The technical world is one that takes a long time to grasp mastery over – for the most part, the reason for this is that it is incredibly complex, with seemingly-endless moving parts. Take, for instance, the website that you have for your business. For this to remain up-and-running at all points of the day, you will need to invest in the services of a top-tier hosting provider. However, this does not necessarily mean that you will be frequented by customers; for this to occur, you will also need to be regularly updating your site with relevant content. Even then, there is no guarantee that you will be a leading organisation within your specific sector.
A factor that few businesses take into account, when trying to improve the capabilities of their websites, is the type of DNS server that they make use-of. There may even be some of you reading this that are unaware of domain name systems, or DNS, and the role that they play. If this describes you, you are in luck – the specialist knowledge that we possess here at catalyst2 means that we are perfectly suited to giving you a brief overview of this server, as well as why you shouldn’t underestimate its importance.
The Basics
There are many people that refer to DNS servers as a ‘phonebook’ that is exclusive to the Internet, and the evidence that is available means that it is rather hard to contradict this statement. Whether you are using wi-fi or mobile data, the moment that you use a domain name to access a website, the DNS server comes into play. In case you didn’t already know, each-and-every domain that is associated with a website has a numerical counterpart – this is the IP address. Essentially, the DNS server links the two together, allowing people to access their favourite sites with relative ease.
More often than not, people make the assumption that the only server that is associated with websites is that which allows them to remain active. Whilst these forms of servers play an important role in the grand scheme of things, you would do-well to give DNS servers the attention and respect that they deserve. The DNS of your choice will operate in-tandem with a variety of other servers, in order to get your search resolved. Were you to try and limit your expenses in this department, and subsequently decided that you would work with a secondary DNS provider, the results would undoubtedly leave you feeling bitterly disappointed.
What They Offer You
Whilst it is true that you cannot function without a DNS server, it is possible for you to locate this resource in a free capacity. There will undoubtedly be some companies that see this as a blessing, as it provides an opportunity to save money, which can then be put towards other, supposedly more ‘important’ aspects of the business. However, this line of thinking is incredibly flawed, as it could hinder your firm’s ability to connect with core customer groups. This, in turn, will certainly see your stock amongst the public fall; this slide, if not addressed, will naturally cause your company to fall further-and-further down the pecking order, until you implode. Therefore, it should be relatively apparent that from a commercial standpoint, it makes sense to spend wisely on a high-quality DNS server.
Something that is routinely failed to mention, in relation to state-of-the-art DNS servers, is that they are typically equipped with some of the finest security protocols that can be found on the market. The impact that this can have on your public standing is something which is rather difficult to put into words. Customers that have previously fallen victim to hacking scandals will be incredibly wary of entrusting their personal details to an unknown firm – it is up to you to convince them that it is safe to do so. Whilst there are various avenues that you can go down which will potentially reap the rewards that you desire, arguably the easiest is through the use of a DNS server. Cyber criminals will have a difficult time trying to ascertain your DNS server address, which means that any caches of data that you have stored on your website will remain sealed.
When you start to negotiate a contract with an internet service provider, or ISP, do not be surprised if they also take a moment to inform you that they are also able to adopt the role of a DNS server provider. Although there is some truth in this statement, the reality of the situation is that they will fall well-short of your expectations. With a large quantity of customers to deal with, and with this not being their primary line of work, the support side of things will traditionally fall by the wayside. The situation is entirely different when you decide to enlist the help of seasoned DNS experts. They will be familiar with what is expected of them, and will take it upon themselves to go above-and-beyond to satisfy your needs. If you need any sort of example that can be used as a point of reference, look no further than catalyst2.
How They Are Vulnerable
Despite the clear investment of time and effort into DNS servers, they have certainly not quite reached the point wherein they can be described as perfect. Through no fault of their own, they are subject to a large number of DDOS attacks. A nickname for denial-of-service attacks, the main motive behind these is to try and render your website inaccessible. There may be some individuals, for instance, that have stakes in one of your competitors, and will therefore try to cause maximum damage to your firm in any way, shape, or form. By keeping your website off-limits, it forces your audience to find a secondary firm, thereby keeping your profit margins low. It is true that the security systems integrated into DNS servers have improved; however, this is not to say that they can ward off any-and-every attack that comes their way.
