New Features

• DNS over HTTPS (DoH) support in Answer Cloud, Managed, Licensed, and SPS Shield. DNSi AnswerX and SPS Shield customers may now use DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) protocol. This feature helps increase security by encrypting the DNS lookups made by users’ DoH enabled web browsers.
• SPS Shield customers.  Allow customers may now add or remove domains to their custom allow/block lists using Akamai’s Reputation Knowledge Server API.
• AnswerX Cloud/Managed and SPS Shield operation dashboard reporting improvement. Top Domain Events reports in AnswerX Operation Dashboard are improved to display additional category types: Malware/Phishing/BotNet/Spam/Unclassified. This helps operators determine the reason associated with a block event.

New features:

• Akamai SPS Shield.  SPS Shield is a new cloud-based service centered on AnswerX Cloud technology that enables ISPs to offer an essential security service to their SMB and/or residential subscribers without IT integration. SPS Shield is a paid service. To benefit from the SPS Shield service, customers are required to establish a new contract and complete the onboarding process.

• AnswerX Cloud Infrastructure Improvements.  DNSi AnswerX 5.1 introduces a new NAMES AnswerX instance that can handle all basic cloud customers that don’t need (complex) custom policy.  

New features:

• CacheServe. CacheServe is now the default resolver in AnswerX as opposed to the Unbound resolver. AnswerX will continue to support the Unbound recursive engine.   
• DNS Over TLS support in AnswerX Cloud. Customers can use DNS over TLS to prevent eavesdropping and manipulation of DNS data using man-in-the-middle attacks, thereby increasing user privacy and security.

Enhanced features:

• DNS Over HTTPS Technical Preview scalability and performance enhancements. Provides a demo of DNS over HTTPS as a transport protocol to DNSi AnswerX using custom configuration settings.

• DNS64 improvements. DNS64 support is now fully policy-based rather than relying on the Unbound resolver for parts of its behavior.

• Enhanced AnswerX streaming function. Enables Akamai DNS components to communicate securely (for example, enables on-net secure communication between AnswerX proxy and AnswerX Cloud). 

New features:

• DNS Workflow for SPS Secure Business. DNS forwarding for SPS Secure Business DNS traffic.

• DNS over HTTPS Technical Preview. Provides a demo of DNS over HTTPS as a transport protocol to DNSi AnswerX using custom settings.

• DNS over TLS Technical Preview. Provides a demo of DNS over TLS as a transport protocol to DNSi AnswerX using custom settings.

DNSi AnswerX is Limited Availability

DNSi AnswerX is a Recursive DNS Product and Service for Network Operators to enable and deploy primary recursive DNS resolution services, as well as optional value-added DNS services. The product has Cloud and Managed models and capabilities such as content filtering, DDoS resiliency and policy enforcement. Additional, unique capabilities include:

DNS FailSafe. Provides last known good answers, even when an authoritative server is down or not available. Enables resiliency even when an outbound network link’s quality and performance is low.

Policy Engine. Fully programmable, policy data-driven extensible language for input and outbound DNS transaction processing. Unique for each customer or tenant by the service addresses for each.

OPEN API to get and set policy data. RESTFul API to get and set policy data such as settings and Client ID mappings in real-time. All data is available across all servers in the network so that behaviors are consistent even if anycast maps a user to a new server.

On-net service model. Each customer has its own tenant or service instance. Each instance has its own IPv4 and IPv6 service addresses. Many, world wide points of presence or regions on demand ready via anycast. Option to provision regions on-net to minimize network time to AnswerX.

On-net Licensed model. AnswerX is available in a licensed model to own and operate.