Connectivity is the foundation of every digital experience. Today, however, delivering a high-performance connection is no longer enough for an Internet Service Provider: malware, phishing, botnets, ransomware and malicious domains make web browsing one of the key areas that must be secured as part of a cybersecurity strategy.
This is the context behind the partnership between FlashStart and Navigo, an Internet Service Provider offering fibre-optic connectivity throughout Italy and fixed wireless connectivity in the Triveneto region and Sardinia.
Navigo has chosen to integrate FlashStart technology into its network, providing customers with an additional layer of protection as they browse the web. The partnership brings together infrastructure, performance and DNS security, making cybersecurity a tangible part of the connectivity service.
How can an ISP better protect its users without making their browsing experience more complex? By acting at one of the fundamental layers through which Internet access is delivered: the DNS.
Navigo Brings Cybersecurity into Its Connectivity Offering
Navigo’s decision is based on a clear principle: web browsing protection should be entrusted to purpose-built, specialist technology.
On its Browsing Protection page, Navigo sums up this approach with a particularly clear message: “Not a home-grown workaround. A specialist, certified partner.”
The operator explains that, for a critical function such as browsing security, it chose not to rely on open-source or internally developed solutions, but instead to integrate FlashStart technology.
The result is a service that protects Navigo users from malware, botnets and ransomware and, according to the operator, is included with its connectivity service at no additional cost.
The partnership therefore represents more than the integration of a new feature. Security becomes part of the connectivity value proposition, enabling the ISP to offer customers a service that combines network access with protection.
Protection at the DNS Level
To understand the value of this integration, it is important to start with the DNS.
The Domain Name System is one of the fundamental components of Internet browsing, as it connects the domain names used by users with the resources required to reach them.
This is precisely where FlashStart DNS Content Filtering operates.
When a request is made to a destination classified as dangerous or prohibited, the system can block access before the user reaches the resource. DNS filtering therefore adds a preventive layer to the cybersecurity strategy, intervening at a very early stage in the browsing process.
The FlashStart engine also uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies to help identify and classify suspicious domains. Every day, the platform checks more than 200,000 new websites and handles billions of DNS queries, with the aim of keeping its detection capabilities continuously up to date.
Navigo’s website provides a clear view of this activity: its protection page displays the threats blocked on the network over the previous 24 hours, grouped into categories such as malicious activity, phishing, adware and suspicious websites.
This is therefore not simply a filtering technology, but a control system that must continuously evolve alongside the threat landscape.
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Security and Performance Can Go Hand in Hand
For an ISP, however, one requirement is non-negotiable: an additional security layer must not compromise browsing performance.
Navigo reports an average latency of 13.45 ms for its implementation, together with 24/7 monitoring and 99.95% uptime. The configuration also includes DNS proxies in the Vicenza and Cagliari data centres, helping to keep DNS requests close to the operator’s infrastructure.
DNS speed is an important part of the overall browsing experience: security must be effective while remaining as transparent as possible to users.
This principle is also central to FlashStart’s technological development. The FlashStart DNS resolver has ranked first worldwide for speed in several DNSPerf measurements—a result achieved through infrastructure designed to combine security, resilience and fast response times.
Protection or performance? For a DNS service designed to operate across ISP infrastructure, the answer must be both.
From Cybersecurity to Protecting Minors
The FlashStart–Navigo partnership also demonstrates another application of DNS filtering: protecting minors online.
Navigo provides its customers with a basic Parental Control service in compliance with AGCOM Resolution 9/23/CONS.
Here too, FlashStart is an integral part of the architecture selected by the operator. Navigo specifies that its Parental Control service uses the same technology as the Browsing Protection solution developed in partnership with FlashStart.
The underlying technical principle (filtering) remains the same, but the objective changes: protection against cyberthreats is complemented by controls that restrict access to categories of content considered inappropriate for minors.
The categories listed by Navigo include adult content, gambling and betting, weapons, violence, hate and discrimination, practices harmful to health, anonymisers and cults.
DNS security therefore takes on a broader role: not only countering cyberthreats, but also helping to create a more controlled browsing environment that meets users’ needs.
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One Technology, Two Layers of Protection
The Navigo case therefore highlights two complementary applications of FlashStart technology.
From a cybersecurity perspective, DNS filtering helps prevent access to destinations associated with malware, botnets, ransomware, phishing and other malicious activity.
From a content-filtering perspective, the same infrastructure makes it possible to apply browsing policies and block categories of content that are inappropriate for minors.
In both cases, the objective is to intervene before the unwanted destination is reached.
This approach reflects a principle that has guided FlashStart from the outset: filtering does not mean restricting access to the Internet; it means protecting users from online risks while preserving the Internet’s value as a space for information, growth and knowledge.
The Value of the Partnership for an Internet Service Provider
The Navigo project is a practical example of how the role of ISPs is evolving.
Competition in the connectivity market is no longer driven solely by bandwidth, coverage and price. The ability to integrate value-added services enables providers to build more comprehensive offerings, increase customer protection and differentiate their value proposition.
Why develop a DNS security infrastructure in-house when it can be integrated through a specialist partner? This is precisely where the partnership model delivers value.
For an ISP, integrating FlashStart means being able to add specialist DNS filtering technology to its offering without having to build the underlying technology stack from scratch. This model allows providers to focus their expertise and investment on their core business, while entrusting DNS security to a partner dedicated to this specific field.
This approach is particularly relevant to ISPs, MSPs and system integrators—markets in which FlashStart is developing partnerships designed to embed browsing protection directly into the services delivered to customers.
FlashStart and Navigo: A Partnership Built Around Browsing Protection
Through the partnership between FlashStart and Navigo, connectivity and cybersecurity become part of the same service model.
Navigo provides its infrastructure, local presence and customer relationships. FlashStart adds a specialist technology layer for DNS protection. Together, these components deliver a browsing experience focused not only on performance, but also on protection, control and reliability.
This partnership model clearly demonstrates how cybersecurity can become an integral part of the transformation of Internet Service Providers’ offerings.
Because the value of a connection no longer depends solely on how quickly it gets you online.
It also depends on how well it protects you while you are there.
Next-generation DNS protection, fully cloud & AI-based and easy to activate
