But a wide variety of online threats are aimed squarely at the brands of large enterprises, as online con-men use the trusted brands of banks and other enterprises to get the attention of customers. And the business of protecting a brand has stretched well beyond the walls of a company's own offices.

It was in the interest of helping companies protect this brand that corporate identity protection provider MarkMonitor (markmonitor.com), founded by chairman of the board Faisal Shah, launched, offering a set of solutions designed around protecting corporate brands, reputation and revenue from online risks.

MarkMonitor representative Te Smith says the company's end-to-end solutions - built around an ICANN accredited registrar that provides domain management, trademark protection, channel protection and anti-phishing solutions - address the online threat. And as a result, the company has gained considerable traction since its launch in 1999.

"MarkMonitor serves enterprise customers that need to establish their brands online with our domain management solutions and [protect those] brands from online threats like counterfeits, unauthorized channels, brand abuse or phishing attacks," says Smith. "We include half of the Fortune 100 in our customer base and take customer service very seriously."

MarkMonitor has established a number of key partnerships with IT security companies, such as offering its own Trust Guard through OEM and partner channels for financial services. Trust Guard is a private-label desktop application that provides consumers with zero hour protection against phishing attacks and other forms of online fraud. By partnering with such partner channels, says Smith, MarkMonitor has carved out an offering that it considers unique among brand protection services.

"One of the signs of a healthy category is competition and we keep a keen eye on competitors in each of our business segments," says Smith. "However, to our knowledge, no single company offers the full range of solutions and services that MarkMonitor can offer."

In recent months, MarkMonitor has seen significant changes to its executive team, with the appointments of Frederick Felman to chief marketing officer, and Charlie Abrahams to VP and GM of EMEA. More importantly, the appointment of industry veteran Irfan Salim to company president and CEO last October, has already played a significant role in steering the direction of the company with great precision, says Smith.

"MarkMonitor has brand protection in our DNA," says Smith. "We've been helping enterprise organizations to establish and protect their brands online since conception. With Irfan's appointment, we have an even sharper laser focus on that strategy."

The company's pricing is based upon the volume of brands that are tracked, and that varies according to the selected solution and the customer. Smith says price quotes are tailor-made for each customer.

And with an already broad clientele of high-profile enterprises, including Arent Fox, World Wrestling Entertainment and the 2006 World Cup and Winter Olympic Games, Smith says MarkMonitor has its sights set on further expanding its customer base.

"We will continue to execute on our strategy and expect to grow our customer base and our valued customers," says Smith. "We are expanding our partnerships and we are also expanding geographically. We are expanding our European offices and will also be investing in other geographic markets in the coming year."