The digital transition of small and medium-sized enterprises was the AFNIC’s 2020 target – a year marked by the health and economic crisis. This target was reflected in the 2020 Annual Report of the French association. The report was released in June 2021.
In fact, there was a growth of 7% of <.fr> registrations with a total reach of 3,670,372 registered names at the end of 2020. The reason of this growth were the AFNIC’s efforts to make the registration and use of <.fr> more accessible, safe and proximate.
Given the increasing need for digital transformation, small and medium-sized enterprises had little choice but to develop and exploit Internet activities. The AFNIC organized a massive promotion of a secure and advantageous online presence via its Réussir-en.fr device. Thanks to this initiative, digital transitions took place more efficiently and more often.
In addition, the AFNIC signed a partnership with the DGCCRF (Directorate General of Competition, Consumer and Repression of Fraud). The aim of their partnership was to transmit the list of corresponding domain names to the DGCCRF on a daily basis, in order to block sites that supported or facilitated deceptive marketing practices. The general idea was to create a climate of trust.
Finally, the AFNIC Foundation took measures, in the context of the worldwide health crisis, to support local initiatives. The foundation aimed to reduce the distance with the digital environment and to restore the social connection, in particular through: purchasing computers for schoolchildren, purchasing sound equipment for EHPAD residents or setting up dematerialized accompaniments in order to find jobs online.
The AFNIC succeeded to achieve its 2020 goal to ensure the digital transition of small and medium-sized enterprises through making <.fr> safer and more accessible, through massive promotion and through supporting local initiatives to reduce the distance with the digital environment and to restore the social connection.