Case Study: Weight Watchers achieves automated, streamlined DNS and sub-10-minute propagation with NS1

Weight Watchers Uses NS1 to Automate and Streamline DNS

Weight Watchers, a global community-focused health and wellness company, needed to ensure reliable, fast access to its online member tools while simplifying a fragmented DNS environment that included hundreds of Active Directory and BIND servers. Key challenges were migrating their Akamai CDN to Fastly without disrupting users, consolidating DNS management with an API-driven solution, and reducing DNS propagation times to support full automation and a cloud migration from Rackspace to AWS.

Working with NS1, Weight Watchers implemented a phased roll‑out using NS1 Managed DNS and Dedicated DNS and built automation around NS1’s API. Phase 1 moved all public DNS to NS1 and completed the Akamai→Fastly migration in four weeks, reduced DNS resolution time by 30–40%, and trimmed DNS records from millions to about 3,200 using NS1’s Filter Chain for controlled traffic shifts. Phases 2 and 3 will migrate internal DNS to NS1, retire legacy hardware, and automate DNS workflows, with additional cost and operational savings expected.

Weight Watchers

Kanwar Gill

Senior Director DevOps