Monash first in line for a Top-Level Domain
The new .monash top-level domain name will be rolled out gradually.
Monash University is the first globally recognised organisation to be delegated a brand Top-Level Domain (TLD) by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Internet’s global governing body.
Following a lengthy application process, the University has been successfully approved to own and operate the .monash TLD. The New TLD Program includes applications for other globally-influential brand TLDs such as .google, .apple and .anz, as well as other generic TLDs such as .book, .melbourne and .cpa.
The New TLD Program has been developed by ICANN to provide competition and choice to current TLDs such as .com, .info, .net, and .org. With over 1,900 applications received by ICANN, 2014 will see the staged release of the first 1,000 TLDs to the Internet ecosystem, seen as one of the largest changes to the Internet since its inception.
Vice President (Information) and CIO, Dr Ian Tebbett, said Monash recognises the internet is dramatically changing the world, including the education and research activities of the University. ICANN’s delegation reflects the University's commitment to embracing innovation and new technology.
“The .monash global Top-Level Domain name will allow the University to manage all of its domain names under the global identity of Monash,” Dr Tebbett said.
“Greater control over our content and domains will strengthen our online presence and better represent Monash as a global institution."
Staff and students will see no immediate change in relation to how emails or Monash websites operate on a functional level.
The Monash.edu domain will remain with several .monash sites to be created in the coming months. The first, to be launched in February, will be called about.monash and will provide a some basic information about how the University will be using the .Monash domain. The second site will be destination.monash, a website designed to support VCE students preparing to enter university.
"We believe there will be some immediate benefits where the new TLD can bring simplicity to the way our web sites are accessed around the world and where we can openly experiment without impacting our current (.edu) presence.
"We are open-minded about where that takes us. With close to a million pages of information on our web sites, we're always looking at better ways to use the internet to engage with potential students and researchers, current students and staff, and the many organisations and individuals that access our material on a daily basis."