Every website that resides on the internet is assigned a unique sequence of numbers that can be considered to be its “residential address.” These sequences of 12 numbers (in the xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx format, less if one or two digit is used in an octet) are called IP addresses and no website can have the same set of numbers or there would be an IP conflict making them unable to be reached or accessed. Whenever someone goes online and types in the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of a website (in the form of www.somesite.com) it is immediately translated into its corresponding IP address and only then can the visitor be directed to the appropriate site. This translation is known as an IP address resolution and is done using DNS (Domain Name Servers) servers. These DNS servers can be assumed to be the phonebook or directory of the internet where each website’s URL is mapped with its IP address which makes it easier and quicker to find them.

When a business buys a domain name they usually have to do so via a DNS registrar. Registrars sell the domain names on behalf of registry operators who control the main database of all registered names. They are managed by the International Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) which is a subsidiary of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) – a private sector, non-profit corporation that has been entrusted with the running of the root zone of the Domain Name System.

A business that wants to buy a domain name contacts a hosting provider which, if it is available, then sells it on behalf of the registrar. Once the purchase is done, the name needs to be directed to its authoritative name servers. This is done by DNS hosting providers.

Domain name registrars can offer the DNS hosting service on top of the sales or it can be handled by the web hosting providers that offer the service as an extra (usually for free and as part of the hosting package). Alternatively, it can be offered by companies whose sole purpose is to offer dedicated DNS hosting.

Now, while the DNS hosting service provided by the hosting providers or registrars is enough for almost any average small business, there are times when the dedicated DNS hosts are preferred over them which is mainly due to their advantages, some of which are:

Improvement in Speed

Depending on the geographic location of the servers and how close by they are, DNS hosts can offer a faster resolution and loading time than the registrars’ or hosting providers’ servers. This is a critical selling point for business websites that need to load quickly.

There are various free tools online that can be used to test and benchmark the resolution speeds between DNS servers. Anyone can use them to find out if moving to the DNS hosts would be a feasible solution.

Reliable and Dedicated Service

Domain name registrars and web hosting providers take the DNS server business as secondary – well, it can safely be said that more focus and attention is put into selling domain names and hosting websites, respectively, than is into DNS servers.

This means these servers, due to “neglect,” could be performing well below their potential capacity and the companies wouldn’t even know about it as they wouldn’t have the amount of expertise that could only be found at a business that dedicates itself to DNS hosting.

This also means business websites could be suffering from the resulting drawbacks through no faults of their own. It should be noted that whenever a request for a website takes too long it times out and returns a message stating the website cannot be found. To a layperson receiving that message, there is no way to find out whether the error was caused through a delay in response or if the website truly is down (a close look at the error page might reveal this, but not many people do). This can mean loss of confidence and consumer trust which is not good for business.

Hacking Prevention

Website hijacking is a risk that is prevalent in all DNS systems. Hackers can break into the resolution process and redirect a website request to one of their own sites by giving it a fake IP address to head to. The site at the end of that address will look exactly like the original one and thus fool users into divulging information like passwords, personal data and financial details.

DNS hosts implement DNSSEC, a security feature that creates an unbreakable “trust link” between the visitors’ browsers and the business’ server, confirming that they arrive at the exact site they are looking for and not a cloned one.

Another way hackers steal relevant information is by eavesdropping on the DNS server to gather information from message transmissions and login attempts on websites. DNS hosts can prevent this from happening while most – not all – registrars and web hosting providers won’t be able to.

Conclusion: If you really need fast-loading websites and don’t want risk leaking your clients’ information, you might want to consider entrusting your DNS hosting to the dedicated service providers.