 27% mentioned lack of resources and 26% noted the lack of knowledgeable staff.

• Need for Proactive Measures:
  Brands must move beyond reactive measures and adopt a more proactive approach to brand protection to effectively mitigate risks.

Key Information

• Domain Management Complexity:
  Managing domains involves registration, monitoring, and renewal, and the process is increasingly complex due to the proliferation of gTLDs and the need for multi-departmental collaboration.

• Role of gTLDs:
  gTLDs are used to enhance brand recognition and control online presence, but they also introduce new challenges such as measuring ROI and mitigating brand abuse.

• Board Involvement:
  43% of respondents said domain management was an important board-level issue, with hands-on involvement from directors.
  Board support is crucial for securing budget and ensuring domain processes are aligned with broader brand protection strategies.

• Third-Party Solutions:
  Brands are increasingly looking to third-party providers for assistance in domain management and security, especially as internal processes become more complex.

• Future Trends:
  The report highlights the growing importance of cybersecurity in domain management and the need for continuous monitoring and optimisation of domain portfolios.

Conclusion

Domain management and online brand protection are critical components of a modern business strategy. With the rise of cyber threats and legislative changes, brands must adopt a holistic, collaborative approach to secure and manage their domain portfolios effectively. This includes integrating domain security into broader cybersecurity plans, monitoring domain value, and aligning domain management with overall brand protection initiatives. The report underscores the need for proactive, technology-driven solutions to safeguard brand identity and reputation in the digital landscape.