Verisign Celebrates 30 Years of .COM

RESTON, VA--(Marketwired - March 12, 2015) - This Sunday, March 15, 2015, will mark 30 years since the first .COM domain name -- Symbolics.com -- was registered, and the Internet and world as we know it changed forever. Today VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), a global leader in domain names and Internet security, and the authoritative registry operator of .COM, is celebrating the 30^th anniversary of .COM and the remarkable impact it has had on the economy and culture.

In the last 30 years, the Internet has evolved from an unknown phenomenon used primarily by academics and researchers to a global communication, commerce and information sharing channel that few could imagine life without; in fact, nearly three billion people around the world are online today, and more than $300 billion in U.S. e-commerce sales and over $1.3 trillion in global e-commerce sales rely on the Internet.

As the Internet has evolved and grown, .COM has grown alongside it. .COM websites are accessed trillions of times each day. Companies use .COM's global recognition and brand appeal to grow their businesses and reach customers worldwide. Millions of entrepreneurs have realized their dreams by building their businesses online with .COM, and the biggest names in business have branded their business with a .COM address, making .COM synonymous with the Internet.

From Amazon.com, which registered its domain name in 1994, and Google, which registered Google.com as a domain name in 1997, to small and mid-sized businesses more recently registered, such as Enduracenter.com, NaturallyCoolKids.com, or PantryFullofRecipes.com, which was registered in 2015, .COM is the global online standard for doing business. .COM addresses are your best choice for making your online identity recognizable, easily found and trusted on the global Internet.

".COM is more than just an address. It's a globally recognized and respected brand itself that nearly every major global brand, including 100 percent of the Fortune 500, has entrusted with their online presence," said Jim Bidzos, executive chairman, president and chief executive officer at Verisign. ".COM turning 30 represents a shared milestone for us all and a celebration worth commemorating."