If you were to take a moment to look closer at the internal workings of any DNS server, it will immediately become apparent that they are intricate systems. The reason that we want to draw your attention to this is because there is room for errors and mistakes to occur. Hardware, no matter the quality, is not infallible, and there is potential for malfunctions to occur. From a troubleshooting perspective, your DNS server provider should be taking responsibility for rectifying any issues as efficiently-and-effectively as possible. That being said, you need to be accommodating of the time that might be required for the fixes to be implemented.
A common phrase that is bandied about in relation to DNS servers is ‘high DNS latency’; for anyone that is ignorant as to what this means, allow us a moment to provide an explanation. If you are able to maintain a low latency, the knock-on effect is that the loading times will not become a problem, which is something of an ideal situation. When you are subjected to wave-after-wave of visitors, however, the latency can slowly-but-surely creep up. Some may dispute as to whether or not this should be regarded as a vulnerability, as there is not much that you can do to address this. If you were to monitor your traffic, however, and inject increased power as-and-when your visitor count is high, you can essentially nullify this problem before it starts to spiral.
Reasons To Make A Change
By now, you should have a working knowledge of the way in which DNS servers operate in relation to your website, as well as why you cannot take them for granted. However, you may be curious to learn about the reasons that could prompt you to invest in changing to a different provider. Arguably the most prominent of these is the fact that your website is prone to suffering from slow loading times. When your audience notices that they are having to wait a disproportionate amount of time to access your website, you cannot begrudge them looking elsewhere for a company to cater to their needs. In reality, if you found yourself in the same position as them, the likelihood is that you would take the same course of action. Rather than take the risk of losing potential customers, a sure-fire way of improving your reputation is to swap to a brand-new DNS provider.
As we are sure you will agree, there have been incredible advancements made within the technical sector over the years, and these have served to benefit businesses far-and-wide. However, it is important that you recognise that this has also meant that criminals have also been able to improve their techniques. Cyber attacks are becoming more-and-more common, and this can be attributed to the fact that there are lucrative rewards that can be gained. As a public-facing organisation, you need to offer reassurances to your clients that when they use your services, they are not putting themselves at risk. If you feel that your security settings are less-than ideal, it is better to take action sooner rather than later; a step that could pay dividends is finding a much-improved DNS specialist to collaborate with.
A Few Final Words
If you have ever been forced to utilise a DNS server that is poor from a quality perspective, we are sure that you will not be wanting to relive this experience anytime in the near future. Usually, the least efficient systems are the free DNS services that can be found on the Internet; due to the fact that you are not paying for the service, you cannot expect to be granted a first-class system. For those of you that are determined to have a fast-loading website that will routinely put a smile on the faces of your customers, you need to locate the fastest DNS server in the UK – it is here that catalyst2 is really able to shine.
When you have a team in your corner that is not only well-versed in the most-efficient DNS server settings, but will consistently look to implement changes and updates that can improve your website’s capabilities, it will not take long for your business to begin to thrive. For those of you that didn’t already know, we have built-up a reputation for providing specific DNS packages that are tailored to each-and-every one of our clients. Once you have informed us of your company’s aims and objectives, the catalyst2 specialists will gladly invest the time and effort to procure exceptional results.
Are you convinced that you would be well-served by switching to an alternative DNS provider, but are unsure as to who you should turn-to for help? Do you feel that you should be taking advantage of web-filtering software that can enable you to remove the possibility of your rankings being affected by adult content? In scenarios such as these, you can be sure that catalyst2 will not disappoint you. Should you want to gain more of an understanding as to why you should stay away from free, public DNS servers, or are intrigued as to learning the specifics of what our DNS offers, please don’t hesitate to call us on 0800 107 7979. If you would prefer to detail your query to us in writing, your best-bet would be to email us at sales@catalyst2.com
