OpenDNS is now part of Cisco Learn More

WHOIS OpenDNS?

There have been many milestones along the path from recursive DNS to proactive security. We invite you to explore our company’s journey, from providing DNS as a Service, to building DNS for the enterprise market and beyond with our predictive intelligence:

Safer, Better, Faster DNS as a Service

From the beginning it has been our mission to provide a safer, better, and faster internet browsing experience for all OpenDNS users. Our fundamental focus on delivering rock-solid and lightning fast DNS services drove us to build the global infrastructure which now fuels our cutting edge security intelligence and enforcement platform. Early innovations included leveraging DNS technology to enhance users’ security and improve control over their networks. Learn more the roots of OpenDNS by exploring our timeline:

July 2006

OpenDNS is born

October 2006

PhishTank is launched

The first community-powered, anti-phishing repository goes live.

May 2007

Custom content filtering becomes available

August 2007

Milestone: 1 million users!

May 2008

PhishTank – PC World’s Top Product of 2008

June 2008

Waffle Wednesdays Begin

Waffle Wednesday, a continuing OpenDNS tradition, is born – once a month our CEO, David Ulevitch, cooks up waffles for the whole team

July 2008

Kaminsky Recommends OpenDNS

Dan Kaminsky himself recommends that the world switch their DNS to OpenDNS to protect from “Kaminsky Vulnerability”

February 2009

OpenDNS Protects Against Conficker

OpenDNS protects all users from Conficker, the most successful internet worm to date

Make it So Building DNS for the Enterprise market

By 2009 millions of people were using our DNS services, and many of these in corporate settings. Requests for new features and more robust security led us to launch OpenDNS Enterprise, our first major business-oriented offering. This period also saw continuing growth of our user base and further development of security features, paving the way for even larger developments to come. Explore our timeline to find out more about this period of OpenDNS history:

September 2009

OpenDNS Enterprise is launched

We first release DNS services tailored to the enterprise market.

January 2011

World Economic Forum Award

The World Economic Forum presents David Ulevitch and OpenDNS with the Technology Pioneer Award.

March 2011

Milestone: 30 BILLION Daily Queries!

December 2011

OpenDNS Previews DNSCrypt

We introduce a revolutionary security improvement providing DNS encryption.

March 2012

Dan Hubbard Joins OpenDNS

Recognizing OpenDNS’s unique position to address developing security concerns, Dan Hubbard, former CTO of Websense, joins as OpenDNS CTO.

June 2012

“Cool Vendor in Cloud Security”

OpenDNS is recognized as a “Cool Vendor in Cloud Security” by Gartner, Inc.

July 2012

Debut of OpenDNS Insights

We introduce Active Directory integration to complement existing management workflows.

Always Advancing Predictive intelligence and the Future of Security

The launch of the Umbrella product line and the OpenDNS Security Labs in late 2012 marked major developments of our advanced security capabilities. Continuing our track record of innovation, we extended our enforcement platform to cover off-site devices, and harnessed the unique data provided by our global network to provide exclusive, predictive threat intelligence. Our mission to deliver solutions which address current and future developments of the security landscape continues. Take a look at exciting recent developments below:

November 2012

OpenDNS business suite united under Umbrella

All OpenDNS enterprise security services are united under a single brand, Umbrella, and powerful security is extended to off network laptops and mobile devices.

December 2012

OpenDNS Security Labs Founded

OpenDNS’s Security Labs founded – our research team classifies threats by applying data mining techniques to our unique, global view of Internet traffic.

January 2013

PC Magazine Editor’s Choice Award

February 2013

Security Graph Unveiled

Dan Hubbard unveils the OpenDNS Security Graph, a powerful security intelligence and threat prediction engine fueled by our unique Big Data.

May 2013

Syria “drops off the Internet”

OpenDNS among the first to alert the web and bear witness as Syria “drops off the Internet”.

July 2013

Milestone: The big 5-0!

Milestone: OpenDNS serves 50 million users and 50 billion requests daily, and this month, counted 50 TRILLION total resolved queries!

November 2013

Security Graph Identifies Cryptolocker

OpenDNS security researchers use Security Graph to identify Cryptolocker command and control domains before the DGA is reverse engineered.

November 2013

Investigate Launched

OpenDNS launches Investigate, offering security teams the ability to gain valuable insight into threats identified on their networks.

January 2014

Intelligent Proxy Launched

The OpenDNS Intelligent Proxy is launched, uniting the speed of DNS-based security with the precision of proxy inspection.

February 2014

OpenDNS and FireEye Partner

OpenDNS integrates with FireEye, ushering in a new era of advancements in security partnerships.

May 2014

OpenDNS Announces Series C Funding

To further the goal of providing proactive security to anyone, anywhere, on any device, OpenDNS raises $35 million in a third funding round.

June 2014

No More Ads

OpenDNS removes ads for free users, delivering a safer, faster, better AND cleaner DNS for all.

August 2014

OpenGraphiti Unveiled

OpenDNS security researcher Thibault Reuille unveils his open source 3D data visualization engine, OpenGraphiti, at Black Hat USA 2014.

August 2015

Cisco Completes acquisition of OpenDNS

OpenDNS joins Cisco to complement and enhance Cisco's security offerings.

November 2016

Enterprise portfolio rebranded to Cisco Umbrella

Our enterprise products (Umbrella & Investigate) are moved under the Cisco Umbrella umbrella.

February 2017

Cisco launches the industry’s first SIG

Cisco Umbrella secures access to the internet anywhere users connect.