frank michlick

FRANK MICHLICK
Candidat des membres 2016
Énoncé du (de la) candidat(e) :
Thank you for the opportunity to submit my application to become a Director on the
Board of CIRA.
Since 2000 I've devoted my career to Canada’s Internet while living in Ottawa,
Toronto and now Montreal with my wife and son.I first became familiar with the
Internet in 1993 and registered my first domain name in 1995, culminating in 21
years of experience in the domain and Internet industry. Since then, I have
participated in the Internet’s growth from a relatively small community to the
invaluable resource it is today.
Being well versed in almost every area of the domain business and I have extensive
business & technology experience from building websites and managing servers to
working with governments as well as public, private and non-profit companies. I
also spent 5 1/2 years as a Senior Sales Engineer at the Canadian wholesale Domain
Registrar Tucows/OpenSRS and in 2007 I started DomainCocoon, a consulting
business for Domain Investors, Registries, Registrars, Hosting companies and
Resellers. My international background and extensive domain industry travels have
given me a broad perspective on global domain issues and how the would affect and
benefit CIRA.
I have held several leadership roles in the domain community, including acting as
one of the managing editors of the industry website DomainNameNews.com. This is
a position where I was able to utilize thought leadership skills through analysis of
breaking industry news and events. Working together with my fellow editors to
become one of the domain industries most important news sources has given me an
even greater appreciation of how much can be accomplished through collaboration.
These experiences as well as my ability to focus on details while remaining mindful
of the big picture, and an ability to quickly adapt and develop expertise in new
technology are qualities that would uniquely position me to serve CIRA as a Director
on its board.
I am also involved in the most pressing current industry issues including Internet
Governance, privacy, security, IPv6, DNSSEC, new gTLDs, the secondary market and
the financial health of the domain business. I host Industry gatherings to connect the
Canadian domain community. I am passionate about issues of personal privacy and
data collection online as well as how emerging Internet technology changes our
society. Becoming active on the board of CIRA is an incredible opportunity to
participate in shaping Canada's Internet future.
Having spent more than the last decade serving the Canadian Internet, I look
forward to joining CIRA's board as a director to work together in forming the
strategy for the nation’s continued online success.
More information about my application for the CIRA Board elections canbe found at
http://FrankForCIRA.ca/ - please feel free to reach out to me with your questions
and suggestions.
Curriculum vitae du (de la) candidat(e) :
https://cira.ca/sites/default/files/public/frank-michlick-cv2016.pdf
Réponses aux questions obligatoires:
1. Pourquoi désirez‐vous faire partie du conseil d’administration de
l’ACEI?
Having worked with the Internet since 1993 with a focus on Canada since 2000, I
welcome the opportunity to use my extensive experience combining technology and
business in order to help shape the development of CIRA, .CA and the Canadian
Internet.
I have worked with a number of online organizations as an employee, manager,
board member, working group member and entrepreneur and have participated in
the Internet's growth from an experimental community of early adopters to the
thriving, global industry it is today. Working with CIRA as a member of the board
would allow me to use the unique skills I have acquired in the domain Industry to
assist the organization in the successful adaption of new technologies. Much of my
work was within virtual organizations and utilized social media in order to connect
with stakeholders, investors and customers.
I want to use my experience to bring CIRA, its members and all of Canada closer
together to help shape the future of the Internet.
2. Quelles sont les compétences ou les expériences particulières que
vous possédez et qui font de vous le meilleur candidat pour le conseil
d’administration de l’ACEI?
I'm able to understand technical and business needs, thus I am able to bring both
worlds together to create the best results.
In my professional live I've worked with a number of governments, public and
private companies and a number of non-profits. Having registered my first domain
name in 1995, I've got many years of experience working with domain names. Aside
from having worked in web development, hosting, I also spent 5 1/2 years as a
Senior Sales Engineer at the Canadian Domain Registrar Tucows/OpenSRS. Since
2007 I own and run a consulting business for Registrars, Domain Investors,
Registries, Hosting companies and Resellers called DomainCocoon Inc. I also
participate in ICANN and IETF working groups, since Internet Governance and
policy development are important to me.
While working in the industry, I've developed a vast and varying network of
contacts which helps me to gather and distribute knowledge.
3. Quels seront, selon vous, les trois principaux défis et les trois
possibilités clés devant lesquels le domaine .CA se trouvera au cours
des trois à cinq prochaines années?
a) Declining growth
The declining growth rate for .CA registrations over the last year is a concern,
especially compared with the market saturation and industry growth overall.
Increased competition through the introduction of new gTLDs is one factor in this
challenge.
b) Political Challenges
Censorship & Surveillance initiatives and Net Neutrality affect the industry and
internet users and there's a continuous push from governments that affect internet
access, i.e. bills like C-51, the order of a BC court for Google to remove certain search
engine results worldwide or the call to Quebec ISPs to censor specific websites.
c) Lack of membership /lack of participation/involvement of membership
I would like to find and explore more ways to grow CIRA and for members to be
involved in decisions outside of the board elections to involve more of the
stakeholders. The Canadian Internet Forum and public consultations are a great
start, but should be expanded on.
4. Quelles mesures particulières proposez‐vous pour relever un ou
plusieurs de ces défis et profiter de ces possibilités?
a) Declining Growth
CIRA must continue and increase their efforts to rekindle growth in registration
numbers. CIRA's plans to support applications for city TLDs in the next new TLD
round (.Montreal, .Toronto and .Calgary) is a great proposal to widen the offering.
The challenge is, will CIRA be able to focus on the new ventures while continuing to
pay the required attention to .CA itself? .CA has to be the first priority for the
organisation.
b) Political Challenges
Continue to speak out on issues that may affect the freedom of the internet and
communication. Seek dialogue with regulators and legislators in order to offer
expertise.
c) Lack of membership /lack of participation/involvement of membership
I would like to find and explore more ways to grow CIRA and for members to be
involved in decisions beyond the board elections.