NetBox in the Cloud

NS1 Expands Beyond DNS with NetBox Cloud

Headquartered in New York City, NS1 initially established itself by delivering managed DNS services designed to enhance application performance and dependability. Today, the company announces a preview of its new NetBox Cloud service, signifying an expansion into a domain beyond its core DNS offerings.

The Challenge of Network Infrastructure Management

For network administrators within large organizations, maintaining a comprehensive understanding of network infrastructure and its interconnections can prove difficult. This is where Infrastructure Resource Management (IRM) – a developing category of enterprise technology – comes into play, and NS1 is now entering this space.

NS1 provides DNS services for numerous high-traffic websites. The domain name system (DNS) is crucial for translating domain names into IP addresses, and NS1’s technology optimizes application traffic delivery intelligently.

Introducing NetBox Cloud

With the launch of NetBox Cloud, NS1 is offering a managed service built around NetBox, a widely used open-source IRM tool. NetBox was originally created by Jeremy Stretch during his time at cloud provider DigitalOcean. Stretch joined NS1 as a distinguished engineer in April, and the company is now actively contributing to the open-source project.

Stretch recalls a time at DigitalOcean when IP address management relied on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Recognizing the limitations of this approach, he developed the first version of NetBox in 2015 to address this scalability issue.

NetBox: A "Source of Truth" for Networks

Stretch explained that NetBox functions as a modeling tool for network infrastructure, establishing a reliable “source of truth.” This allows organizations to define their desired network state and then utilize monitoring tools to confirm alignment between the operational and intended configurations.

“This ‘source of truth’ serves as the definitive, documented record of the network’s intended configuration,” Stretch stated.

Bridging the Gap for Enterprise Adoption

NetBox has experienced growth as a popular open-source solution, but accessibility for enterprises requiring commercial support or a managed service has been limited. The new service aims to simplify NetBox adoption for organizations of all sizes, improving their network management capabilities.

NS1 co-founder and CEO Kris Beevers shared with TechCrunch that while Stretch has successfully fostered the NetBox open-source community, a dedicated commercial service has been absent. Beevers believes many enterprises will benefit from commercial support and a managed service offering.

An Experimental Approach to NetBox Cloud

Beevers emphasized that NS1 embraces experimentation, a theme highlighted in the Extra Crunch EC-1 series. The initial beta release of NetBox Cloud focuses on identifying potential users and understanding the challenges faced by commercial adopters. NS1 intends to actively refine NetBox Cloud based on enterprise feedback.

“Our goal is to minimize barriers to adoption for this compelling open-source product and community,” Beevers said.