Cisco OpenDNS

Cisco OpenDNS
Name	Cisco OpenDNS
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Computer networking
Founded	2006
Founder	David Ulevitch
Fate	Acquired by Cisco Systems in 2015
Headquarters	San Francisco, California
Parent	Cisco Systems

Cisco OpenDNS Cisco OpenDNS is a cloud-based domain name system (DNS) and security service platform acquired by Cisco Systems. It provides recursive DNS resolution, content filtering, and threat intelligence for enterprises, small businesses, and home users. The platform integrates with networking, endpoint, and cloud infrastructure from vendors and institutions worldwide.

History

OpenDNS was founded in 2006 by David Ulevitch in San Francisco, emerging alongside contemporaries such as Google DNS, Quad9, Cloudflare, Level 3 Communications, and Akamai Technologies as part of an evolution in internet infrastructure. Early adoption intersected with the growth of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Amazon.com, and Wikipedia where scalable name resolution became critical. The company secured venture funding from investors linked to Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins, and NEA and pursued partnerships with firms including Comcast, Verizon Communications, AT&T, CenturyLink, and BT Group. OpenDNS expanded features in response to threats highlighted by events involving Stuxnet, Conficker, and advisories from agencies like US-CERT and NIST; it also interfaced with standards bodies including the IETF and worked alongside projects such as DNSSEC deployments promoted by ICANN. In 2015, Cisco Systems announced an acquisition that placed OpenDNS alongside Cisco products including Cisco ASA, Cisco Umbrella, Cisco AnyConnect, and Cisco Meraki.

Services and Features

OpenDNS offers recursive DNS resolution, content filtering, security threat intelligence, and policy enforcement used by customers ranging from households to enterprises and educational institutions like Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and district deployments similar to Los Angeles Unified School District. Key features map to industry counterparts from Palo Alto Networks, Symantec Corporation, McAfee, FireEye, and CrowdStrike: malware and phishing blocking, domain categorization, and DNS-layer enforcement. Product variants align with corporate offerings such as Cisco Umbrella and integrate with endpoint agents comparable to Microsoft Defender and Sophos. Reporting and analytics draw on telemetry used in threat intelligence ecosystems alongside feeds from VirusTotal, Shadowserver Foundation, and AbuseIPDB. OpenDNS policies echo managed-service models deployed by providers like Rackspace, Box, Dropbox, and cloud platforms including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.

Architecture and Technology

The service runs a global anycast DNS infrastructure comparable to networks operated by Akamai Technologies and Cloudflare, with points of presence in regions served by backbone providers such as Level 3 Communications, Telia Company, and NTT Communications. It employs techniques common to distributed systems research associated with Google, Facebook, and Netflix, including caching strategies and load balancing similar to solutions from F5 Networks and Citrix Systems. Security capabilities leverage signature, behavior, and reputation models informed by collaborations with academic centers like UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, and MIT CSAIL and by intelligence partnerships paralleling work with Europol, INTERPOL, and national CERTs. The platform supports DNS protocol extensions promoted by IETF working groups and interoperates with standards such as DNSSEC, DoH, and DoT alongside enterprise networking protocols used by Juniper Networks and Arista Networks.

Security and Privacy

OpenDNS provides DNS-layer protection against threats exemplified by incident response activities from CERT Coordination Center, FBI Cyber Division, and private-sector responders like Mandiant. Its threat intelligence contributes to vulnerability prioritization efforts resembling those of CVE Program and Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures. Privacy considerations have been discussed in contexts involving regulators and frameworks such as GDPR, California Consumer Privacy Act, and industry guidance from IETF and ICANN. Data handling and retention practices have been compared to corporate peers including Google, Microsoft, and Apple, while enterprise controls align with compliance regimes enforced by bodies like ISO, PCI Security Standards Council, and HIPAA-related frameworks. Critics and auditors have evaluated telemetry, logging, and anonymization in light of precedents set by incidents involving Snowden disclosures and debates in forums like IETF and Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Deployment and Integration

Deployment models include consumer DNS settings used in homes with routers from Netgear, TP-Link, ASUS, and D-Link; managed deployments via controllers like Cisco Meraki Dashboard and Aruba Networks; and integrations with security stacks from Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Check Point Software Technologies, and Sophos. API and SDK capabilities enable automation akin to orchestration with Ansible, Puppet, Chef, and Terraform for cloud-native deployments in Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. Enterprise identity and access integrations mirror patterns used by Okta, Microsoft Azure Active Directory, and Ping Identity. Large-scale adoption has been reported in sectors alongside deployments by telecommunications carriers such as Verizon Business, BT Group, and Deutsche Telekom.

Market Position and Criticism

OpenDNS, under Cisco, competes in the DNS and cloud security market with companies like Cloudflare, Quad9, Google Public DNS, Akamai, Zscaler, and Palo Alto Networks. Analysts from firms such as Gartner, Forrester Research, and IDC have positioned the combined offering within secure web gateway and DNS-layer security evaluations. Criticism has focused on centralization of DNS traffic, potential privacy trade-offs paralleling debates around Google Public DNS and Cloudflare 1.1.1.1, and challenges noted in antitrust and surveillance discussions similar to those involving AT&T and Verizon Communications. Security researchers from groups like Shadowserver Foundation and universities including Stanford University have published analyses comparing efficacy and false-positive rates against services from Quad9 and Cloudflare. Market adoption continues amid consolidation trends exemplified by acquisitions such as Symantec by Broadcom and product integrations like VMware with Palo Alto Networks-class tooling.

Category:Computer networking companies