How important is DMARC for email and spam protection, and when should it be enabled?
Summary
What email marketers say17Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Stackoverflow comments DMARC policy should be enabled on all domains, even those that do not send email, to prevent domain spoofing.
Email marketer from URIports highlights that DMARC offers valuable insight into who is sending emails on behalf of your domain, improves deliverability by signalling to ISPs that you care about security, and protects your brand from being impersonated in phishing attacks.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that while DMARC doesn’t directly impact deliverability, it ensures that email providers trust the emails sent from your domain, improving the likelihood that your emails will reach the inbox rather than the spam folder.
Marketer from Email Geeks argues that DMARC doesn't directly help with spam, but it might prevent fraud, which could help ISPs catch bad emails, thus protecting domain reputation. A 'none' policy is helpful to monitor for domain abuse.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that DMARC's usefulness depends on the use case. For example, it is easier to set up for a subdomain used for invoices and a specific tool/platform. A 'none' policy can help detect domain abuse without negatively impacting deliverability.
Email marketer from Postmarkapp explains that DMARC should be enabled on all domains and it is particularly useful for brands that care about deliverability and brand security.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests setting up DMARC in reporting-only mode (p=none) to have a view into mail streams. The bigger decision is whether to change to a more aggressive quarantine or reject policy which can cause problems if things aren’t squared away.
Email marketer from Agari explains DMARC is essential for domains, especially those prone to spoofing or those with valuable brands. A DMARC record gives domain control and reporting.
Email marketer from an Email Marketing Forum notes that DMARC setup can be tricky, and requires careful planning, technical expertise, and ongoing monitoring to avoid unintended consequences like blocking legitimate emails.
Email marketer from EasyDMARC emphasizes that DMARC is extremely important for protecting your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks. Implementing DMARC can significantly improve your email deliverability and protect your brand reputation.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that while DMARC *might* help with spam filtering by catching fraud, it isn't likely to have a noticeable change. It requires technical knowledge, a monitoring tool, and an action plan for rolling it out and keeping it updated. The cost for getting it wrong is high.
Email marketer from Reddit states that DMARC should be implemented as soon as possible, starting with a 'p=none' policy to monitor email traffic before moving to more restrictive policies.
Email marketer from SparkPost emphasizes using a phased approach to DMARC deployment. This involves starting with a monitoring-only policy (p=none) to gather data and identify legitimate sending sources before moving to quarantine or reject policies.
Email marketer from Quora explains that creating a DMARC record is vital if you don't want malicious spammers and phishers spoofing your domain to send email from your domain.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that DMARC is not critical.
Marketer from Email Geeks says that DMARC can stop specific types of email spoofing, but it might cause some legitimate outbound emails to be dropped.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that DMARC is useful for companies that are known fraud vectors. If you have a simple program using a single ESP, they recommend it. If you have a complex program, costs can start getting rather high.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks states that deploying DMARC has costs that can range from noticeable to significant. If the costs outweigh the benefits, it's a poor business decision. Users may not always see benefits.
Expert from Spamresource.com details that DMARC is vital for email authentication. It is used to ensure that incoming messages claiming to be from a specific domain were authorized by the owner of that domain. DMARC builds upon the existing authentication mechanisms of SPF and DKIM.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that DMARC is worthwhile if the benefits outweigh the costs. It helps control who sends email using your domain and provides insights into potential abuse. It is important for organizations worried about brand impersonation and phishing attacks. DMARC is more important for organizations whose brands are spoofed.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that DMARC doesn't help with spam; it's a way to prevent others from using your domain.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft Learn explains that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC work together to authenticate mail senders and ensure that destination email systems trust messages sent from your domain. DMARC uses SPF and DKIM to verify the sender's authenticity.
Documentation from Proofpoint explains the phases of DMARC implementation, starting with monitoring (p=none), then quarantine, and finally reject. This allows organizations to gradually enforce DMARC policies while minimizing disruption.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that DMARC helps protect senders and recipients from spam and phishing by allowing senders to indicate that their emails are protected by SPF and DKIM, and tells recipients what to do if SPF and DKIM checks fail.
Documentation from RFC Editor describes DMARC's design goals as minimizing email-based abuse, providing reporting mechanisms for domain owners, and improving email deliverability.