In cloud environments, traditional firewalls fall short. But one security tool doesn’t: DNS filtering.
DNS filtering provides pre-connection protection, enforces policies across users and workloads, and reduces cloud attack surfaces.
In this guide, we’ll break down what DNS filtering is, how it works in the cloud, and why Control D is the smartest way to implement it at scale.
Summary
✅ Protects users and endpoints before threats reach them
✅ Works across cloud, SaaS, remote, and hybrid setups
✅ Helps enforce policies, block malware, and reduce shadow IT
✅ No hardware or agents required – deploy in minutes
✅ Control D offers enterprise-grade filtering with a simple, scalable setup
What Is DNS Filtering?
DNS (Domain Name System) is the system that translates website names (like google.com) into IP addresses. Without DNS, browsers wouldn’t know where to go. DNS filtering adds security and control to this process. It checks each domain request against a list of rules before letting it through. If the site is known to be malicious or inappropriate, it blocks access before the threat can even load.
In short, DNS filtering is like a traffic cop for the internet.
Why DNS Filtering Is Essential for Cloud Security
The cloud is flexible and scalable, but it also opens new attack surfaces. Here’s why DNS filtering is especially important in cloud-based networks:
1. Cloud Increases Exposure
Cloud environments connect devices, apps, and users across locations. That’s great for flexibility, but it also means:
- More entry points for attackers
- Less visibility for IT teams
- More risk of shadow IT and data leaks
DNS filtering gives you a centralized way to monitor and control what users access online, no matter where they are.
2. Firewalls Aren’t Enough
Traditional firewalls protect the perimeter of a physical network. But in the cloud, there’s no fixed perimeter. Workers log in from coffee shops, home offices, and shared networks. DNS filtering adds network-independent security – it works at the DNS layer, not just inside your office.
3. Prevention Is Cheaper Than Recovery
Stopping threats before they reach your systems saves money. Data breaches, phishing, and malware cleanup can cost thousands or even millions. DNS filtering blocks many of these threats at the source, reducing your risk without slowing performance.
How DNS Filtering Works in the Cloud
Let’s break it down simply.
- A user types a website into their browser.
- That request goes to a DNS resolver (either your ISP’s or a third-party like Control D).
- The resolver checks the domain against filtering rules
- If it’s safe, the site loads. If not, access is blocked and optionally logged.
In cloud environments, DNS filtering happens before traffic reaches your cloud infrastructure. That means fewer threats ever make it to your endpoints, virtual machines, or applications.
8 DNS Filtering Benefits for Cloud Environments
Here’s what DNS filtering can do for your organization:
1. Protects Against Malware and Phishing
DNS filtering blocks access to known malicious domains. This includes:
- Malware distribution
- Phishing sites
- Ransomware download links
- Command-and-control (C2) servers
These threats often begin with a single click. DNS filtering stops that click from doing damage.
2. Perimeterless Protection
With DNS filtering, you don’t need to route all traffic through a central firewall. Instead, protection happens at the DNS level, wherever the query originates.
This is perfect for remote users, roaming devices, and multi-cloud workloads.
3. Boosts Employee Productivity
With DNS filtering, you can block distracting websites like:
- Social media
- Video streaming
- Gaming platforms
This helps employees stay focused, especially in remote and hybrid setups.
4. Enforces Company Policies
Want to block adult content, gambling, or other inappropriate sites? DNS filtering lets you set custom rules that match your company’s values and HR policies.
5. Reduces Bandwidth Waste
Streaming, torrents, and other high-bandwidth sites eat up resources. DNS filtering stops this traffic before it starts, improving performance across cloud apps and services.
6. Improves Visibility and Reporting
DNS filtering provides logs and reports that help IT understand:
- Which domains users visit and how often
- How many and how often threats are blocked
- Which departments or users need more controls
That insight is hard to get in decentralized cloud environments without DNS-based controls.
7. Improved Compliance and Governance
Many compliance frameworks now require or recommend DNS filtering as a security control. This is because DNS filtering ensures that users only access approved resources, which reduces data leakage risks and supports compliance efforts (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, CIPA).
8. Easy Integration and Policy Control
No agents required. No complex rulesets. DNS filtering is easy to deploy and can be customized per user, team, or application.
Key Features to Look For in a DNS Filtering Solution
When evaluating DNS filtering tools for the cloud, look for:
✅ Cloud-Native Architecture
Avoid solutions that require on-prem hardware. Go for a 100% cloud-delivered service that integrates easily with SaaS platforms and remote users.
✅ User & Group Policies
Set different filtering rules for marketing, HR, IT, etc., not just "one size fits all."
✅ Encrypted DNS Support
Look for DNS over HTTPS (DoH) or TLS (DoT) to protect against snooping and DNS manipulation.
✅ Real-Time Threat Intelligence
Ensure the provider updates threat lists in real time using global intelligence and AI.
✅ Logging & Reporting
Get access to logs, reports, and alerts to spot trends and compliance risks.
✅ API Access & Integrations
Connect your DNS filtering platform to SIEMs, email, and more for alerts and automation.
