The new domain name extension .cloud, announced today over the coming weeks, more than 30 Pioneers will begin using .cloud domains starting with ScreenCloud, a London-founded SaaS company, which is “creating powerful, easy-to-use products to help businesses and retailers take control of their digital signage. Screen.Cloud has built the new. cloud into its entire company branding, recognizing the relevance of the domain over a standard .com alternative.”

“Pioneers range from market leaders in the cloud computing industry, to innovative startups, spanning both consumer and business (B2B) sectors.

Through participation in the Pioneer Programme, organizations will be first to market with the. cloud domain, and have a head start of more than three months before .cloud is available for general registration early next year.”

.Cloud domains will be available to anyone without restrictions.”

Over the next few weeks, more new .cloud sites will join the first Pioneers, including:

· Canonical Ltd.: The UK company behind the world’s most popular Linux distribution Ubuntu. Canonical has successfully built an Open Source software platform that runs everywhere from the smartphone, tablet and PC, to the server and cloud, free to use, share and develop around the world. For them, .cloud represents the best way to give a dedicated, easy-to-remember and accessible home to all their cloud-related products.

· SpamExperts: A key player in SaaS email security services that offers a (hosted) cloud based solution for email filtering and archiving. For them .cloud created a new avenue to establish a cloud online identity and foster trust while strengthening the SpamExperts brand’s link to the cloud environment.

The launch of the new gTLD .cloud is running in different phases.

The Sunrise Period for .cloud starts on November 16th, 2015 with a Priority Registration Phase reserved for holders of registered Trademarks.

The “Landrush period opens on January 25th and runs until February 5th, 2016. During this period, brands, businesses and individuals can place their orders for registrations of any available domain for a price higher than General Availability.

Domains that receive more than one valid request during this phase will be allocated through an auction among all the applicants that requested it.

On February the 16th, 2016, .cloud will move out of the launch phase and registration will be open for General Availability. From this point on, if the .cloud domain you want is available, you can register it via a Registrar and start using it right away.

.cloud is an extension open to everybody, and there are no special eligibility requirements to register one.

For all details on registration, please visit, https://get.cloud

The .cloud Registry is operated by Aruba PEC S.p.A, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Italian hosting giant, Aruba.it. “Aruba, founded in 1994, is among the Top 10 hosting companies in the world, and manages over two million domain names, seven million email accounts and over four million customers.”