A lot of DNS providers offer a plethora of services to choose from in an effort to be a one-stop-shop—kind of like Walmarts, but for SaaS. These conglomerates can be convenient, but it’s also easy to overshop. You come for one reason, but end up leaving with a cart full of stuff, most of what you don’t even need, and almost none of what you came for.

One-stop shopping goes something like this: Oooh, this is on sale. Oh, if I buy this, I get a discount on that. Hey, that looks cooI! Hmmm, I might as well get this while I’m here, and so on… Sound familiar?

And this happens at somewhere like Walmart without anyone trying to sell you anything! But at most CSP and DNS providers, you usually have someone “encouraging” you to buy the stuff you don’t need.

Why Settle for a Padawan When You Can Have a DNS Yoda?

Besides buying stuff you don’t need, the biggest problem with these types of providers is that they don’t specialize in anything. They’re like a jack of all trades but a master of none. And most of them cause vendor lock-in to boot! One thing you definitely don’t need is to find yourself like Luke and the crew looking for a “new hope” while the walls are caving in!

The truth is, many companies don’t put enough emphasis on the actual DNS side of their domains—this is one premium service that should never be neglected. You need a strong DNS foundation to achieve an optimal online experience for your end users. With the right configurations, your DNS can be faster than the competition and remain up 100% of the time. If you need other bells and whistles, get those services à la carte.

Your best bet is to stick with a provider who specializes in DNS and only DNS. In Star Wars, which side of the force is more powerful may be debatable, but in DNS, you never want the dark side.

If You’re Not Using These 3 DNS Configurations, You Should Be

Now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Here are the top three DNS configurations that every organization needs.

1. DNS Failover
   There’s a reason Failover has been used for decades. It’s a tried and true and effective DNS configuration that has kept countless domains running, even during outages and DDoS attacks. With Failover configured, health checks run from multiple locations and monitor the status of your IP address (usually every two to four minutes). If your primary IP is down, your traffic is automatically redirected to a backup web server. With DNS Made Easy, you can configure up to four backup IPs in your failover record.
   
   There are several ways Failover can be implemented, including Failover with a template and Failover with round robin. Your configuration can also be customized to fit your specific needs. Failover with a template is best suited for large organizations or web hosting companies that manage multiple domains sharing the same record configuration. Failover with Round Robin allows your traffic to be split between redundant internet connections and will cycle equally between both systems. If one connection fails, the other system picks up the slack.
   
2. Global Traffic Director
   Our Global Traffic Director (GTD) runs on bare metal servers that have different record sets and answers queries according to the originating region. GTD is best used for region-specific systems and improves query resolution accuracy and optimizes traffic for improved performance. Global Traffic Director can also be configured with Failover, which gives you the added benefit of faster speeds and redundancy for guaranteed uptime.
   
3. Secondary DNS This configuration is another DNS practice that’s been in use for decades, and for good reason. With Secondary DNS, you can easily and cost-effectively rule out a single point of failure within a critical environment. Whether you configure your secondary DNS as primary/primary, primary/secondary, or as a hidden primary (best for on-site configurations), you’ll ensure 100% uptime, even through provider outages or attacks. You’ll also increase speed and performance, as resolvers will learn to prefer the fastest performing provider, regardless of who is primary or secondary.

Speaking of outages, did you know DNS Made Easy has a history of 100% uptime spanning more than 10 years? We’ve helped countless domains stay up, even when other providers went down. You could say that the force is with us.

Be a Jedi of the DNS Galaxy

With the configurations above (used separately, or all together if DNS Made Easy is your primary provider), your DNS will be virtually bulletproof. But if you want the ability to shoot down DDoS attacks like Anakin in a starfighter, add our Anomaly Detection solution. With our advanced, real-time DNS analytics, you’ll be able to identify traffic anomalies before they can cause damage to your domain(s) like a digital Jedi. You can also easily pinpoint system misconfigurations, find outdated records, and even get a historical look at your traffic trends.

If You Want the Best DNS, Use a Provider that Specializes in DNS

In a nutshell, you don’t have to buy every service there is like some kind of digital doomsday prepper. And you certainly don’t have to lock yourself into an unnecessary contract. With the right DNS foundation, you can have 100% uptime, the fastest speeds, and the ability to identify and stop threats before they happen.

Regardless of who you ultimately choose as your provider, the best thing you can do for your organization is to select a provider that specializes in DNS. One-stop-shops typically treat DNS as secondary—or even tertiary (which explains regional and national outages from some of the larger CSPs out there)!

Who you choose for your DNS can make your work life easier and save you money! Add our top 3 DNS configurations into the mix, and your company’s domain(s) will be fast, safe, and secure, and will never go to the dark side.

“Do or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

If you like this, you may find these helpful:

https://woorkup.com/dns-made-easy-review/

https://www.howtogeek.com/664608/why-you-shouldnt-be-using-your-isps-default-dns-server/

For information on Constellix or DNS Made Easy products and services contact us. Our specialists will be happy to discuss your specific needs and work with you to find the perfect DNS solutions for your business.

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