News

VeriSign Buys Network Solutions

VeriSign Inc., a provider of Internet trust services, has acquired Network Solutions Inc., the registrar of domain names, in a stock transaction valued at $21 billion.

Under the agreement, VeriSign (www.verisign.com) will issue 2.15 shares of VeriSign common stock for each share of Network Solutions (www.networksolutions.com) stock as constituted prior to the 2-for-1 split of Network Solutions stock to be completed on March 10. The transaction has been approved by both companies' boards of directors and is subject to approval by VeriSign and Network Associates shareholders. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter. After the acquisition, Network Associates will become a subsidiary of VeriSign, with Network Associates' CEO remaining in place.

The resulting company plans to deliver a wider range of services covering the e-commerce life cycle. These will include assisting businesses and consumers in establishing an online presence -- an area in which the two companies strengths complement each other; basic e-commerce -- including digital certificate-based authentication for secure Web transactions; customer/supply-chain management -- including secure extranet services, virtual private networks (VPNs), and secure messaging; and global trading.

Network Solutions is the leading registrar and exclusive registry of Internet domain names in the .com, .net, and .org top-level domains. VeriSign provides Internet trust services, including authentication, payment, and validation services for e-commerce, transactions, and communications on the Internet. -- Isaac Slepner

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.

Featured

  • Microsoft Offers Support Extensions for Exchange 2016 and 2019

    Microsoft has introduced a paid Extended Security Update (ESU) program for on-premises Exchange Server 2016 and 2019, offering a crucial safety cushion as both versions near their Oct. 14, 2025 end-of-support date.

  • An image of planes flying around a globe

    2025 Microsoft Conference Calendar: For Partners, IT Pros and Developers

    Here's your guide to all the IT training sessions, partner meet-ups and annual Microsoft conferences you won't want to miss.

  • Notebook

    Microsoft Centers AI, Security and Partner Dogfooding at MCAPS

    Microsoft's second annual MCAPS for Partners event took place Tuesday, delivering a volley of updates and directives for its partners for fiscal 2026.

  • Microsoft Layoffs: AI Is the Obvious Elephant in the Room

    As Microsoft doubles down on an $80 billion bet on AI this fiscal year, its workforce reductions are drawing scrutiny over whether AI's ascent is quietly reshaping its human capital strategy, even as official messaging avoids drawing a direct line.