Starting February 1st, 2024, major changes to email authentication by Google and Yahoo could affect your clients’ emails. The purpose of the change to prevent potential spam issues, ensure deliverability of your email, even if you don’t use Google or Yahoo mail, you want to setup DMARC for your domain.
DMARC, which stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance, is crucial for businesses, especially those relying heavily on email communication. In this blog post, we’ll unravel the mysteries of DMARC and explore its significance in fortifying your email system.
NOTE: If you have DKIM and DMARC already setup, it will not affect you.
What is DMARC?
DMARC is an email authentication protocol that adds an additional layer of protection to your organization’s email. It works alongside two other widely-used email authentication mechanisms – SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail). Together, these protocols help combat phishing and spoofing attacks, ensuring that the emails sent on behalf of your domain are legitimate.
How Does DMARC Work?
DMARC operates by enabling organizations to set policies for their email messages. These policies instruct email receivers on how to handle messages that don’t pass authentication. The three key components of DMARC are:
Authentication Results: DMARC utilizes the authentication results provided by SPF and DKIM to determine the legitimacy of an email.
Policy Setting: Organizations can set policies to instruct email receivers on how to handle emails that fail authentication. Policies typically include monitoring, quarantine, or reject.
Reporting: DMARC generates reports that provide insights into email authentication failures. These reports help organizations fine-tune their email authentication setup and identify potential phishing attempts.
Why is DMARC Essential for Your Business?
Phishing Protection: With cyber threats evolving, phishing attacks have become more sophisticated. DMARC adds an extra layer of defense against phishing attempts, protecting your organization and clients from falling victim to fraudulent emails.
Brand Integrity: By implementing DMARC, you’re taking a proactive step in preserving your brand’s integrity. It prevents cybercriminals from impersonating your domain, safeguarding your reputation.
Improved Email Deliverability: DMARC-compliant emails are more likely to be delivered to the recipient’s inbox. This not only enhances the reliability of your communication but also ensures that important messages don’t get lost in spam folders.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) DMARC 2024
When you send email to someone using Google Workspace or Gmail or Yahoo mail, it may get bounced back or blocked.
As a result, you will have issue communicating with people and may impact customer relation. It may also cause your email to get blocked by other email provider or blacked it.
These new email authentication requirements impact all senders, regardless of size, with a more noticeable impact on deliverability for bulk senders that are used in newsletter and other marketing.
While Google mentioned 5,000 daily sending limit for “bulk email”, it is only a suggestion and we strongly encourage to setup DMARC and DKIM regardless of how many emails you send.
Find out if your email domain (e.g., mycompany.com) has DMARC and working correctly. Contact your email provider or contact if you need help. Continue to Implementation section for more.
If you use gmail.com, yahoo.com or free email account, it will not affect you.
If you have DKIM and DMARC setup for your company domain name, it will not affect you.
Implementing DMARC in Your Organization
Implementing DMARC in Your Organization
Assessment: Begin by assessing your current email authentication setup. Understand your organization’s email flow and identify any existing SPF and DKIM configurations.
Gradual Deployment: Consider deploying DMARC in monitoring mode initially. This allows you to analyze the impact on your email flow without immediately enforcing policies.
Policy Adjustment: Once you’re confident in your DMARC setup, gradually adjust policies to quarantine or reject messages that fail authentication.
Continuous Monitoring: Regularly monitor DMARC reports and adjust policies as needed. This iterative process ensures ongoing protection and adaptation to new threats.
In conclusion, DMARC is a vital component of your organization’s cybersecurity strategy, especially in an era where email threats are on the rise. By adopting DMARC, you’re not only enhancing your email security but also contributing to a safer digital environment for your clients and partners.
Remember, a secure email system is not just about protecting data; it’s about fostering trust and ensuring the smooth flow of communication for your business.
Stay secure, stay connected!
Frequently Asked Questions
eSudo is a local managed IT & Cybersecurity services (MSP/MSSP) company that helps businesses make technology seamlessly work over the last 22+ years in Silicon Valley. What sets eSudo apart is we focus on security first, and IT support happens to be part of the security services.
Our team of experienced and certified computer engineers understands that no two businesses are alike, that’s why we partner with our clients to develop efficient and cost effective computer networks, cloud solutions, network security, and phone solutions that help you run your business.
As a local Microsoft Partner and Cloud Technology Specialist, eSudo has the knowledge, skills, and commitment to help you implement modern technology solutions that match your exact business needs.
Our goal is to Keep your IT Systems running and data Secure (KISS) so you can focus on running your business safely!
We specialize in working with professional service organizations like law firms, accounting firms (CPAs), and wealth management. However, eSudo have helped other business such as non-profit organizations, manufacturing and other small businesses after we have reviewed their needs and determined if they are good fit for our services.
eSudo is not a traditional IT support company; we focus on security first, and IT support happens to be part of the security services. In the dynamic landscape of network security, a proactive approach is key to safeguarding your business. It’s not a one-time event but an ongoing commitment to keep your systems resilient against evolving threats. With the rise of a mobile workforce and the omnipresence of phishing attempts or social engineering or AI, educating your employees, continuous monitoring and proactive support are vital to prevent data breaches.
If your business is looking for break-fix support or hourly IT services, we may not be for you because we cannot fully manage your risks and more importantly, it creates a trust issue in our relationship. Under a “break-fix” model, there is a fundamental conflict of interest between your business and eSudo.
“Over 97% of American businesses in 2023, operating in a digitally-driven landscape, heavily rely on the Internet for essential functions such as productivity, performance optimization, streamlined communication, bolstered sales, and various other facets of their daily operations. This heightened dependence on digital infrastructure, however, comes with a notable caveat: more than 87% of small businesses are entrusted with customer data that could be potentially compromised in the event of a cyberattack.”
We keep your IT Systems running and data secure with our proven IT Strategy, Managed Security, and Proactive Support & End User Management. Our Strategy focuses on identifying, prioritizing, and recommending the right technology for your organization. Our Managed Security includes data backup, device encryption, zero-trust access management, and policies & procedures. Our Support includes a live phone help desk, 24/7 monitoring, on-site support as needed, employee onboarding, and asset procurement.
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- Proven track record: We have been building our loyal customer base since 2001 in an industry where IT consulting firms come and go. Our customers, vendors, and employees stay with us because we build and value long term relationships with them. With operations all over the San Francisco Bay Area, eSudo provides reliable IT support to Northern CA-based businesses and beyond. We’re big enough to offer the facilities, services, and expertise you expect and small enough to provide the support and attention you deserve.
- People & Process: Over the last 22+ years, we have created and adopted a proven process to ensure success in our operations and have trained our people to follow our proven process to provide consistent results for our customers.
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