Introducing a More Secure, Streamlined Workflow for Point of Contact Linking

By Joe Westover – Senior Director of Customer Experience and Strategy

In mid-2025, ARIN suspended the email-based method for approving Point of Contact (POC) linking requests. As noted in a 21 July announcement, we halted the legacy workflow that relied on an email verification process.

Beginning with ARIN’s January 2026 software release, POC linking will move to a fully authenticated, ticket-based workflow within ARIN Online. This change strengthens security, improves transparency, and gives organizations greater control over who is authorized to act on their behalf.

Why We’re Changing the Process

The email-based approval process served the community for many years, but it presented several limitations:

Approvals occurred outside ARIN Online, relying on email verification.
Organizations had limited visibility into who approved POC linking requests.
Audit and access tracking were limited, making long-term oversight more difficult.

The new workflow addresses these issues by bringing POC linking activity into ARIN Online’s authenticated environment.

What’s New: Ticket-Based Approvals

When a user requests to be linked to an existing POC handle, ARIN Online will now generate a POC Link Request ticket.

No approval emails or authorization URLs will be sent. Instead, approvals will happen inside ARIN Online.
Users currently linked to the requested POC handle will receive a ticket in ARIN Online to review and approve or deny the linking request directly within their authenticated account.
A confirmation step helps prevent accidental approvals or denials.

Situations Requiring ARIN Staff Assistance

In some circumstances, ARIN staff must assist with POC linking because there is no appropriate authorized user available to approve the request within ARIN Online.

Points of Contact With No Linked Users

If the POC has no associated users, the ticket routes to ARIN’s Registration Services Department (RSD). RSD staff will coordinate with the Admin or Tech POCs linked to the related Organization Identifier (Org ID) to determine the most appropriate steps for resolution.

Points of Contact Not Associated with an Organization

If a POC is not attached to an Org ID, no ticket will be created. The requester will receive a warning instructing the organization to contact RSD for assistance.

Improved Notifications and Visibility

Notifications appear in the Message Center for both the requester and the approvers when:

A new POC Link Request is submitted.
The request is approved.
The request is denied.

This ensures all activity remains visible and traceable within ARIN Online.

System Safeguards and Retired Features

The new system includes several technical improvements and the removal of outdated tools.

New Safeguards

Prevention of Duplicates: Users cannot submit multiple open tickets for the same POC handle.
Validation Checks: Both requesters and approvers must have active, eligible ARIN Online accounts.
Optional Justification: Approvers can provide a reason for their action, visible only to staff and other approvers.

Decommissioned Features:

The “Link this POC to my user account” checkbox has been removed.
The legacy email-based confirmation workflow is fully decommissioned.

What You Should Do Now

To ensure a smooth transition to the new workflow, prior to the mid-January release you should:

Ensure your organization’s POC records are current and linked to active ARIN Online accounts.
Review POC records to confirm they are properly associated with your Org IDs.

A More Secure and Transparent Linking Experience

This change is part of ARIN’s ongoing efforts to modernize access management, strengthen customer security, and improve workflows within ARIN Online.

We appreciate the community’s support as we continue enhancing security and access controls.

Need Help? If you have questions about this upcoming change or need assistance with any registration processes, please contact ARIN’s Registration Services Department by creating an Ask ARIN ticket from within your ARIN Online account or by calling our Help Desk at +1.703.227.0660, Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM ET.

Post written by:

Joe Westover
Senior Director of Customer Experience and Strategy

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