Names, Numbers, and Network Solutions: The Monetization of the Internet

"NAMES, NUMBERS, AND NETWORK SOLUTIONS: The Monetization of the Internet" (by J. Robert Beyster and Michael A. Daniels) recounts the gripping story of the commercialization of the Internet in the ‘90s and highlights the role of a then-small business by the name of Network Solutions that had the task of making these domain names available to the general public. It is a riveting read of near misses and hard-won successes, leading to a dramatically changed global commerce landscape. Shortly after Network Solutions received the domain name contract from the U.S. government, it was purchased by SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation) in 1995 for $4.7 million. Five years later, SAIC sold Network Solutions to VeriSign for $19.3 billion (with a B).
Thirty-five years ago, the number of Internet users could fit into a large lecture hall. In 2011, it is estimated that more than two billion people used the Internet, almost 30 percent of the world’s population. The Internet is now the foundation on which almost every global multi-billion dollar business is built. However, things could have gone very differently if the U.S. government had not decided to allow domain names to be expanded beyond government and university researchers, and sold to companies and institutions.
Drawing from exclusive interviews with many of the key and lesser-known figures in the birth, development, and operational side of the Internet, authors Dr. Bob Beyster (founder, former CEO and chairman of SAIC) and Mike Daniels (former chairman of Network Solutions) provide an insider’s view of the immense challenges faced, and the unsung heroes who tackled them. The book describes the complex and evolving roles of the U.S. government in seeding this technological revolution, and of the private sector players who transformed a little-known computer network into the vast commercial infrastructure that fills our lives today.
In addition to looking back in time, Names, Numbers, and Network Solutions offers a glimpse into the future challenges of Internet regulation, security, and privacy issues. The next chapter has already begun. Visit www.nsibook.com for more information.

DR. J. ROBERT BEYSTER: Dr. J. Robert Beyster founded Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in 1969, and he served as the company's chairman and CEO for 35 years. During Dr. Beyster's time at the helm, SAIC grew from a small startup with a handful of scientists into a diversified and global employee-owned company with 43,000 employees and more than $8 billion in annual revenue. Dr. Beyster continues to promote innovation and employee ownership through the Foundation for Enterprise Development www.fed.org, which he founded in 1986, and the Beyster Institute at the University of California, San Diego.
He has received numerous honors during the course of his lifetime, including the Horatio Alger Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Ernst & Young, the Spirit of San Diego award from the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, and a lifetime achievement award from the University of California, San Diego’s CONNECT program. Dr. Beyster is author of The SAIC Solution: How We Built an $8 Billion Employee-Owned Technology Company. More information can be found at: www.beyster.com.
MICHAEL A. DANIELS: Michael (Mike) Daniels is former chairman of Network Solutions, Inc. (1995–2000), former chairman and CEO of Mobile365 (2005–2006), and former chairman of the Northern Virginia Technology Council.
As one of the senior executives of SAIC, Mr. Daniels helped build SAIC to its current $11 billion in annual revenues. While at SAIC, he identified and purchased Network Solutions for $4.7 million in March 1995, and was then instrumental in Network Solutions’ sale five years later to VeriSign for $19.3 billion. He also served on the board of directors of VeriSign, following the sale.
Mr. Daniels has also served with DARPA of the DoD, as a senior White House advisor on international technology, and as a senior advisor to the National Security Council.
He currently serves on the board of directors of the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC), Mercury Systems, CACI International, Acentia, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and the Boy Scouts of America National Capital Area Council. Mr. Daniels also serves as chairman of the board of GlobalLogic, the Logistics Management Institute, and Invincea.