What is DNS – and why does it matter for your business?

Have you ever wondered what happens the moment you type in a web address and press Enter? The answer is DNS – a system most people never think about, but that everything on the internet depends on. Here's a practical explanation for business owners who want to understand what goes on behind the scenes.

DNS stands for Domain Name System.

DNS explained simply – the phone book analogy

Think of DNS as the internet's phone book. You know you want to call "John Smith," but you don't remember the number – so you look it up in the directory and find it.

The internet works the same way: your browser knows you want to visit yourcompany.no, but it needs the IP address of the server to get there. The DNS system translates the domain name into the right IP address – in milliseconds, without you noticing.

What is a name server?

A name server is the server that stores and serves the DNS information for your domain. When you register a domain, your registrar usually specifies which name servers will answer for it. The name servers hold all the DNS records – the recipe for where traffic to your domain should go.

Name servers typically look like this: ns1.yourhostingprovider.no and ns2.yourhostingprovider.no. They're normally set automatically, but you can usually override them in the domain settings at your registrar.

The most important DNS records – what do they mean for your business?

You don't need to remember every DNS record type, but these come up often:

What this means for you: When you connect Microsoft 365 to your domain, you typically add an MX record for email, a TXT record for SPF (proof that your email is genuine), and DKIM keys for email signing. Get this wrong, and your email may be rejected as spam.

TTL – why do changes take time to take effect?

Every DNS record has a TTL (Time To Live) – a number that specifies how long other servers should cache the answer, measured in seconds. A TTL of 3600 means the answer is cached for one hour.

So when you change a DNS record, old answers will live on for up to the TTL value on every server in between. That's why it can take up to 24–48 hours for changes to "take effect" globally – even if it seems instant to you.

Practical tip: If you're planning a major change (such as moving your website to a new server), lower the TTL to 300 seconds a few days in advance. That way, the change goes through faster.

What happens to your email and website when you switch registrars?

A common question we get: "Will I lose my email or website if I switch registrars?"

The answer is no – not if you do it right. Here's what happens:

• The domain name moves to the new registrar – but the DNS records/zone file are exported from the old provider and imported at the new one
• Your website and email keep working as normal, because the DNS records at the old and new provider are identical
• Problems only occur if you forget to transfer the DNS records to the new registrar's servers

So remember to copy all DNS records to the new name servers before you switch – otherwise your website and email may go down in the meantime.

Dynamic DNS – a fixed domain name with a changing IP

Most broadband connections have a dynamic IP address that changes at regular intervals. That's impractical if you want to reach a device at home or at the office from outside – for example a security camera, a NAS server, a VPN server or a home office network.

Dynamic DNS (DDNS) solves this by linking a fixed domain name to an IP address that updates automatically every time it changes. Digiserv offers DDNS on your own domain with support for the DynDNS protocol – the same standard built into most routers, NAS devices and camera systems from manufacturers such as Asus, Jensen, TP-Link, Synology, Hikvision and Linksys. This means your equipment can update the DNS record automatically, without extra software or manual configuration on your part.

Instead of remembering an IP address that keeps changing, you simply visit camera.yourcompany.no – every time.

Domain Connect: Microsoft 365 without the DNS hassle

DNS setup for Microsoft 365 is notoriously cumbersome. It normally requires you to enter 6–10 different records manually and wait for propagation.

With Domain Connect – an integration that very few registrars support – the entire setup is done automatically in seconds. You approve once, and Microsoft 365 configures DNS on its own.

Need help with domains and DNS?

Digiserv is an accredited Norid registrar and offers domain, DNS and Microsoft 365 setup as one complete service. See our domain service → – and if you need hosting too, you'll find our web hosting service here.