Register.com, Inc. Monday acquired
Inabox Inc., a technology firm
specializing in the design and development of online tool building for
Internet service and Web hosting providers.
Register.com will exchange $1 million in cash and 260,000 common shares for Inabox, valuing the deal at about $11.5 million at current levels. Register.com
plans to utilize the online toolmaker’s software to enhance its current
service portfolio for ISPs and Web developers.
Inabox’s WebSiteNOW! software will be featured among Register.com’s product
offering through the company’s indirect distribution channel of co-branded
and private label Web sites.
Register.com’s indirect distribution partners will be able to offer their
customers a variety of online tools to facilitate launching and managing a
professional Web site.
Inabox’s flagship application features private branding, multi-language
support, easy uploading of images and documents, as well as site
maintenance functions, security, and search programming. When resold by
ISPs and Web hosting companies the bundled program allows new dot.com
companies to easily offer value-added products and services.
Richard Forman, Register.com president and chief executive officer, said
Register.com welcomed Inabox’s awesome technology and dedicated
professionals to the domain name registration firm.
“Inabox’s WebSiteNOW! software provides our indirect distribution partners
the tools they need to attract and retain their own customers by allowing
end users to establish a presence on the Web quickly and easily,” Forman.
“This acquisition reinforces our commitment to the indirect distribution
channel for domain name registration, an important part of Register.com’s
strategy.”
Rafael Collado, Inabox chairman and chief executive officer, said that by
joining Register.com it would continue to create comprehensive Web
solutions for content development.
“This combination will allow us to set a new standard for facilitating and
expanding users’ Web presence,” Collado said.
Register.com currently utilizes Inabox software to power its FirstStepSite
free template-driven basic Web site design service.
As part of the acquisition, Inabox will be fully integrated into
Register.com and Inabox employees will become full-time employees of
Register.com.
Register.com was one of the first registrars to compete in the domain
registration market after the federal government deregulated the industry
in 1999. The company was selected as one of five test bed registrars
accredited by the Internet Corp. for
Assigned Names and Numbers for domain name registration services.
