Managed DNS Services Guide
Managed DNS services are an important part of any online business' infrastructure and provide a secure, reliable way to route website traffic. Managed DNS, or Domain Name System services, allow companies to connect with their customers around the world by providing quick resolution of website addresses.
At its core, the DNS is like a phonebook for the internet. It's what helps translate easily readable domain names into IP Addresses that computers can recognize and use for communication. Because it is so integral to how websites are routed and functioned on the web, having secure managed DNS services in place provides businesses with peace of mind that their website will remain secure from malicious actors.
With managed DNS services, clients don't have to manage the task of configuring their own domain records manually themselves. Instead they can rely on an external service provider who specializes in managing this process on their behalf. The main advantage to relying on a provider is that it allows you to keep your data safe and secure while also being able to quickly update records when needed without needing technical expertise or ongoing manual administration tasks.
In addition, most providers also offer monitoring services which enable you to keep track of changes such as latency spikes or record updates over time as well as features such as enhanced security measures such as DDoS mitigation strategies and other protection types so you can best protect your assets from attack vectors or malicious activity.
The cost for these services varies depending on the type of plan chosen but generally speaking they are very affordable for small businesses starting out online who may not otherwise be able to invest in more expensive solutions at first due to limited resources or budget constraints. Additionally some providers even offer free trials which allow clients to test out their service before committing long-term should they decide to do so after testing out all its features and benefits first-hand.
Overall managed DNS services are invaluable for businesses operating online today because it ensures faster response times for customer requests while also protecting against any potential threats posed by malicious actors seeking access through unsecure network connections between applications or databases hosted remotely - all without having the need for manual configuration by IT staff saving personnel costs while still ensuring maximum security and reliability!
Features of Managed DNS Services
- High Availability: Managed DNS services provide high availability and reliability through their distributed network of servers located around the world. This ensures that name resolution requests are always routed to the closest server, thus reducing latency and improving performance.
- Security: Managed DNS services provide enterprise-grade security features to protect against malicious attacks such as denial-of-service (DoS) and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS). They also employ industry standard encryption protocols such as SSL/TLS to ensure data integrity.
- Scalability: Managed DNS services are designed to scale with your organization’s growth, providing a secure and reliable platform for hosting your domain names. You can easily add or delete domains, update records, or change other settings without requiring any reconfiguration from IT staff.
- Monitoring & Analytics: Most managed DNS services offer reporting capabilities, including real time analytics and audits on all DNS traffic. This allows you to monitor performance trends and make informed decisions about network configuration and resource allocation.
- Backup & Restore: Some managed DNS services provide backup functionality which allows you to quickly restore any changes you may have made in case of an emergency. This ensures minimal downtime in the event of a disaster recovery situation.
- Automation: Managed DNS services provide automation tools that allow you to automate common tasks such as setting up domains, updating records, and more. This helps to reduce overhead costs by streamlining the management process.
Types of Managed DNS Services
- Dynamic DNS Service: This type of service allows users to have a constantly updated DNS record, even if their IP address is changing frequently. It works by periodically notifying the DNS server when an IP address change has occurred and updating the records accordingly.
- Geolocation-based DNS Service: This type of managed service allows a user’s geographic location to be taken into account when selecting a server for them to access services. The managed service will use databases of geographical IP address information to determine which server should be used based on the requestor’s location.
- Anycast DNS Service: This is a type of service that uses multiple locations and can direct traffic to them based on various criteria such as latency, time, or geography. By having multiple locations with redundant systems, it helps improve reliability and reduce downtime in the event of an outage at one location.
- Failover and Disaster Recovery Services: These types of services provide additional protection against outages by allowing for automatic switching between multiple systems in order to maintain uptime even during an outage. If one system fails, requests are directed to another available system so that service continues uninterrupted.
- Load Balancing Services: These types of services allow for requests for services or webpages to be load balanced across multiple servers instead of just one in order to reduce strain on a single server and increase performance overall.
- Application Acceleration Services: Often referred to as CDN (Content Delivery Network), these types of services help speed up both website load times as well as applications by providing caching capabilities in multiple points around the world so that users can access more quickly without suffering from latency issues due to distance from the origin server.
Trends Related to Managed DNS Services
- Increased Reliability: Managed DNS services provide more reliable performance than self-hosted DNS solutions, as their infrastructure and resources are designed specifically to support large amounts of traffic. This improved reliability can help businesses improve their customer experience, as well as reduce downtime caused by DNS outages.
- Improved Security: Managed DNS services offer enhanced security features such as DDoS protection, data encryption, and authentication measures to protect against malicious attacks. This improves the overall security of a company’s web presence and can guard against potentially crippling cyber threats.
- Advanced Analytics: With managed DNS services, businesses can gain access to detailed analytics about their domain’s performance. These metrics can help them understand where visitors are coming from, how long they are staying on the website, and other important information that can be used to improve the customer experience and optimize website performance.
- Affordable Cost: Managed DNS services are typically much more affordable than traditional hosting solutions. Companies don’t have to invest in expensive hardware or set up complex networks in order to take advantage of these services, making it an attractive option for businesses on a budget.
