This is the fourth post in our ongoing blog designed to keep you informed about the technical upgrade portion of the .au Registry Transformation Project.
This post provides an update on the timetable and some key milestones.
Last week was a big week as momentum builds to the big upgrade in June.
First, the timetable of major milestones has been published to registrars. For example:
February 28: our initial test system will be available for registrars to check their own systems for compatibility. Since the actual transition won’t happen until the end of June, this gives the domain retailers plenty of time to ensure that their operations can smoothly incorporate the upgrades we have planned.
March 15: Afilias will announce its Melbourne office address. This will be a full-service office housing customer support, administration, marketing and all the other resources we are putting in place to support .au customers. We’ll be in full operation there in the second quarter. Look for pix in coming posts!
April-May-June 2018: New DNS “nodes” are being installed all over Australia. We’ll be lighting up servers in Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart, Perth, Darwin and other great Australian cities. These local servers will provide faster access to websites, improving the internet experience for all Australians, not just the folks in the big cities.
June 30, 2018: While this is the big “transition day,” internet users in Australia won’t notice a thing. Afilias has managed many such transitions, so no one needs to worry about whether sites will still work—this will be a non-event.
Second, auDA again hosted another very successful meeting with our Australian registrar partners last week. Afilias provided a detailed technical update and answered all the various questions that came up about the progress of the transition. Australian registrars are quite sophisticated and dedicated to protecting their customers, and Afilias was recognized for its openness and collaborative spirit as we upgrade the .au technology together.
Finally, we met with various leaders in the Australian government regarding 1) the transition timetable and key elements, 2) cybersecurity practices and coordination, 3) data protection, and 4) other aspects of our plans to upgrade and strengthen the infrastructure supporting the .au namespace.
As the details are worked out, momentum is building across every key work area, and Australians all over the country will soon be able to take comfort in the more reliable and secure support that will be in place for the .au domain.
More information on Afilias plc is located at www.afilias.info. And we’ll soon expand this blog site to include everything about Afilias Australia Pty Ltd!
Have a question or want to suggest a topic for us to cover? Please email us at transformationblog@afilias.com.au.