The Drivers And Inhibitors Of Cloud-Based External DNS · A Custom Technology Adoption Profile...

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A Custom Technology Adoption Profile Commissioned By Neustar | February 2016

The Drivers And Inhibitors Of Cloud-Based External DNS

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OVERVIEW SITUATION APPROACH OPPORTUNITY CONCLUSIONS



Will The Cloud Revolution Convert External DNS?

Having permeated the business technology stacks of firms across industries and at companies large and

small, cloud-based business applications and platforms are no longer a novelty. Yet despite the

longstanding availability of cloud-based domain name server (DNS) technology, the strong majority of

external (authoritative) DNS deployments — particularly among companies without an eCommerce

presence — remain on-premises. What holds firms back from making the leap, and what considerations

motivate those that do deploy in the cloud?

In December 2015, Neustar commissioned Forrester Consulting to evaluate the rates at which midmarket

and enterprise firms are deploying their external DNS to the cloud, as well as the factors that both

encourage and discourage such migrations.

100 IT decision-makers in

the US with responsibility

for DNS at companies with

500 or more employees

Number of employees

in the company

› 14% have 500 to 999

› 40% have 1,000 to 4,999

› 18% have 5,000 to 19,999

› 28% have 20,000+

Seniority of respondents

› 11% are C-level executives

› 10% are VPs

› 39% are directors

› 40% are managers

Top industries represented

› 16% IT products/services

› 15% Financial

services/insurance

› 14% Manufacturing

› 10% Healthcare

› 8% Education/nonprofit

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External DNS Remains Primarily

On-Premises, But Most Firms Are

Open To Cloud

On-premises remains the overwhelmingly dominant deployment

method for external DNS, with 74% of our survey respondents

specifying it as their exclusively employed model. Just over a quarter

of our survey respondents currently host their external DNS in the

cloud, and only two-fifths of these pioneers do so exclusively.

Yet despite their slow uptake, the move toward cloud-based DNS

is accelerating. Factoring in the respondents who are currently

planning a migration, nearly half (47%) of organizations will soon

host their external DNS in the cloud. What’s more, only a quarter

of respondents said they are not at least considering such a move.

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Despite The Prevalence Of On-Premises

DNS, In-House IT Lacks Proper Expertise

DNS has been called the most important technology that no one

knows about. Evidently, this sentiment rings true among even our

survey respondents — the very same respondents who are

responsible for their firm’s DNS technology and overwhelmingly

maintain this infrastructure on-premises. An average of only 20%

of these DNS guardians claim to be “very knowledgeable” about

one of the nine DNS components and use cases we asked about,

which puts the increasing levels of interest in cloud-hosted DNS

into perspective.

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What Pushes Companies Away From

On-Premises DNS?

Given the on-premises nature of DNS at most firms, along with

deficient abilities to support such a model, it’s no shock that many

firms experience considerable DNS-related troubles. Key among

these are challenges pertaining to security, including distributed

denial of service (DDoS) attack vulnerability and DNS protocol

security, which were cited as major or moderate challenges by

approximately two-thirds of respondents.

But it’s not just critical security issues that boggle down IT

professionals with on-premises DNS. The majority of respondents

also cited being challenged by the amount of resources — both time

and money — they must exhaust to maintain and upgrade their

system. Additionally, respondents are likely to face an uphill battle

against inadequate capabilities related to performance, scalability,

and advanced features.

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What Pulls Companies Toward

Cloud-Based DNS?

Since on-premises DNS operators’ chief concern pertains to

security, it follows logically that the majority of respondents cited

better protection from DDoS attacks and improved DNS security

(DNSSEC) as having a major influence on their decision to host in

the cloud.

Even more of an influence, however, is the prospect of improved

reliability and availability in an era when customers expect

instantaneous service anytime and anywhere they please.

