Open DNS Network

Posted: May 5th, 2020

Open DNS Network
Name

Table of Contents
Summary 3
Review of Other Work 3
Changes to the Project Environment 4
Methodology 4
Project Goals and Objectives 5
Project Timeline 7
Unanticipated Requirements 7
Conclusions 8
Project Deliverables 9
References 11
Appendix A: 12

Summary
This project will be developed to ensure proper understanding of the concept of open DNS. During project implementation, several factors were considered including the schedule, the activities, and timeline within which the project should be completed. The stakeholders and their contribution to the project were also considered. The key achievement of the project is the development of an open DNS that is widely used in many operations. The final product of the project will be a well-integrated process of developing and managing the network operations. To ensure that the project is successful in the end, all the small functions will be integrated into a single seamless process that will ensure full development of the network. Open DNS is considered to provide services at a low-cost and hence enhancing the stability of the system. The actual development of the project will mainly be on security and maintenance of the system. Proper security measures such as firewalls and backups should be incorporated in the system. Maintenance should be done on the system to ensure that it functions normally.
Review of Other Work
Several studies have been conducted on the implementation of Open DNS. The researches range from various interviews, journals and recent reports on the importance of Open DNS. Researchers and analysts have mainly focused on factors such as the current trends and the security issues surrounding Open DNS. According to Cisco Inc., (2018) Open DNS has become an important tool for filtering contents in websites and hence enhancing the security of the systems. Web filtering operations are managed by Open DNS administrators. Cisco Inc. outlines how open DNS is integrated into the systems and through the application of various settings. The system enables all the devices connected to a network to have similar settings (Cisco Inc., 2018). Open DNS has security features which are configured in the systems once they are implemented as DNS server for a network.
In research by Bell (2017), one of the most important features in Open DNS includes the blocking tool which does not allow the end-users to navigate to restricted areas. Therefore, the implementation of Open DNS enables one to control the content that can be viewed by end users. Open DNS becomes operational once it is fully implemented in the server (Bell, 2017). It also gives authority to web administrators to specify the web content filtering by use of the custom security.
Research on convention-oriented DNS for privacy and security and published in a technical report in 2014 outlines important protocols such as the T-DNS. These protocols are important in controlling filtering in web pages. The T-DNS addresses the problem of Denial of Service (DoS) and other attacks that take place on the server. According to Bell (2017), Open DNS has been proven as the best method of delivering faster and reliable internet including improving the safety of web pages. It is therefore easy to set up and maintain as it has low-cost requirements.
Research that was carried by Rudy Scott and Anette Melgosa and published in the Journal of Adventist Education outlines the methods of filtering and blocking contents (Melgosa & Scott, 2013). The research outlines the DNS Filters which are used in implementing filtering on the internet. A domain name server can be used to block or refuse to provide connection address to the client. It further outlines how DNS is easy and quick to implement between different systems. In addition, the research outlines the steps of implementing an Open DNS.
Changes to the Project Environment
The implementation of Open DNS to enhance the security of the network and filtering web contents enhances some of the existing features as well as their stability. Open DNS helps to improve network security, thus enhancing the stability of the web pages. It is also considered a cost-effective method of monitoring security issues in web pages. It, therefore, helps to reduce cases of security breaches in the system. The method is therefore considered appropriate for small companies, as it helps to strengthen the security of home internet. After the project improvement, the stability of the system increases. Cases of attacks will also be reduced. The end users will also be controlled on what to view on the web by the web administrators.
The final outcome of the project provides the best approach of expanding and informing the users on the importance of security and how to integrate an open DNS in their systems. The project gives hope to small enterprises and organizations that face the challenge of implementing security measures due to other related costs that are involved. Filtering and blocking process has restored ethics by for instance restricting children to view adult content.
Methodology
The standard methodology that was applied during implementation is the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) which is a step by step methodology that outlines the process of implementation. The processes include planning, outlining the requirements, and designing of the system, implementation and deployment. The process of planning is considered as the critical step in the process of implementing the project. The research methods are incorporated into the analysis of the system. In addition, a feasibility study is carried out to assess the economic impacts of the project. Various risks are identified at this stage. The risks that are identified form a basis of mitigation measures to reduce the losses and damages that might take place.
The process of defining the requirements involves outlining the parameters that are used in the design process. For instance, in implementing the Open DNS project, the parameters outlined includes various addresses that control filtering and the parameters that define the mechanisms which include the hostnames and definition languages such as the SQL. The parameters of designing the architecture of the project were outlined in this stage. The system requirements on which the project will operate are outlined. System requirements may include the memory, speed among other factors.
Designing of the system is the cornerstone of the project. Many activities take place in this stage and hence the sign involves the use of the best architectures in implementing the project. The architecture used in this project is DNS Filter architecture which is designed using the requirements that were outlined. The architecture is implemented using features such as the blacklisting and the whitelisting features to control the contents on the web. The most important system in this stage is the back-end store system and the security systems. The back-end store system is designed to store the access lists and the server settings. The back-end also stores the IP addresses of the web server. The code that on which the project operates is developed in this stage. It outlines a step by step approach of implementing the project.
Testing is carried out after the design process to evaluate the working of the system and ensuring that the system works normally. Most of the problems that arise from the system are solved at this stage. The testing helps to identify possible issues that might be encountered in the process of using the Open DNS.
Deployment is the last stage and involves a number of processes which includes training and full integration of the system. The system must be easy to use, and proper training is carried to equip the users with necessary skills. The users are exposed to new methods and proper knowledge on how to use the Open DNS.
Project Goals and Objectives
Most of the goals and objectives were met in this project. However, some were not met fully due to system properties. For instance, the objective of evaluating the application of open DNS in content filtering through the network was not fully achieved due to system properties that were not easy to integrate the system that was developed. Open DNS could not fully solve the issue of security and data breaches. Security-related issues cannot be solved fully. Some of the objectives were met because the system developed was tested and found to deliver the intended purpose. Filtering and security measures were achieved in some web contents. In addition, some of the goals were not met due to the resources and manpower necessary in implementing them.