- Global Availability: Managed DNS services are available around the world, allowing companies to expand their reach and target customers in different countries and regions. This helps businesses increase their visibility and reach new audiences without having to invest in additional infrastructure or technology.
Benefits of Managed DNS Services
- Reliability: Managed DNS services provide reliability through the use of high-performance servers, round-the-clock monitoring, and advanced security measures. With these measures in place, managed DNS services can guarantee that website visitors will have a fast, secure experience when they visit your website.
- Increased Load Capacity: By leveraging cloud-based resources, managed DNS services can scale to accommodate large spikes in traffic on short notice. This makes it easy to manage sudden traffic surges caused by going viral or launching a new product or service.
- Improved Security: Managed DNS services come with a host of security measures like protection against DDoS attacks and malware threats. They also monitor for malicious activity to ensure that your website is safe from intruders.
- Lower Operating Costs: By outsourcing the management of your DNS to a third party provider, you lower your overhead costs associated with setup and ongoing maintenance of an in-house solution. This helps you save money in the long run.
- Faster Performance: A well managed DNS can reduce page load times significantly by taking advantage of geo-location technology which allows users to be directed to closest server locations for quicker delivery times. This improves user experience and keeps customers happy.
- Improved Uptime: With managed DNS services, you get access to a team of experts who monitor your website 24/7 and make sure it’s up and running at all times. This means that your customers will always be able to access your website when they need it.
How to Choose the Right Managed DNS Service
Selecting the right managed DNS services can be a daunting task. Here are some tips to help make the process easier:
- Determine your needs: First, take stock of your website’s objectives, budget, technical requirements and other factors to determine which type of managed DNS service will best meet your needs.
- Research providers: Once you have an idea of what type of service you need, do some research on potential providers. Look into customer reviews and ratings, features offered, customer support levels they provide and pricing information.
- Try out a provider: After narrowing down your list of potential providers, try out one or two of them with a trial period so you can experience their performance firsthand before making a commitment.
- Assess features & performance: When testing out different providers, pay close attention to how the service performs in terms of speed, reliability and security measures included with their plans. Also consider any additional features like analytics or customer support that may come with each plan.
- Choose the best fit: After assessing all options available to you and deciding which is the best fit for your website’s objectives and budget – go ahead and sign up for that provider’s services!
Compare managed DNS services according to cost, capabilities, integrations, user feedback, and more using the resources available on this page.
Who Uses Managed DNS Services?
- Large Corporations: Companies with multiple locations, expansive global networks or other extensive and complex digital infrastructures may require managed DNS services to ensure their applications remain available and secure at all times.
- Medium Businesses: Organizations that maintain a range of online services, such as ecommerce, customere-commerce relationship management (CRM), or content management systems (CMS), may need managed DNS solutions to keep performance rigidity consistent across multiple websites.
- Startups: Young companies with rapidly expanding business models may need more sophisticated service hosting options than are available in traditional web hosting packages. Managed DNS can provide them with the flexibility they need to support their growing application portfolio.
- Small Businesses: By partnering with a managed DNS provider, small businesses can understand the needs of their website visitors better and deliver an enhanced web experience without having to commit significant resources to maintaining it themselves.
- Home Users: Home users who are tired of dealing with unreliable public DNS servers or limited ISP options may opt for a managed service to get reliable and fast domain name resolution for all their devices on the network.
- Gamers: The lag caused by slow public DNS servers can be extremely detrimental when playing online games. A managed solution allows gamers to enjoy fast query response times, ensuring smooth game play without any latency issues.
Managed DNS Services Pricing
Managed DNS services can cost anywhere from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars per month, depending on the size and complexity of your organization and the level of management offered by the service provider. For small businesses, managed DNS services typically ranges from around $5-$15 per month. For larger companies that require more complex features and support, services can cost upwards of $150/month or more.
At the lower end, basic managed DNS services can provide simple web-based control panels to manage domain nameservers (DNS) records such as A records, MX Records and CNAMEs. The major benefits include improved performance, simplified set up and ongoing administration tasks for an organization’s domains.
For larger organizations with more complex requirements, some managed DNS providers offer additional features such as geo-location control so requests from certain geographic regions are directed to different servers; highly detailed analytics so you can understand user behavior patterns; integrated DDoS protection; API access for developers building applications based on multiple domains; and built-in scalability in case traffic spikes unexpectedly. These advanced features come at a higher cost but may also be available through a package plan that provides all features at a discounted rate.
In conclusion, while basic managed DNS services can be relatively inexpensive compared to traditional hosting methods, costs will vary greatly based on an organization’s needs and expectations. Organizations should investigate options carefully before committing to any particular service provider to ensure they find the best value for their money.
Managed DNS Services Integrations
Managed DNS services can integrate with a wide variety of software types. Server, cloud hosting and hybrid cloud hosting software, such as Apache and cPanel, is often able to connect with DNS servers in order to manage domains. Some content management systems, such as WordPress, also have the ability to connect with DNS servers in order to manage domain names and other related tasks. Additionally, there are some software services that focus specifically on managed DNS solutions, such as CloudFlare and Amazon Route 53. All of these types of software can integrate with managed DNS services in order to provide the user with more control over their domains and other related tasks.