Question 1

What manual work can we automate with DNSFilter?

Accepted Answer

DNSFilter automation typically involves policy updates, user group assignments, and threat alert responses. For example, you can automate the addition of new domains to block lists when threats are detected, sync user directories to DNSFilter to maintain current policy assignments, or trigger notifications when security events exceed thresholds. This reduces manual configuration overhead and keeps filtering rules aligned with your organization's changing security posture.

Question 2

How does data flow between DNSFilter and other business tools?

Accepted Answer

DNSFilter connects to other platforms through its APIs to receive inputs like user account updates or domain lists, and to send outputs like threat logs, block events, and policy violations. Common data flows include pulling user rosters from directory tools to update filtering profiles, pushing security alerts to ticketing systems for investigation, and syncing custom block lists from external sources. The direction and frequency of data movement depends on your automation configuration.

Question 3

What breaks or gets missed when automating DNSFilter workflows?

Accepted Answer

Automations can fail if API rate limits are exceeded during bulk policy updates, user account synchronization may lag if directory changes aren't polled frequently enough, and alert thresholds must be carefully calibrated to avoid flooding downstream systems with noise. Additionally, DNS resolution caching can cause filtering changes to take time before they propagate across all network endpoints, which may create gaps between when a policy is automated and when it takes effect.

Question 4

How should we structure DNSFilter for reliable automations?

Accepted Answer

Organize your filtering policies by logical groups that match your automation triggers, such as role-based categories or risk levels, to avoid conflicts when multiple automations target the same settings. Use consistent naming conventions for domains, users, and policies so your automation logic can reliably identify and update the right records. Document which automations own which policies to prevent competing changes, and test automation workflows in a staging environment before applying them to production filtering rules.

Automate the manual work in DNSFilter

DNSFilter by the numbers

Top 5 DNSFilter friction points when done manually

Manually updating DNSFilter blocklists

Tracking DNS queries across DNSFilter logs

Approving whitelist requests in DNSFilter

Reconciling DNSFilter policy changes across locations

Exporting DNSFilter reports for compliance

What you can automate in DNSFilter

Create Google Sheets spreadsheet rows and send channel messages in Slack for new DNSFilter account activities

Create Syncro tickets from new DNSFilter blocked page form submissions

Create Zendesk tickets from new unblock requests in DNSFilter

Send email alerts when DNSFilter detects new dynamic hostnames not updated

Send Microsoft Teams channel messages when new blocked pages are visited in DNSFilter

Tools commonly connected to DNSFilter

DNSFilter Automation questions

Ready to automate your work in DNSFilter?