Connecting to sites and services on the internet and in the cloud is an operation that relies on Domain Name System (DNS) operations that can sometimes be a challenge to optimize.

IBM acquired DNS platform provider NS1 earlier this year to help solve the challenges of DNS. IBM is now expanding its DNS capacities with the launch of NS1 Connect, set for general availability on Oct. 17. The NS1 Connect offering builds in multiple stability and security enhancements that NS1 underwent after its acquisition.

IBM is also building a bundled package for the first time that combines all of NS1's DNS features into one software-as-a-service (SaaS) product offering, making it easy for customers to get all the functionality they need. By integrating the NS1 SaaS offering into its global market offerings, IBM is providing size and scale to the platform that was never before possible.

"Whenever we acquire companies, we have to onboard their products into IBM systems so they are easy to purchase for IBM’s existing customer base, and so this announcement is really about NS1’s general availability as an IBM product," Andrew Coward, GM of software-defined networking at IBM, told SDxCentral.

Coward noted that it turns out that most of IBM’s existing customers run very large web-scale services, and not all of them use NS1 today. In fact, he said many large companies still self-host their DNS services, but are looking to move toward more automation, more cloud-based workloads and more focus on customer experience.

"When you think about IBM’s larger strategy around hybrid cloud, where we are providing the connectivity, observability, security and automation for our customers’ cloud migration journeys, then you can see how NS1 fits into a wider picture," Coward said.

As part of the NS1 Connect launch, IBM is also aiming to help enable users of its Hybrid Cloud Mesh technology for cloud connectivity. Coward commented that from his perspective, IBM NS1 Connect and Hybrid Cloud Mesh are two sides of the same coin.

"They are both designed to optimize the performance of application connectivity and make it easier to manage network resources," he said. "NS1 Connect tackles the external, user-to-app portion of application connectivity, while Hybrid Cloud Mesh focuses on internal, app-to-app connectivity."

DNS is a foundational element of all modern networking and it remains a challenge to optimize.

Coward noted that anyone running a website, an online application or a SaaS service will naturally obsess over uptime and reliability. They will typically use multiple service providers and content delivery networks (CDNs) in order to provide the highest level of performance and resilience for their customers. To pick the best service provider, best CDN and best path for the traffic at any given time, and from any given city, organizations need a massive-scale authoritative DNS service that can make dynamic decisions on the best path and destination for each user, second by second.

He added that it’s not enough for applications or websites to simply be available. They must be fast and they have to perform to a user’s expectations.

"This is where IBM NS1 Connect adds even more value – by optimizing application and website connections to meet the specific performance needs of any business," Coward said. "Great performance means different things to different businesses."

Looking forward, it's likely that IBM will continue to build out NS1 and integrate it more tightly with the rest of the IBM portfolio.

"We see DNS as a key control point for our customers’ applications and networks," Coward said. "As such, we’re tying DNS capabilities more tightly into our networking, observability, security and automation products so that customers have a single place to manage and control infrastructure across the hybrid multicloud world we live in today."