Dovetailing off this imperative, companies are motivated to move

DNS to the cloud by capability indicators such as improved disaster

recovery, performance, scalability, and traffic management, as well

as detailed reporting to know exactly what’s working well and what

needs improvement.

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What Holds Companies Back From

Making The Switch To Cloud-Based DNS?

If firms have strong factors pushing them away from on-premises

DNS and pulling them toward cloud deployments, why have so few

made this transition? The list of common inhibitors includes several

applicable to any cloud technology deployment, such as pricing

models, migration, and mandates for isolation and security. But one

theme on this list stood above the rest: vendor service and support.

According to our respondents, perceptions regarding vendor

response time and communication constitute the primary major

inhibitor, and more general support concerns earn the highest

combined mentions as a major or moderate inhibitor.

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DNS Decision-Makers Prefer Managed

Service Providers

Despite the backseat it takes in the purview of internal IT staff, external

DNS is a critical infrastructure and security component for any modern

organization. As such, there are not only a wide array of companies

offering DNS services, but also several types of companies offering

them, each with distinct service models and specializations.

Many of our respondents struggle with the logistics and know-how

required of maintaining a DNS on-premises. Therefore, it makes

sense that when we asked them to rate their preferred DNS service

provider types, the largest share elected to hand responsibility over to

a managed service provider (MSP). In fact, MSPs are nearly twice as

preferred as are outsourced IT services partners.

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DNS Selection Criteria: One-Stop-Shop

Offerings And DDoS Protection

DNS is chock-full of components and use cases, and not all service

providers have the capabilities to address all of them. Companies

that seek several services — or want to completely unload their

DNS responsibilities — are likely to seek robust solutions that don’t

require multiple vendors. Our survey respondents laud both MSPs

and Internet service providers (ISPs) for this criteria, considering

them as tied for having the greatest advantage for one-stop-shop

offerings.

Regardless of how much help they need operating and maintaining

a DNS, all organizations require its DDoS protection. Survey

respondents indicated that MSPs have the greatest advantage

on this critical metric.

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DNS Selection Criteria: Service

And Expertise

Our survey respondents reported both low levels of DNS knowledge

and significant concern around the communication and support from

cloud DNS providers. Therefore, DNS expertise, as well as the level

of service provided by those experts, are likely to be high priorities

for those who decide to evaluate cloud DNS services.

Our survey respondents gave high marks to MSPs for both of these

metrics by deeming them as having the greatest advantage for

service, as well as for subject matter expertise and experience.

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ABOUT FORRESTER CONSULTING

Forrester Consulting provides independent and objective research-based consulting to help leaders succeed in their

organizations. Ranging in scope from a short strategy session to custom projects, Forrester’s Consulting services connect

you directly with research analysts who apply expert insight to your specific business challenges. For more information, visit

forrester.com/consulting.

© 2016, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. Information is based on

best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. Forrester®, Technographics®,

Forrester Wave, RoleView, TechRadar, and Total Economic Impact are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. All other

trademarks are the property of their respective companies. For additional information, go to forrester.com.




Conclusion

External (authoritative) DNS remains deployed on-premises for most companies, despite a general lack

of in-house DNS knowledge and a roster of challenges ranging from DDoS attack vulnerability to

inadequate performance and scalability. However, firms are increasingly open to the idea of migrating to

cloud-based DNS solutions under the prospect of improving on-premises deployments’ shortcomings.

Yet various concerns — chiefly around vendor support and service — prevent such moves from occurring

en masse. When they do evaluate such options, buyers believe managed service providers have an

advantage for service, as well as for other evaluation criteria.

METHODOLOGY

› This Technology Adoption Profile was commissioned by Neustar.

› Forrester Consulting designed and fielded a custom survey of IT decision-makers at US companies

with at least 500 employees. Respondents were required to have responsibility for external

(authoritative) DNS. Respondents from eCommerce, marketing/advertising services, and media firms

were excluded. The survey began in December 2015 and was completed in January 2016.

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