Verisign, Inc. today announced two significant enhancements to Verisign Managed DNS, a cloud-based hosting solution that helps improve the availability of Internet and network applications by delivering 100 percent DNS resolution for customers.

Verisign’s Managed DNS service now provides full support for DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) compliance features and Geo Location capabilities. These two critical features help make it easier for enterprises to strengthen the integrity and effectiveness of Internet communications, and the security and performance of Domain Name System (DNS) transactions.

“Verisign continues to deliver the most advanced features for network security, availability and performance across our entire services portfolio,” said Ben Petro, senior vice president of Verisign’s Network Intelligence and Availability business. “Leveraging our extensive expertise and leadership in DNS management and DNSSEC implementation, Verisign’s Managed DNS solution eases DNSSEC compliance, while also enabling greater performance for network applications through Geo Location.”

With its global implementation of DNSSEC on .com announced today, Verisign is helping to close a known vulnerability within the DNS infrastructure that has long been a target for hackers and identity thieves. By applying digital signatures to DNS data to authenticate its origin and verify its integrity as it moves throughout the Internet, security extensions are designed to protect the DNS infrastructure from man-in-the-middle attacks that corrupt, or poison, DNS data. With DNSSEC, administrators sign their data, resulting in digital signatures on the DNS data that is validated through a “chain of trust.”

“For DNSSEC to effectively safeguard the global DNS infrastructure, it is vital for Internet Service Providers, website operators and registrars to implement DNSSEC across the domains they manage,” said Jennifer Pigg, vice president, Yankee Group’s Anywhere Network research group. “Investing in a DNS hosting solution that provides full support for DNSSEC can help ease one of the most complex aspects of DNS management and remove barriers to a timely DNSSEC implementation for many organizations.”

With Verisign’s Managed DNS solution, a domain’s DNS records can be digitally signed for any top-level domain (TLD) that supports DNSSEC including .com, .net, .edu, .gov, .us, .org, and others. Verisign makes the complex process of managing DNSSEC easier by signing all zone files in a customer’s account, continually checking the status of DNSSEC keys to ensure they are valid, and automatically publishing new keys after the existing ones expire—the most challenging component of DNSSEC.

Better Performance and Enhanced Differentiation with Geo Location

Verisign’s Managed DNS solution also features enhanced Geo Location capabilities that enable customers to differentiate responses to DNS queries and optimize network performance. Geo Location allows website owners to customize responses for end-users based on their physical location or IP address, giving them the ability to deliver location-specific content, offers, and advertisements more relevant to a potential customer. Geo Location can also be used to globally load balance website traffic, which helps to optimize network speed, functionality and reliability. The Verisign Managed DNS solution allows both Geo Location and DNSSEC to be enabled at the same time for any customer zone, unlike other DNS hosting services, which only allow one or the other to be applied to a zone.

“As mobile devices, smart phones and social media applications continue to explode in popularity, research shows that businesses using Geo Location to target this growing base of consumers with content most relevant to them are prospering,” said Petro. “By allowing both Geo Location and DNSSEC to be enabled at the same time for any customer zone, our Managed DNS solution delivers an unmatched level of control, security and flexibility that provides better user experiences and greater return on investment for our customers.”

Verisign is currently offering the Verisign Uptime Bundle, which combines the Verisign Managed DNS service with threat intelligence services and protection from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks—all in one competitively priced suite starting at just $495.