ApplianSys

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ApplianSys is a private technology company based in Coventry, United Kingdom. Founded in 2000, it designs and sells internet server appliances that are used in more than 150 countries.

The company’s main products are DNSBOX, CACHEBOX and EDUGATEBOX. DNSBOX covers DNS, DHCP and IP Address Management, while CACHEBOX provides web caching, proxy services, WAN optimization and content filtering. EDUGATEBOX is a gateway appliance for schools connecting to the internet. The DNSBOX family was launched in 2001 and is split into four series. Management appliances combine open source software with ApplianSys and Nixu-developed components.

Forrester Research lists ApplianSys as a key vendor in the global IP Address Management market, and its DNS engine is used in about a third of all GPRS networks. IDC’s 2007 IPAM report noted that the average DNSBOX customer manages around 15,000 IP addresses. CACHEBOX comes in five models and targets Education, SME, Corporate/Governmental and ISP markets; its caching engine uses code from the Squid project.

In 2005, ApplianSys launched the Protex content filtering service, approved by Becta and developed with the East of England Broadband Network, serving more than 2,800 schools across 10 authorities. In 2006, the company acquired the assets of rival Freedom2 and later expanded into the North American schools market, becoming the caching device most requested by US schools for 2015 E-rate funding.

ApplianSys runs its own hardened Linux operating system, built specifically for appliances. All products use industrial-grade CFast storage for the OS and configuration files, reducing reliance on traditional hard drives. After an initial setup with a VGA or serial console, configuration is performed through a secure web interface.