Brush It Under the Rug? Why Mismanaged DNS Always Comes Back Bigger

Hey,

Do you remember reading the words ‘demystifying’ and ‘refreshing’? That was me!

Let’s talk more about DNS, but this time, I’d like to zero in more on the risks of a mismanaged DNS, which often comes from:

1. Outdated DNS records

2. Misconfigured entries

3. Poor documentation

That which accumulates over time, you keep brushing under the rug, the lump grows bigger each time.

Why does it happen? And how can you prevent it from turning into a big lump?

1. DNS is old but still critical: Built in the 1980s, DNS continues to run much of today’s Internet. Because many setups “just work,” outdated records often linger for years.

2. Fear of breaking things: Since DNS touches everything, IT teams hesitate to delete old records, even if they’re no longer in use.

3. Fragmented ownership: DNS is often managed by multiple teams, agencies, or even former employees, with no single entity clearly accountable.

4. Lack of visibility: Without centralized management, it’s difficult to determine which entries are valid, resulting in confusion and security gaps.

Here are some tips on avoiding DNS mismanagement. Please ready your notes and pen. 

1. Utilize a centralized management tool – instead of juggling multiple DNS dashboards and provider records, consolidate everything into a single view. This eliminates the guesswork around “where is this record set?” and ensures consistency across the organization.

2. Avoid the common scenario where DNS entries outlive the person who set them up. Every sender can be documented with context, including what they’re used for, who manages them, and why they’re configured.

3. Analyze, analyze, and analyze – by doing this, it automatically categorizes senders as (active) or (inactive). This makes it easy to identify and retire unused senders before they become a security liability.

4. Always check your configuration – this is beyond just verifying if a sender is active, because it also validates whether they are correctly aligned with SPF and DKIM. This prevents silent authentication failures that can facilitate spoofing.

I only have two words for these measures: preventive and proactive.

These steps, why? Because it effectively closes the gap between data and action, it also ensures alignment across teams and reduces the clutter that leads to SPF failures and delivery issues.

Now that I manage DNS with confidence, I can help you with yours.

Talk soon,

– Edgar