Project Timeline
The tables below show a comparison between the projected timeline and the actual timeline. The project timeline was beyond the stated period due to many processes that were involved in various stages. Some of the processes took longer than they were previously planned. Though the process had taken long, the final process was achieved.
Table 1: Projected Timeline
Milestone Timeline
Planning of the project 3/02/2019 to 17/02/2019
Designing of the system 18/02/2019 to 3/03/2019
Testing of the system 4/03/2019 to 11/03/2019
Deployment 12/03/2019 to 18/03/2019
Training 19/03/2019 to 30/03/209

Table 2: Actual Timeline
Milestone Timeline
Planning of the project 3/02/2019 to 17/02/2019
Designing of the system 18/02/2019 to 11/03/2019
Testing of the system 11/03/2019 to 28/03/2019
Deployment 29/03/2019 to 15/04/2019
Training 16/04/2019 to 30/04/209

In comparing the projected timeline and the actual timeline, there was an extension of one month due to some of the factors that affected the general implementation process. For instance, the time allocated for the design process was extended because of the many processes that were involved. Many processes occurred because of the inclusion of programming concepts which took longer to develop. The deployment stage took long because of much training that was involved. The training was carried out to enable the users to learn the basic of the system. It was found that many users were not aware of the system. In addition, most of the deliverables were met.
Unanticipated Requirements
One of the unanticipated requirements was that the system required a high level of training which was not budgeted for when the resources were allocated. Most of the users had no basic idea of how the system works and how to integrate the system. The issue was solved by outsourcing IT professionals to speed up the training process. The activity was expensive but it took the shortest time. By hiring the professionals, training was carried out in a faster and easy way and hence the objective was achieved.
Conclusions

Open DNS system if well implemented can help in reducing the issues associated with security in the systems. The process of implementing the Open DNS requires basic skills that one can acquire through training. The project was carried out well and most of the objectives were achieved. However, some of the objectives were not achieved due to a number of challenges.
Open DNS is regarded as the cheapest tool of protecting the web pages and other content from any security breach. It has unique features which are able to filter the contents and blocks some of the contents from access by the users. Due to its outstanding features, it can be easily adopted by small enterprises and organizations that are faced by the difficulty of implementing security measures due to financial constraints. Through open DNS users are regulated from viewing certain contents on the web. For instance, children may be blocked from viewing the adult content. The system will be able to monitor and filter the web contents. The potential effects of the open DNS is to increase the stability and strengthen its security.
Project Deliverables
The architecture of the system will help to enhance communication between the clients was well implemented. The figure below shows the expected architectural output at the end of the project. A comprehensive report outlining the process followed in the development of the system will also be provided.

Figure 1: The expected architecture of the system
The actual results of the system consist of well-coordinated system that allows communication between the hosts and the clients. The protection will involve phishing protection that will be handled by open DNS. The administrators of the system may pin point any machine that is infected with the virus.

References
Lee B. ( November 20, 2017) IBM’s Quad9 DNS system will block botnets and phishing attacks. Retrieved from: https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/3021536/ibm-teams-with-global-cyber-alliance-to-launch-quad9-a-free-public-domain-name-service-system
Cisco Inc (2018) Open DNS . Retrieved from https://www.opendns.com/
Van Heugten, J. H. C. (2018). Privacy Analysis of DNS Resolver Solutions.
Melgosa, A., & Scott, R. (2013). School Internet Safety More Than’Block It to Stop It’. The Education Digest, 79(3), 46.

Appendix A
Title of Appendix
Put any supporting material in these appendices. Add additional or delete superfluous appendices as needed.