New SKYE™ business unit offers DNS and advanced applications for a better Internet

Redwood City, Calif. – September 22nd, 2009 — Nominum, the leader in intelligent network naming and addressing today announced that it has extended its business through a new and independent business unit, called SKYE™.   SKYE offers a suite of cloud-based services to address infrastructure and new service needs such as web services that connect to and augment Nominum’s installed base of Intelligent DNS systems worldwide and provide enhanced navigation, safety and security for end-user subscribers.  SKYE also makes Nominum’s Intelligent DNS available to new markets by delivering fast, secure, and reliable hosted DNS services via a cloud infrastructure based on the same software currently serving over 170 million broadband households. 

“DNS has evolved from a simple name resolution protocol to a policy-based system that provides essential availability, auditing and security services for the entire ecosystem of web-based applications,” said Eric Ogren, principal analyst at the Ogren Group. “Since the first step of any Internet request is a DNS lookup, the name service is a natural position to deploy technology asserting manageable controls over the complexities and threats of today’s Internet. With web threats dominating the Internet, the time could not be better for Nominum to launch its SKYE service for ISPs and enterprises.”

SKYE is being offered by Nominum to:

•   Ensure that Nominum’s Intelligent DNS technology is available to the broadest market segment of enterprises and Internet Service Providers.  Customers who seek to offer their end-users the added stability, security and headroom offered by Nominum’s Intelligent DNS systems can now realize these benefits via a cloud-based service.

•   Deliver turnkey DNS-based navigation assistance and security services. Customers can now look to Nominum for complete search and security services helping end-users find the information they desire quickly across devices and access methods while protecting them from a growing range of threats like phishing, bots, and malware.

“End-users have complex needs and they are demanding that network owners take a more active role in improving and protecting their user experience,” said Tom Tovar, Chief Executive Officer of Nominum. “With SKYE, carriers and enterprises can exceed these demands, augmenting the software purchased from Nominum, bringing to market a range of responsible, reliable and safe services to improve the user experience, and tie directly into the largest coverage of any DNS solution on the Internet.”

SKYE delivers the following four categories of services:

•   SKYE CORE – A caching DNS service making it possible for all ISPs and enterprises to seamlessly upgrade their DNS to the most reliable and secure technology. Additionally, SKYE CORE allows these organizations to take advantage of value-added services like SKYE SEARCH and SKYE TRUST.  This service is based on the same Vantio Base Server software that is widely deployed and is serving nearly half the wired Internet.

•   SKYE SECURE – An authoritative DNS service tailored for enterprises and ISPs wanting more resilience, reliability, and security to protect online sites and applications from interruptions and other DNS threats. This service is based on the same Authoritative Name Server (ANS) software from Nominum that is widely deployed worldwide, and it has full support for DNSSEC.

•   SKYE SEARCH – A turnkey ISP-branded search destination solution providing broadband users with navigation assistance and search recommendations for a wide range of user-based DNS errors.  Each page provides search results relevant to the error made and suggests alternatives that quickly navigate the user to their intended destinations.  SKYE SEARCH works in conjunction with Nominum’s Vantio NXR software module that is deployed in a service provider network. Additionally, it can be used by service providers that are SKYE CORE customers. Together, the software and the service enable the industry’s only responsible and end-user focused service.

•   SKYE TRUST – A threat management service that acts as the primary source of data in the fight against malicious activity on the Internet (e.g., malware, botnets, spam, phishing sites, etc.) and illegal content such as government-restricted gambling sites, or child exploitation content. SKYE TRUST goes beyond aggregating diverse sets of “black lists”, and adapts in real-time to traffic patterns that indicate emerging threats.

“Other DNS hosting providers offer nothing more than freeware in the cloud” said Jon Shalowitz, VP & General Manager of the newly created SKYE business unit. “Cloud-based solutions that leverage freeware provide little value to end users, enterprises and ISPs because the inherent vulnerabilities and challenges of these legacy solutions remain.  By leveraging a cloud model, SKYE accelerates the move away from legacy DNS and onto the only commercial-grade, secure DNS solution in the marketplace.”

Availability of SKYE Services
All SKYE services are available immediately to ISPs, enterprise and government organizations.