Akamai Edge DNS vs AT&T Dynamic Defense: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

Akamai Edge DNS

Mid-market and enterprise security teams defending against DNS-layer DDoS attacks will get the most from Akamai Edge DNS, particularly those running hybrid infrastructure where on-premises DNS needs the same attack surface hardening as cloud-facing services. The Shield NS53 reverse proxy handles both environments without forcing full migration to cloud DNS, and the 100% uptime SLA backed by IP anycast routing across Akamai's global network means your authoritative DNS stays available when attackers are actively flooding it. Skip this if your DNS traffic is light and you're comfortable with basic rate-limiting from your registrar; Edge DNS is built for organizations absorbing sustained volumetric attacks, not for complexity reduction.

AT&T Dynamic Defense

Mid-market and enterprise security teams that need DDoS mitigation without managing their own scrubbing centers should use AT&T Dynamic Defense; you're buying carrier-grade infrastructure and 24/7 managed response, not just software. AT&T's network position means attack traffic gets filtered upstream before it reaches your edge, which matters more than detection speed when you're absorbing volumetric floods. The NIST alignment skews toward Detect and recovery readiness rather than prevention architecture controls, so this works best for teams that accept DDoS as inevitable and want fast mitigation, not those betting on stopping attacks before they land.