Why Control D Is the Best DNS Filtering Solution for Cloud Environments
Control D is built from the ground up for flexible, scalable DNS filtering – perfect for modern cloud environments. Here’s why industry experts trust Control D as their go-to DNS filtering solution:
🌐 Cloud-Native from Day One
Control D was designed with cloud-native environments in mind. Unlike legacy filtering tools that rely on outdated perimeter models or on-premise hardware, Control D is:
- Cloud-hosted and globally available via a fast Anycast network
- Device-agnostic – works on laptops, mobile devices, virtual machines, and IoT
- Always-on, protecting users whether they’re in the office, working from home, or connecting from across the world
This means your DNS filtering scales automatically with your infrastructure, and you get low-latency resolution from anywhere in the world, with built-in failover and redundancy.
🛡️ Best-in-Class Malware Protection
Control D delivers enterprise-grade threat protection that rivals (and even outperforms) legacy enterprise tools without the complexity. It’s not just marketing; Control D’s malware filtering was independently tested and shown to block 99.97% of known malicious domains.
- Real-time AI-based threat intelligence from multiple trusted sources, updated continuously
- Dynamic protection against zero-day threats and suspicious domains based on behavior
- C2 command-and-control blocking to stop compromised devices from phoning home
- DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT) for encrypted DNS traffic
This means you get robust protection at the DNS layer, stopping threats before they ever reach your endpoints, apps, or users.
🧠 Granular Policy Management
Control D isn’t just a filter. It’s a productivity and policy enforcement tool that helps assign filtering rules per device, team, client, network, or down to individual endpoints.
- Pre-configured category filters – e.g., adult content, gambling, social media)
- Service-level blocking – choose from 1,000 individual apps, tools, and services to block for tailored policies
- Custom allow/block lists – to fine-tune domain access
- Time-based Rules – allow or block sites during specific hours (like lunch breaks or after work)
- Custom block pages – for blocked requests (useful for branding or education)
- Geo-Based Rules – implement rules based on the geographical location of source and destination IP addresses, allowing for region-specific policies.
These tools help you create nuanced DNS policies that reflect how your teams actually operate.
👨💻 Centralized Control Across Devices and Teams
Managing cloud environments means dealing with different users, devices, and workloads. Control D makes it easy to enforce consistent policies across, no matter how complex your setup is.
- Create Profiles with unique filtering rules per user, department, or endpoint
- Multi-Tenancy for scalable DNS management
- Remote configuration management through a clean, intuitive dashboard
📊 Real-Time Visibility & Reporting
DNS filtering isn’t just about blocking threats. It’s also about gaining insight into your network activity. Control D gives you the data you need to stay informed and proactive.
- Detailed logs of DNS queries by endpoint, profile, or location
- Exportable logs for audits, compliance, or SIEM integration
- Reports to spot abuse or inefficiencies and receive a digestible snapshot
You’ll know who accessed what, when, and how often, which is ideal for compliance, forensics, and optimizing cloud performance.
🧩 Seamless Integration with Your Cloud Stack
Control D is built to integrate with your existing security stack, not isolate.
- API access to automate policy updates, onboarding, and reporting
- Works with identity providers like Okta for single sign-on capabilities
- Cross-platform compatibility for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and routers
Whether you’re managing a hybrid office setup or a global remote workforce, Control D fits into your existing workflow with no disruption.
⚙️ Flexible Deployment Options
Control D supports multiple deployment methods, so you can choose what works best for you:
- Local device agents for full control over remote workers and BYOD
- Router-level filtering for branch offices and small networks
- DNS forwarding in virtual private cloud (VPC) setups
- Configuration via RMM/MDM tools for zero-touch rollouts
There’s no need for on-site hardware, and you can be fully deployed in minutes.
💸 Simple, Transparent Pricing
Control D believes in fairness and clarity. That’s why you get access to Control D’s full feature set and capabilities from the moment you sign up.
- Enterprise: $2 per endpoint/month
- MSPs: $1 per endpoint/month
- Schools & Non-Profits: Discounted pricing available
No upsells. No surprise add-ons. Just powerful filtering at a fair price.
DNS Filtering in Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Environments
Many businesses today use a mix of AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and SaaS tools. DNS filtering works across all of them.
Here’s how:
- Set global DNS rules that apply to all environments
- Use separate DNS profiles for different cloud projects or VPCs
- Apply controls at the endpoint level to cover all cloud connections
- Use centralized reporting to view DNS activity across clouds
This gives you a unified security layer even when your infrastructure is distributed.
How to Implement DNS Filtering in a Cloud Environment
Here’s a simple step-by-step plan:
Step 1: Choose a Provider (like Control D)
Look for one with strong cloud support, privacy-first infrastructure, and transparent pricing.
Step 2: Deploy at the Network or Endpoint Level
- For company devices: use endpoint agents or profile-based DNS settings.
- For BYOD or guest networks: apply rules at the router or firewall level.
- For cloud apps and services: apply DNS settings in VPCs or through secure tunneling.
Step 3: Set Filtering Rules
Decide what categories (malware, adult content, etc.) and services (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) to block, what to allow, and who gets access.
Step 4: Test and Monitor
Run tests, review logs, and adjust policies based on real-world use. Look for blocked threats, false positives, and unusual traffic.
Step 5: Educate Your Team
DNS filtering works best when users understand why certain sites are blocked. Transparency builds trust.
Final Thoughts
Cloud environments are fast-moving, complex, and always on. If you're still relying on legacy firewalls or hoping employees don't click risky links, you're leaving gaps in your cloud security.
Control D closes those gaps. With centralized policies, strong threat protection, detailed reporting, and flexible integrations, it's the DNS filtering solution designed for how businesses work today:
- Works everywhere your users are
- Protects every device and network
- Scales with your infrastructure
- Priced to fit any budget