MRnet and SRnet partner with CIRA to provide advanced DNS services to member institutions

Deal provides Anycast DNS services to universities, and research centres across Saskatchewan and Manitoba

OTTAWA, Nov. 29, 2016 /CNW/ - Today the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) announced partnerships with two research and education networks – MRnet and SRnet – to provide its D-Zone Anycast DNS services to their members.

This new partnership will provide advanced DNS performance and expand resistance to DDoS attacks, improving network capability across central Canada.

Key facts

• CIRA's DNS Anycast service offers more Canadian nodes than any other offering on the market, helping organizations to rapidly improve DNS performance for their Canadian users.
• An attack against the DNS or a poorly configured or out-of-date DNS implementation can slow down the response time of web pages and applications, while also creating security vulnerabilities that can affect an organization's online presence, email, and web services.
• CIRA's service directly peers with Canadian Internet Exchange Points to offer an additional layer of protection from DDoS attacks against the DNS, helping to ensure that online services remain live for Canadian users even in the midst of a major global cyber-attack.
• CIRA's DNS services have now been selected by five of Canada's research and education networks, representing approximately 65 per cent of universities, hospitals, and research centers – an exciting milestone as CIRA works to protect institutions coast-to-coast-to-coast.
• Members of SRnet or MRnet wishing to take advantage of this offering should contact [email protected].  

Executive quotes

"MRnet is the research and education network in Manitoba, which partners with CANARIE. For twenty-one years it has been providing reliable high-speed networking to post-secondary and research institutions in the province. Also, in partnership with Merlin, MRnet offers similar connectivity to many K-12 school boards. Our members rely on MRnet for most of their research and education endeavours. Implementation of D Zone and the resulting increased reliability and security of DNS will be of benefit in MRnet operations and availability."

-   Gerry Miller, Executive Director, MRnet

"As Saskatchewan's representative in Canada's National Research and Education Network (NREN), SRNET is focused on providing reliable and robust network and services for its members.  Remaining online may be considered table-stakes for our member institutions and organizations, but maintaining this is becoming increasingly complex and challenging in the face of increasing DDOS attacks and security threats.  SRNET is pleased to be able to partner with CIRA to extend CIRA's D-Zone Anycast DNS service to our broader membership, ensuring a reliable and robust secondary DNS solution and seamless process to help mitigate the risks associated with DDOS attacks for our membership."

-   Neil McClughan, President and CEO, SRnet

"Universities, colleges, and research centres are some of Canada's earliest adopters of networking advancements and this partnership extends this leadership to the DNS. Given the number of users that interact with organizations in the research and education space, improving DNS performance in this sector can generate material improvements in Canada's national DNS hygiene."

-   Dave Chiswell, VP of Product Development at CIRA

Additional resources

• DNS test: ensure your DNS settings are configured correctly by running CIRA's DNS configuration test.
• Learn more about Anycast: D-Zone technology explained  

About CIRA

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) manages the .CA top-level domain on behalf of all Canadians. CIRA also develops technologies and services that help support its goal of building a better online Canada. The CIRA team operates one of the fastest-growing ccTLDs, a high-performance global DNS network, and one of the world's most advanced back-end registry solutions. CIRA helps to support the Canadian Internet community through investments in Internet Exchange Points, the Canada Internet Forum, and the CIRA Community Investment Program. 

SOURCE Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)

Ryan Saxby Hill, [email protected], 613-316-2397