What Is DMARC and Why Your Brisbane Business Needs It
If you run a business and send email from your own domain (e.g. @yourbusiness.com.au), you need to know about DMARC. Without it, anyone in the world can send emails that look like they came from your domain, and your customers, suppliers, and staff won't be able to tell the difference.
What Is DMARC?
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) is an email authentication standard that tells receiving mail servers what to do when they get an email claiming to be from your domain. It works alongside two other standards, SPF and DKIM, to verify that emails are genuinely from you.
How SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Work Together
Think of it like this: SPF is a list of servers allowed to send email on your behalf. DKIM adds a digital signature to your emails proving they haven't been tampered with. DMARC ties them together and tells the world what to do if an email fails both checks, let it through, quarantine it, or reject it outright.
Why It Matters for Your Business
Without DMARC, scammers can send phishing emails that perfectly mimic your domain. Your clients might receive fake invoices that look exactly like yours. Your domain's reputation suffers, and legitimate emails start landing in spam folders. I've seen Brisbane businesses lose thousands of dollars because a client paid a spoofed invoice.
What You Should Do
Start by checking your current setup. You can use free tools like MXToolbox to see if you have SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. If you don't, or if your DMARC policy is set to 'none' (monitoring only), you're not yet protected. The goal is to reach a 'reject' policy, which tells mail servers to block all unauthorised emails from your domain.
Need Help Setting It Up?
Getting DMARC right requires careful planning, especially if you use multiple email platforms (Microsoft 365, marketing tools, CRM systems). I offer a dedicated Email Security Health Check that reviews your current setup and provides a clear remediation plan with copy/paste-ready DNS records.