Dropbox collaborates with IBM to cut latency by up to 200 milliseconds.
Dropbox, a leading file hosting service provider, has built their reputation on delivering seamless file sharing and collaboration experiences to over half a billion users across the globe. With a massive global edge network spanning more than 20 clusters, the company is committed to ensuring consistent, high-quality service regardless of where users are located.
However, Dropbox encountered unexpected limitations with their traditional approach to domain name system (DNS) load balancing. The company relied on geolocation-based routing, which often directed users to the geographically nearest point of presence (PoP) rather than the most responsive one. While this method seemed logical on paper at the time, it resulted in suboptimal connection and increased latency for users.
The problem was particularly severe in certain regions. For example, users in Vladivostok, Iceland and Egypt experienced inconsistent service quality. For a company whose success depended on speed, reliability and user satisfaction, these routing inefficiencies posed a serious risk to Dropbox’s global performance standards.
“The best way to improve DNS load balancing and avoid such corner cases is to 'teach' it about your network topology,” explains Nikita Shirokov from the Traffic Team at Dropbox. The company needed a smarter approach that could help analyze network performance in real time, not just rely on geographic proximity.
To overcome these limitations, Dropbox partnered with IBM to implement a more sophisticated approach to DNS traffic management. The company chose IBM® NS1 Connect® for its scalable, authoritative DNS service. The goal was to replace Dropbox’s geolocation-based system with the real-time monitoring and latency-based traffic steering capabilities of IBM NS1 Connect. The solution enabled Dropbox to create a custom DNS map that prioritized actual network performance over physical distance. With this approach, the company could direct users to the most responsive PoPs, regardless of their geographic location, providing faster and more reliable connections.
The solution had immediate impact in high-latency regions where users had previously experienced inconsistent performance. The flexibility offered by NS1 Connect enabled seamless integration with Dropbox’s existing global infrastructure. As a result, Dropbox achieved a significant improvement in routing accuracy, network efficiency and user experience across the globe.
The collaboration between Dropbox and IBM delivered measurable improvements in both user experience and network performance. By directing users to the most latency-efficient PoPs, Dropbox achieved:
- 10%–15% latency improvement for users at the 75th and 95th percentiles
- Up to 200-millisecond latency reduction for long-tail users
- 10% latency benefit for users in Iceland and Egypt
Additionally, the intelligent routing system enabled Dropbox to fully utilize their infrastructure, including the previously underused PoP in Berlin. These enhancements eliminated corner cases caused by geolocation-based routing and helped ensure faster, more reliable access for users across the globe.
Dropbox (link resides outside of ibm.com) is a leading cloud-based file storage and collaboration platform headquartered in San Francisco, California. Since their founding in 2007, the company has grown to serve millions of individuals and businesses worldwide. Known for their intuitive user experience and strong commitment to security and privacy, Dropbox enables seamless file sharing and collaboration across devices and geographies. Their extensive global user base and market presence reflect their scale, reliability and impact.
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