What are DKIM, DMARC, and SPF?
DKIM, DMARC, and SPF are protocols that help you secure and improve your email. By adopting these protocols, an organization can verify their email messages, prevent phishing, and increase email deliverability.
DKIM stands for DomainKeys Identified Mail. This is an email authentication method that uses a digital signature to verify that an email message was sent by an authorized sender (not a forged sender) and was not modified in transit by a third-party.
DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance. This email policy framework allows a domain owner to specify how email receivers should handle messages that fail to pass the DKIM or SPF checks. Because it is easier to identify and reject fraudulent email, proper DMARC settings help reduce spam, phishing, and spoofing, improving the experience of your end users.
SPF stands for Sender Policy Framework. It is an email validation system that verifies that an email message originates from an IP address authorized by the domain owner. The IP addresses are verified when the domain owner publishes a list of authorized IP addresses in their DNS records. If the IP address is not on the list, the message is likely to be spoofed or forged, and is marked as such.
Why it Matters Now
Over 300 billion emails are sent every day but only a fraction of them are secure and authenticated. If a business wants their emails to stand out from the crowd and reach their target audience, they need to use DKIM, DMARC, and SPF protocols.
DKIM, DMARC, and SPF are not optional. They are becoming mandatory for many email providers, including Google and Yahoo. If an email does not comply with these protocols, it may be rejected, bounced, or marked as spam by these providers.
This can damage email performance and impair an organization’s reputation among customers and prospects.
Why should you be in compliance with DKIM, DMARC, and SPF?
Being in compliance with DKIM, DMARC, and SPF, although mandatory, can bring many benefits:
- Enhancing email security and preventing spoofing and phishing attacks
- Improving email deliverability and avoiding spam filters and blacklists
- Increasing email engagement and conversion rates by displaying a organization’s logo or brand image in the recipient’s inbox
- Gaining insights and visibility into email performance and quality by receiving reports and feedback from the recipient’s email providers
How can SpireTech help you with DKIM, DMARC, and SPF?
If you are a client of SpireTech, we will help set up and manage your DKIM, DMARC, and SPF protocols for your email domain. In order to make these changes, SpireTech will require access to your DNS host. Your DNS may be hosted by the service where you obtain your domain names, or at a third-party DNS hosting provider. If we do not already have access, you will need to provide us with a login to manage your DNS records at your DNS host.
We have the expertise and experience to ensure that your email is secure, compliant, and effective. These changes are mandatory and will ensure that the people you email from your business domain will be delivered successfully.