Northern Virginia's Torchbearer
Michael A. Daniels
Network Solutions

Background: Daniels became chairman of Network Solutions in 1995 because he recognized an opportunity to invest in a company that was at the crossroads of the Internet. Network Solutions had won the exclusive right to register .com, .org and .net domain names in 1993 from the National Science Foundation. And when the Internet exploded, so did the company’s bottom line.

Q: Your bread-and-butter business is moving from a monopoly to a more competitive environment. How will you maintain your leadership position?
A: Network Solutions is coming out on a regular basis with new products and services that are clustered around the domain name registration and identity services business. A new product called the Dot Com Directory, we hope, will become the major find-engine on the Internet, where businesses and individuals can locate all the top firms in one place with great ease.

Q: In what direction do you see the Internet going?
A: I anticipate that more and more everyday products and services will be sold over the Internet worldwide. And I believe that advanced technologies, such as very large search software, will be deployed to help people easily find things on the Internet. We will see a large number of mergers and acquisitions over the next five years as key segments of the industry consolidate. We also will have thousands of small and medium-sized Internet and e-commerce companies emerge.

Q: What impact will all this activity have on Virginia’s reputation as a global Internet leader?
A: There’s never been a greater business opportunity for those of us in Virginia. I think that the Internet and e-commerce industry has the potential to transform the state of Virginia into a true world leader. The very positive partnership we have seen develop in this state between governmental leaders and private sector leaders is the key. I encourage everyone to get involved in these positive relationships to move the economy of our state forward.