The top-level domain (TLD) is the last section of a domain name or the part that follows immediately after the last dot in the domain name. Being at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System (DNS) of the Internet, the top-level domain names of websites are developed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). In this question, you’re asking about the .WINDOWS TLD.
.WINDOWS, interestingly, is a brand TLD owned by one of the most well-known tech companies worldwide, Microsoft Corporation. To clarify, the notation “.WINDOWS” is not a common or general-use TLD such as .com, .org, or .net. It’s a branded or corporate-specific TLD that is part of a suite approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the body that coordinates and manages the Internet’s global domain name system.
As per ICANN, there are a few types of TLDs – gTLDs (generic top-level domains which includes categories like .com, .org, .net, .gov), ccTLDs (country code top-level domains like .uk for the United Kingdom, .au for Australia), and others like IDN ccTLDs (internationalized country code top-level domains), representing specific countries or territories in non-Latin script. Among the new categories established in recent years are the so-called sTLDs (sponsored top-level domains), and the brand TLDs (like .WINDOWS), which are owned by individual corporations to reflect their brand identities.
Back to .WINDOWS – it unequivocally identifies Microsoft’s own properties. But its usage is not widespread yet. Companies use these proprietary TLDs largely for branding but also for a variety of strategic purposes. For instance, tighter control over the domain can help ensure increased internet security; specifically, reducing the risk of phishing attacks and fraudulent sites on the domain. This doesn’t mean that every Microsoft property uses this TLD, however. By way of illustration, a standard search does not yield any active .WINDOWS websites under Microsoft at this time. In fact, it seems that Microsoft, like many corporate entities with their own TLDs, hasn’t actively taken full advantage of it yet.
The information and examples about TLDs and .WINDOWS have been gathered from the following sources:
- ICANN’s glossery gives a wealth of information on the different types of TLDs (Link: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/glossary-2014-02-28-en)
- IANA’s information on .WINDOWS shows Microsoft as the sponsor (Link: https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt)
- A Verisign blog on how companies are using their own TLDs, including for security reasons.
(Link: https://blogs.verisign.com/blog/entry/how_are_new_top_level)
Please note that the usage or non-usage of .WINDOWS by Microsoft can change over time. Keep an eye out on their official web presence to see how they decide to use their unique TLD.
