Most MSPs don’t advertise DNS monitoring as a service—but they should.
Why? Because when DNS goes wrong, your client won’t blame their registrar or email provider. They’ll blame you. And the worst part? You probably didn’t know anything had changed until the problem reached your inbox.
But what if you could productize DNS visibility and turn it into an add-on offering that:
Prevents silent outages
Improves client retention
And adds monthly recurring revenue?
Let’s break down how to offer DNS monitoring as a paid service—and why clients will thank you for it.
Why DNS Monitoring Deserves a Spot in Your MSP Stack
Most MSPs “handle DNS” as part of onboarding or migration, then… forget it. Until:
A client’s email stops delivering because someone removed an MX record
A third-party web developer deletes a DNS record
A client transfers their domain to a new registrar without telling you
These issues are silent, frustrating, and costly. But they’re also avoidable.
With DNS monitoring, you can:
Get alerts before clients notice anything’s broken
Track historical DNS changes for audits and troubleshooting
Detect expired or misconfigured nameservers
Monitor SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for email security
How to Position DNS Monitoring as a Service
Here’s how you can offer DNS monitoring without overwhelming your clients (or your support team):
🎯 Position It as a Security + Reliability Layer
Bundle DNS monitoring with:
Email deliverability auditing (SPF/DKIM/DMARC validation)
Domain expiration monitoring
Change logging + alerts
Nameserver sync checks
📊 Report on It
Clients love visibility. Offer monthly or quarterly DNS health reports showing:
Records that changed
Misconfigurations detected
Issues resolved
Use branded PDFs or a shared dashboard.
🔐 Use It as a Differentiator
“We don’t just configure DNS—we monitor it. That means we’ll know the second something changes… even if it wasn’t us who changed it.”
How to Price It
You can price DNS monitoring in several ways:
- Per domain: $10–25/month per domain
- Per client: Flat monthly fee based on size (e.g., $49/month for up to 10 domains)
- As part of a premium plan: Bundle into “Pro” or “Managed Plus” tiers
Make it optional—but easy to upsell. You can even offer the first month free as a trust-builder.
What You’ll Need to Deliver It
To offer DNS monitoring as a real service, not just a checkbox, you’ll need:
✅ Continuous monitoring of DNS records
✅ Instant alerts when changes happen
✅ Sync validation across nameservers
✅ Historical DNS logs
✅ Exportable reports for clients
✅ Scalable management for multiple domains
🔧 DNS Spy was built specifically to help MSPs deliver this. It scales from 1 to 5,000 domains (and more) with alerting, history, and reporting built in.
What to Say to Clients
Here’s how you can position it in a proposal or renewal conversation:
“We’ve added continuous DNS monitoring to your account. If someone at your company—or a vendor—changes a DNS record, we’ll be the first to know. That means faster fixes, fewer outages, and one less thing for you to worry about.”
It’s a simple pitch… because it solves a real problem.
Final Thoughts
DNS monitoring isn’t just an operational safeguard—it’s a value-add service MSPs can offer today.
It:
Reduces downtime
Prevents misconfigurations from becoming client fire drills
Shows clients you’re proactive, not reactive
Creates a new recurring revenue stream with very little overhead
And best of all? You don’t have to build anything to offer it.
