Email Authentication: What is DMARC? (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)

DMARC let's the owner of a domain instruct mailbox providers what to do if email that uses their domain in the sender email address fails SPF and DKIM checks.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) is a standard that let's the owner of a domain instruct mailbox providers (such as Gmail, Microsoft and others) what to do if email that uses the domain in the sender email address fails SPF and DKIM checks.

It's important to note that you should not set up a DMARC policy of ‘Quarantine’ or ‘Reject’ unless you have a proper DKIM record setup or email providers might filter your email to the spam folder (Quarantine) or block it entirely (Reject). Be sure to set up DKIM for all your sending domains before setting up a strict DMARC record.

To send emails using your domain with our sending services, there is no need to set up a DMARC policy. If you already have one set-up though, you'll need to set-up DKIM to authorize our sending platform used for our ecard delivery service and automated greeting services.

Here are some times you should be using DMARC:

You should be using DMARC if you find out someone is actively spoofing your domain, sending fraudulent mail and tarnishing your personal or company's reputation. DMARC would let you identify this malicious activity and shut it down.

You should be using DMARC if your organization has an email security policy that requires DMARC Authentication such as a government body or a financial organization.

You should be using DMARC if you want to display a BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) logo with your emails.

For more information on setting up a DMARC record we suggest you visit dmarc.org for recommendations on how to configure the record properly.

Just a quick reminder that you do not need to set up DMARC in order to use your email addresses with our sending and automated greeting services.

Posted: 2021-02-17