What is DNS?
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a crucial component to the Internet. Most Internet users never know they are using the DNS, or that they do so hundreds of times per day. The DNS makes the Internet user-friendly and viable; without it, the Internet would not be the ever-present, global phenomenon it is today.
The DNS is most easily understood as an address book for websites. It is responsible for translating the website names and email addresses of all organizations, governments and private entities into IP addresses, which are combinations of numbers that are difficult for people to remember, but necessary for computers to communicate with each other. When your computer needs to talk with the computer of a website, it uses the DNS to identify and find that website's computer.
For example, when you entered the Web address www.opendns.com, your computer connected to the DNS and found that the computer of the OpenDNS website is at the address 67.215.92.211. Your computer can now interact with the OpenDNS computer systems as you navigate around our website.
A good example of the more complex elements of DNS can be found here: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Communication_Networks/DNS
Do I already have a DNS Service?
Yes, that's what's helping you get to this webpage. You most likely have DNS services that are automatically configured by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). These ISP DNS services are not optimal; they are typically slower than OpenDNS and vulnerable to outages that will prevent you from reaching your intended website. In addition, ISP DNS services usually do not provide any security or website filtering benefits.
What is OpenDNS?
OpenDNS is a high-tech company based in San Francisco that provides easy-to-implement Internet navigation and Web security solutions for families.
Why do I need OpenDNS' DNS service?
OpenDNS offers DNS services that are faster and more reliable than any other DNS service. With OpenDNS you will more quickly reach your intended website and never experience the outages that occur with the DNS services provided by an ISP.
OpenDNS also offers the easiest, most cost-efficient way to prevent access to inappropriate websites, block phishing sites, and prevent virus and malware infections. If you want your Internet to be productive and safe, you need OpenDNS.
How is OpenDNS faster and more reliable?
OpenDNS makes websites load faster because we have a global network of servers with sophisticated routing technology that enables your DNS requests to automatically go to the closest OpenDNS datacenter. Your current DNS service is likely hosted in one location and that could be far away from you.
The OpenDNS global network also eliminates annoying Internet outages because there are many servers available to respond to your requests, making it the most reliable, always-available DNS service – no matter where you are in the world. You can take a look at our network map here: http://www.opendns.com/network-map/