FROM WIKIPEDIA:
Network Solutions
Network Solutions Logo.png
Type: Privately Held
Industry: Internet, Domain name registration
Founded: Herndon, VA, 1979
Founder(s): Emmit McHenry
Faisal Shah
Headquarters: 13861 Sunrise Valley Dr., Ste. 300
Herndon, VA 20170
Country: USA
Employees: 900
Website: NetworkSolutions.com
Twitter: TwitterIcon.png@NetSolCares
Network Solutions, LLC is an Internet-centric company providing products and services targeted at the web. The company's product and service offerings include domain name registration, email hosting, website development, ecommerce products and solutions, web hosting, SSL certification, online marketing services, and website design services; they are particularly focused on helping small, and developing companies establish themselves on the Internet.[1]
The company's corporate headquarters are located in Herndon, Virginia, USA.
On August 3rd, 2011, Web.com announced that they were acquiring Network Solutions for $405 million in cash, 18 million shares of Web.com common stock, while also refinancing existing net debt of Network Solutions and paying certain fees.[2]
History
The company was founded in 1979 by Emmit McHenry, an entrepreneur from Arkansas; it began as a tech consultancy focusing mainly on applications development.[3]
In 1991, Network Solutions was awarded the contract to operate the domain name registry on behalf of the US Defense Information Systems Agency. The company's mandate was to register domain names in the .com, .org, .mil, .gov, .edu and .net, and this service was free of cost to customers.
In 1993, the company was the sole bidder for the contract for operating domain registry service for .com, .net and .org domains, from the National Science Foundation, the first company to do so.[4] At that time, the functions of registry and registrar were both performed exclusively by Network Solutions. The company would hold the position of the sole domain registrar in the world for these three registries for the six years, until 1999. The company was also given the contract of maintaining the central Whois database of assigned names.
The company was acquired in 1995 by the Science Applications International Corporation. Two years later, in 1997, Network Solutions was listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol "NSOL". Its initial public offering raised $67 million USD.
The control of Network Solutions changed hands in 2000, when Verisign acquired the majority share holding at a price of USD 20 billion.[5] Verisign resold the company in 2003 to the Najafi Companies, while retaining the .com domain registry business for itself. Network Solution's business changed from being a registry to becoming a domain registrar. Under the new management, Network Solutions launched an inorganic growth strategy by first acquiring InQuent Technologies in Toronto (Canada) in 2004, followed by acquiring MonsterCommerce in 2005. The company's ownership changed hands once again in 2007 when General Atlantic, a private equity firm, bought into the company.
On August 3rd, 2011, Web.com announced that they were acquiring Network Solutions for $405 million in cash, 18 million shares of Web.com common stock, and refinancing existing net debt of Network Solutions and paying certain fees.[6]