The story
1&1 (at the time known as 1&1 Internet) was founded in Germany in 1988. The company developed data center and network architecture to enable internet access, becoming one of the first web hosting companies. Ten years later, in 1998, 1&1 became a shareholder of Schlund+Partner.
In 2000, the company changed its name to United Internet and moved its product business to 1&1 Internet AG. In the same year, 1&1 began operating in the United Kingdom, and three years later began serving United States customers. The company's biggest North American data center is located in Lenexa, Kansas. In 2023, the same data center became the site for hosting Ionos’ cloud products.
In 2018, 1&1 merged with cloud infrastructure specialists ProfitBricks (founded by Achim Weiss) and rebranded as 1&1 Ionos. The rebrand involved a name change and a slightly redesigned website, but the service offerings and prices initially stayed the same. However, 1&1 Ionos introduced some new services the following year, including a personal consultant service for customers. As of September 2019, 1&1 Ionos held second place in a ranking of the market share of global web hosting providers. In August 2021, the company changed its legal name in the United States to IONOS Inc.
Weiss described the reasons for the rebrand, stating:
"As this new company is more than just a hosting provider, we have opted for a new name — and IONOS fits perfectly. It is inspired by the ionosphere; the upper part of the Earth's atmosphere that contains a high concentration of ions and free electrons. It is inspiring to look at, whether viewing from down on Earth, or up in outer space and is, of course, situated in the clouds."In September 2026, IONOS announced a transformaitonal restructure, and job losses.
From Wikipedia’s article on Ionos, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5