Cybera partners with CIRA to offer new high-performance DNS services for Alberta's public and education sectors

CIRA's D-Zone Anycast Domain Name System helps improve performance for Canadian users while adding enhanced Distributed Denial-of-Service protection

EDMONTON, March 15, 2016 /CNW/ - The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) and Cybera, Alberta's not-for-profit technology accelerator, have partnered to offer Cybera's members improved Domain Name System (DNS) protection and performance.

This service will be useful for larger public and education institutions in the province that run their own .ca domain, and are at risk of Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks. CIRA's D-Zone Anycast DNS service will be offered to Cybera members at no cost, bringing advanced cyber-security and web-performance to public and education sector institutions of all sizes.

Key facts

• CIRA's D-Zone Anycast DNS service has an expansive Canadian server footprint, offering several important advantages for Canadian institutions. CIRA's service keeps DNS data in Canada, improving performance for Canadian users and helping to limit the unnecessary flow of cross-border data.
• With the majority of DDoS attacks originating from overseas, CIRA's service can help to maintain network performance, even when it is experiencing a significant attack. Global servers can soak up the attack before it reaches Canadian servers, allowing D-Zone to reduce the risk of critical failures due to DDoS attacks.
• Cybera operates Alberta's high-speed Research and Education Network, which connects members to researchers and educators around the world. It also offers members direct peering and internet bulk-buying services, generating major network efficiencies. This new service will bring advanced cybersecurity protection to educators, libraries, and government organizations across the province, helping to increase network performance and protect these institutions from malicious attacks.

This service is available immediately, and can be accessed by Cybera members at no cost. The setup can be completed in a matter of minutes.

Executive quotes

"Our DNS service has the most expansive Canadian server footprint available on the market today. CIRA shares this intentional Canada-first approach philosophy with national research networks, making Cybera an excellent partner to launch our service with Alberta's public and education sectors."

- Dave Chiswell, vice president of product development at CIRA

"We are excited to be offering this free DNS service, as it will greatly improve the performance and reliability of the DNS infrastructure used by our members, who include some of the largest education and government organizations in the province. CIRA is very experienced with global DNS infrastructure and DDoS mitigation, and we are pleased to partner with them to offer this beneficial service."

- Jean-Francois Amiot, network and operations director, Cybera

Additional resources

• For more information on what CIRA's services can do to help organizations protect their networks and increase web performance, visit CIRA's website.
• To find out if your institution is eligible to become a Cybera member, visit Cybera's website.

About Cybera
Cybera is a not-for-profit technology-neutral organization responsible for driving Alberta's economic growth through the use of digital technology. Its core role is to oversee the development and operations of Alberta's cyberinfrastructure — the advanced system of networks and computers that keeps government, educational institutions, not-for-profits, business incubators and entrepreneurs at the forefront of technological change.

About CIRA

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) manages the .CA top-level domain on behalf of all Canadians. A Member-based organization, CIRA also develops and implements policies that support Canada's Internet community, and represents the .CA registry internationally.

SOURCE Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)

For more information or interview requests: Ryan Saxby Hill, Communications manager, CIRA, [email protected], 613-316-2397