TLD registry operators requiring resilient, ICANN-compliant authoritative DNS
Authoritative NS Solutions
Secure Authoritative Name Server
A hardened, DNSSEC-enabled authoritative name server deployed across geographically distributed anycast infrastructure. Designed for registry operators, enterprises and government organisations that require the highest levels of DNS availability, integrity and resilience.
Key Capabilities
What this solution delivers
DNSSEC Signing
Automatic zone signing with ECDSA P-256 or Ed25519 algorithms, key rotation management and DS record coordination with parent zones. Compliant with NIST SP 800-81r3 recommendations for cryptographic key lifecycle management.
Global Anycast Network
DNS queries are answered by the geographically nearest server node, minimising latency and maximising availability. Multi-region anycast deployment ensures that no single point of failure can take your zones offline.
Hidden Primary Architecture
The primary authoritative server is not exposed to the public internet. All public-facing queries are served by secondary servers, reducing the attack surface and protecting the master zone data from direct targeting.
DDoS Mitigation
Rate limiting, response rate limiting (RRL) and integration with upstream scrubbing services protect against volumetric and protocol-level DDoS attacks targeting your authoritative infrastructure.
Real-Time Monitoring
Continuous monitoring of query volumes, response times, DNSSEC validation rates and error conditions with automated alerting. Integration with MonitoNIC for comprehensive observability.
Infrastructure as Code
Zone configuration, server provisioning and deployment are managed through IaC pipelines, enabling version-controlled, auditable and reproducible infrastructure changes with automated rollback.
Technical Details
How it works
Zone Management
Zones are managed through a secure API and web interface. Changes are validated, signed and propagated to all secondary servers within seconds using IXFR (incremental zone transfer) over TLS-encrypted channels. Full audit logging records every change, who made it and when.
DNSSEC Key Management
Key Signing Keys (KSKs) and Zone Signing Keys (ZSKs) are generated and stored in hardware security modules (HSMs) where available. Automated key rollovers follow industry best practices with configurable timing. RRSIG validity periods default to 7 days as recommended by NIST SP 800-81r3.
NIS2 Alignment
As a DNS service provider, Sokomi operates its Secure ANS infrastructure in alignment with NIS2 Directive requirements. This includes documented incident response procedures, business continuity planning, supply chain security assessments and reporting capabilities to the BSI.
High Availability Design
A minimum of two authoritative name servers are deployed on different network segments in different physical locations, as recommended by NIST. Anycast routing ensures automatic failover if any node becomes unreachable. Target uptime is 99.999% (five nines).
Access Control
All administrative access uses multi-factor authentication. Zone transfers are restricted by IP address and authenticated using TSIG (Transaction Signature) keys. API access is governed by role-based access control with granular permissions per zone.
Compliance Reporting
Automated compliance reports covering DNSSEC status, zone health, query statistics and security events. Reports can be exported for audit purposes and integrated into your organisation's GRC (Governance, Risk and Compliance) workflow.
Use Cases
Who benefits from this solution
Enterprises with mission-critical domains serving global audiences
Government agencies requiring sovereign DNS infrastructure within European jurisdiction
Financial institutions needing high-availability DNS with full audit trails
Healthcare organisations subject to NIS2 and sector-specific security requirements
Any organisation seeking to separate authoritative and recursive DNS functions
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this solution
Secure ANS focuses on hardening the authoritative name server itself: DNSSEC signing, hidden primary architecture, DDoS mitigation and access controls. Encrypted ANS adds an additional layer by encrypting the DNS transport channel (zone transfers and queries) using DNS-over-TLS or DNS-over-HTTPS. Many organisations deploy both for defence in depth.
DNSSEC adds cryptographic signatures to your DNS records. When a resolver looks up your domain, it can verify that the response has not been tampered with in transit. This prevents DNS cache poisoning, where an attacker injects false records to redirect your visitors to malicious sites. Without DNSSEC, resolvers have no way to verify that a response is authentic.
Anycast routing automatically directs queries to the next nearest healthy node. Because the same IP address is announced from multiple locations, the failure of any single node is transparent to end users. There is no manual intervention required and no DNS propagation delay.
Yes. We support full zone transfers (AXFR/IXFR) from your existing authoritative servers. The migration process includes a zone audit, DNSSEC key coordination (if you are already signed), parallel running and a cutover with monitoring. We handle the NS record delegation changes and coordinate with your registrar.
Sokomi operates its DNS infrastructure in alignment with NIS2 Directive requirements for essential entities providing DNS services. This includes documented risk management measures, incident response procedures, business continuity planning, supply chain security and reporting to the BSI. We provide compliance documentation to support your own NIS2 obligations.
Protect your authoritative DNS infrastructure
Connect with our DNS Engineering team to discuss how Secure ANS can strengthen the resilience and security of your domain infrastructure.