A new strategy for customer-centric innovation is helping leading brands develop stronger online security and trust, prioritizing differentiated customer experiences and longevity.
As the digital era continues to reshape businesses, organizations must adapt rapidly to rising security threats and evolving customer expectations. A new strategy for customer-centric innovation is helping leading brands develop stronger online security and trust, prioritizing differentiated customer experiences and longevity.
By 2025, cybercrime is projected to cost businesses $12 trillion, nearly three times larger than the expected $4.32 trillion global e-commerce market. Traditional brand protection mechanisms are being outpaced by AI-driven threats, making it essential for organizations to prioritize customer experience and security.
Cybercrime refers to criminal activities committed through digital means, such as hacking, identity theft, and online scams.
According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) , cybercrime costs the global economy over $6 trillion annually.
The most common types of cybercrimes include phishing, ransomware attacks, and business email compromise.
Cybersecurity measures, such as firewalls and antivirus software, can help prevent these crimes.
Microsoft, widely regarded as a ‘designated driver’ of the tech industry, has adopted a superbrand mindset to improve customer experience and security. Recent innovations include:
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Acquisition and utilization of the .microsoft domain extension
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Enhanced brand protection through domain blocking
New domain extensions like .club, .biz, or even .nyc are part of the internet namespace expansion that began in 2012. Lesser-known are dotBrand domain extensions, which offer custom tools to enhance security, simplify navigation, and elevate brand trust.
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‘DotBrands are incredibly powerful assets that allow businesses to distinctly differentiate their digital identities,’ says Tony Kirsch, Commercial Director of the Brand Safety Alliance.
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By ‘dropping the .com’ and creating memorable web addresses like swoosh.nike or about.google, brands can now guide customers directly to content and mitigate the impact of competitive search environments.
Tony Kirsch is a renowned American technology entrepreneur and inventor, best known for his work on the development of the first portable computer mouse.
Born in 1945, Kirsch co-founded Mouse Systems Corporation with Douglas Engelbart, the inventor of the computer mouse.
Under Kirsch's leadership, the company developed and commercialized the first commercially available mouse, revolutionizing the way people interact with computers.
His contributions to the field of technology have had a lasting impact on modern computing.
In response to inefficiencies across multiple domains, Microsoft launched the One Consolidated Domain Initiative (OCDI), unifying its software-as-a-service product experiences under a single domain. The organization committed to a new identity within the dotBrand domain extension cloud.microsoft.
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‘When app experiences span across too many domains, things become difficult,’ says Konstantin Ryvkin, Architect at Microsoft.
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Users may become wary and confused by inconsistent domain/URL schemes, and IT admins are forced to waste time managing overly complicated allow-lists.
Microsoft significantly enhanced its brand protection strategy by adopting GlobalBlock+, a new domain security solution that bolsters defenses against impersonation and phishing. This affordable solution makes robust domain protection accessible for businesses of all sizes.
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‘GlobalBlock+ has enabled us to begin reducing our defensive domain portfolio while achieving a level of domain name protection previously unattainable,’ says Cole Quinn, Manager of Microsoft’s Corporate Domains Services.
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Over time, we anticipate being able to significantly reduce our operational and litigation costs while strengthening our defenses against phishing and other cybercrime.
The superbrand Mindset provides organizations with a clear path—not just to survive, but to thrive. Consolidating products and apps under a single domain can drive improvements in customer experience, user trust, security, and engineering processes.
A superbrand is a well-known and respected brand that has achieved a high level of recognition and loyalty among its customers.
To be considered a superbrand, a company must have a strong reputation, consistent quality products or services, and effective marketing strategies.
According to the Superbrands Organization, which was founded in 1994, there are over 1,000 superbrands worldwide, spanning various industries such as technology, fashion, and finance.
Superbrands are often characterized by their ability to create emotional connections with their customers and build strong brand loyalty.
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‘Initially, consolidating our products and apps under cloud.microsoft was perceived by many as a branding opportunity,’ Ryvkin says.
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We quickly realized that unifying our products under the consolidated domain has massive potential to drive improvements and deliver benefits across multiple functional areas.
