GoDaddy.com(R) Donation Boosts Open Source Development

April 20, 2006; 01:32 AM

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - GoDaddy.com, the No. 1 registrar of domain names worldwide, recently donated $10,000 to the OpenSSH project, which provides free secure server management tools utilized extensively by Go Daddy(R) in its server infrastructure.

OpenSSH has become a staple of all free Unix and Linux operating systems in the world. With a long history of security and quality, OpenSSH is the core component used by millions to log in and manage servers. SSH, or Secure Shell, is a service used to log into computers over a network and then execute commands on the remote machine and move files from one machine to another. The service encrypts connections, thus protecting the security of the host machines and the connection itself.

OpenSSH is provided and managed by the OpenBSD project. Like most open source projects, OpenBSD is composed solely of volunteers throughout the world who contribute their time and expertise to creating critical software free of charge.

Support from companies like Go Daddy help ensure the continued success of the vibrant open source engineering community and the introduction of new technologies for the benefit of all. Donations help the project fund acquisition of test hardware and maintenance of needed equipment. The assistance also allows OpenSSH to organize conferences for volunteers to meet and share ideas.

"OpenSSH and the work of the OpenBSD project volunteers are integral to online security. Go Daddy is pleased to be able to help them continue their great contributions to the Internet community," said Bob Parsons, GoDaddy.com founder and CEO. "At Go Daddy, we use OpenSSH extensively to manage our large and rapidly expanding technical infrastructure. Our engineering staff relies on it on a constant basis. Go Daddy is very grateful and we want to show our appreciation to this extremely vital organization."

"We are very thankful Go Daddy has the vision to financially support the mission of OpenSSH," said Theo de Raadt, founder and leader of the OpenBSD and OpenSSH projects. "This will allow us to keep improving the quality and security of the product which system administrators around the world rely on to do their jobs."

For information on Go Daddy products and services, visit http://www.godaddy.com/. About The Go Daddy Group, Inc.

GoDaddy.com, Inc. is the "on-ramp" to the Internet for individuals and businesses worldwide, providing a one-stop shop for acquiring, creating and safeguarding a unique online identity. GoDaddy.com offers a comprehensive line of Internet products and services, including domain name registration, web hosting solutions, personalized email packages, SSL certificates, web development tools, eCommerce utilities and more. GoDaddy.com is the world's No. 1 domain name registrar, both in terms of new registrations and domains under management. The Go Daddy Group includes three ICANN-accredited domain name registrars: flagship registrar GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com/), membership-based registrar Blue Razor(R) Domains, Inc. (http://www.bluerazor.com/) and reseller registrar Wild West Domains(R), Inc. (http://www.wildwestdomains.com/). The Go Daddy Group also offers private domain name registration services through Domains By Proxy(R), Inc. (http://www.domainsbyproxy.com/), as well as SSL Certificates through its SSL Certificate Authority, Starfield Technologies(R), Inc. (http://www.starfieldtech.com/). The Go Daddy Group registers or renews a domain name every 3 seconds and more than 13 million domain names in its portfolio. The Go Daddy Group is also the world's largest web host in terms of hostnames.