DNS: An Acronym The Digital Community Can't Live Without

by Seth Ulinski, Feb 7, 2013, 4:36 PM

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As an ad tech enthusiast, I have quickly developed an appreciation for how crucial a role the domain name system (DNS) plays in ad serving and e-commerce in particular. DNS is an acronym that I had only glossed over as a former digital media and ad tech sales guy, but I have learned how imperative it is to both segments. At Dyn’s “Dyn-Tini” event in Manchester, New Hampshire, this was highlighted by seeing demand-side platforms on display such as MediaMath, Triggit and DataXu. Founded in 2001, Dyn (pronounced “dine”) is an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) company whose primary services map Web sites' URLs to an IP address. Think of it as a type of GPS for the Internet.

The programmatic pulse of each DSP relies on Dyn while answering billions of ad calls per day. Meanwhile, Twitter and LinkedIn utilize Dyn to ensure that millions of consumers and businesses remain connected and up to speed with Richard Branson’s latest-breaking tips for success and happiness. Dyn’s company motto is “uptime is the bottom line.” I am confident the companies listed here would agree. Downtime can be especially painful from an e-commerce standpoint.

As consumers (and their spending habits) continue to migrate to online and mobile channels, demand for Dyn’s services should only increase. In addition to acquiring a number of smaller peers in the DNS segment, the company has also expanded services to include email delivery. While supporting the backbone of site and email delivery has been fruitful to date, marketing analytics looks to be an area of increased investment and will further integrate Dyn into the ad tech ecosystem.

Considering that Dyn raised $38 million in Series A funding this past October, the company will have a multitude of ways in which to grow its existing service lines, as well as build or acquire new ones. Neustar -- one of Dyn’s largest competitors -- provides IP look-up solutions to ensure proper geotargeting on ad campaigns. A Dyn acquisition of a company such as MaxMind, whose services include an IP analytics provider, could be an attractive acquisition target, as its GeoIP tools compete directly with Neustar’s.

Who would have thought a state known for its beautiful outdoor scenery would also provide the IT backbone for so many global players in the digital space? If nothing else, hopefully you learned a new acronym or two (i.e., DNS, IaaS) and now know that New Hampshire is home to more than just great skiing and hiking.

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