Overview

IBM® NS1 Connect® is the foundation for a portfolio of DNS and traffic steering solutions that simplify resource management and optimize traffic distribution across your network resources. The IBM Hybrid Cloud DNS package bundles certain NS1 Connect platform capabilities and solutions specifically for large enterprises to optimize global application and service delivery at scale.

Built from an API-first architecture, NS1 Connect is flexible enough to accommodate a range of network infrastructures, technical requirements, and business objectives.

Base functionality includes the following key platform solutions and capabilities:

  • Managed DNS network - Create and publish DNS zones and records to NS1 Connect’s anycast DNS network made up of globally distributed authoritative DNS name servers. The number of records you can create depends on the plan limits set on your account.
  • Filter Chain - Define a custom routing policy for an individual record by combining and rearranging various traffic steering filters.
  • Monitors - Track the health of your endpoints and use the data to automatically update traffic steering behavior as network conditions change. You can integrate with third-party services to connect with existing monitors or to gather data other than the up/down status to inform routing decisions.
  • Observability and reports - Access detailed data sets and reports to analyze traffic distribution behavior across your DNS networks.

Enhanced plans offer additional features and functionality, including the following:

  • Increased monthly query limits as your audiences and requesting clients grow.
  • Increased record limits to accommodate a large number of resources.
  • Increase monitor limits to track the up/down status of your endpoints.
  • Increased Filter Chain limits so you can apply traffic steering rules to your endpoints.
  • Managed DNS for China network for application or service delivery to clients in mainland China.
  • Dedicated DNS network for added resiliency with a single-tenant network. If your organization is looking to establish redundancy while retaining the advanced traffic steering capabilities of NS1 Connect, consider upgrading your account to include the Dedicated DNS network. Dedicated DNS is both physically and logically separate from other NS1 Connect networks.
  • Traffic steering that uses real user monitoring (RUM) to implement global service load balancing and other routing strategies across complex, global infrastructures.
  • DNS Insights, an observability solution delivering granular insight into the latest trends, patterns, and anomalies related to your DNS and network behavior.

All IBM Hybrid Cloud DNS accounts include:

  • Elevated query, record, monitor, and Filter Chain limits depending on your specific needs.
  • Access to the Managed DNS and Dedicated DNS networks for added resiliency without having to manage resources in multiple locations or across multiple providers.
  • Access to DNS Insights to unlock highly valuable information about your DNS and network operations.
  • Basic traffic steering tools with the option to add the RUM-based Global Service Load Balancing solution for an added cost.

Refer to the IBM NS1 Connect product page for additional information.