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The Domain Name System, or DNS, has come a long way since its early days and the constant expansion of consumer activity and security concerns has raised further awareness about the critical role of the DNS. However, as the Yankee Group Research points out in a recent report, "there are more changes coming that are also raising the profile of DNS — notably the move to cloud computing and the migration to IPv6." Suffice to say this is "Not Your Father's DNS".

The report titled, "DNS: Risk, Reward and Managed Services" takes a fresh look at today's state of the DNS and the pros and cons of in-house, ISP and managed service provider DNS management options.

Things to Look for in a Managed Service Provider – Click to Enlarge (Source: Yankee Group, 2011)

From the report:

DNS: Risk, Reward and Managed Services Yankee Group – to read the full report, click here to download.Until 2008, companies with one or two domains and little reliance on the external network or Internet were inclined to manage (using the word broadly) their own DNS. Similarly, large enterprises with 200 or more domains, a business model that relied on a robust external network, and enough DNS work to justify one or more dedicated resources maintained control of their DNS infrastructure themselves. Midsize corporations, characterized by three to 200 domains and up to 4 million DNS queries per month, were most likely to recognize the need for a well-managed DNS and to lack the internal resources to devote to it. These enterprises were most likely to turn to a managed DNS service.

Two years later, Yankee Group sees business and government organizations of all sizes using managed DNS. This migration is driven by:

• DNS vulnerability. There is heightened awareness of the vulnerability of DNS to DDoS attacks, especially due to the well-publicized "Kaminsky attack."

• DNS importance. There is heightened awareness of the importance of DNS due to recent well-publicized attacks on the DNS infrastructure of large social Web sites and corporations.

• DNS and IPAM complexity. With the IANA free pool of IPv4 address space exhausted, enterprises have accepted that IPv6 is in their near future and they are concerned about trying to navigate the transition and maintain uninterrupted connectivity themselves. They know they need help.

• External network importance. There is increased reliance on the external network in order to conduct business, service customers and generate revenue.

• Better control. Enterprises understand that control is relative. Through comprehensive portals and reporting, managed DNS services frequently provide better visibility and control of network operations than a DIY or ISP service.

• Cost considerations. Enterprises understand that a managed DNS service provider has tools and capabilities that help secure the network, improve availability and enhance performance that, in most cases, the enterprise cannot afford to duplicate.

Enterprises are turning to managed DNS because it provides the security, performance and response time they need at a cost that is trivial compared with the major financial losses (in both e-commerce revenue and business interruption) that could result from a down Web site.

Managed DNS Services – a representative list of managed DNS service providers that offer services focused on midsize to large enterprises and support IP Anycast. Some of these vendors also operate as the authoritative registry for a number of top-level domains, including Verisign (.com, .net, .name, .jobs, .cc, .tv), Neustar (.biz, .us) and Afilias (.info). (Source: Yankee Group, 2011)

To read Yankee Group's full report, DNS: Risk, Reward and Managed Services, click here to download.

Related topics: Cloud Computing, Cyberattack, DDoS, DNS, IPv6, Security