What is DMARC?
DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance. It’s an email authentication protocol that allows you to control which email servers are allowed to send emails using your domain name, and block ALL others.
Why is DMARC important?
Email fraud is a growing threat that puts your business, customers, and brand reputation at risk. Without proper email authentication, cybercriminals can spoof your domain to send phishing emails, potentially harming your credibility and exposing sensitive data.
Also, emails that pass DMARC authentication are more likely to be delivered to the intended recipients, ensuring your emails make it to the INBOX.
What is DMARC reporting?
DMARC reporting allows you to know what happened to the emails you sent, and see if your emails are being delivered, sent to SPAM, or blocked entirely from delivery. Many email recipients’ servers generate RUA reports that are sent back to the specified email address in your DMARC policy each day. These reports come from Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and other email servers daily with details on what happened to each message received and why.
What is a bare minimum DMARC Policy?
A bare minimum DMARC policy is one that has the policy enforcement set to ‘none’. As of March 2024, it’s all that is required by Google, MicroSoft, Yahoo, and other major email services, but does nothing to actually protect your domain. Some bare minimum DMARC policies don’t even have a DMARC reporting email address set to receive the RUA reports.
Why is DMARC report analysis critical?
The DMARC RUA reports are critical to understanding your email delivery status, and are sent daily with details on what happened to the received emails and why. If these reports are ignored, you have no idea what is happening to emails being sent on your domain. The ongoing combining and analysis of the Aggregate reports paints a picture that shows what is happening on your domain.
How much does DMARC cost to implement?
The cost to implement an enforceable DMARC policy is $300/domain. Sometimes it’s only one source that needs to be configured, other times it’s several sources, ie. ConstantContact, MailChimp, AmazonSES, Outlook 365, Google Workspace, ProofPoint, Avanan, etc. The DMARC reports will show the source/s being used by your domain and we’ll work to configure all sources in use by your domain.
How much does ongoing DMARC Reporting and Analysis cost?
It’s best to keep a very close eye on things at first with monthly reporting for the first year, then possibly backing off to quarterly if everything is steady.
Monthly DMARC Reporting & Analysis – $600/year
Quarterly DMARC Reporting & Analysis – $450/year
Annual DMARC Reporting & Analysis – $300/year
How h2o Helps You Stay Secure
h2o offers a fully managed DMARC service to protect your domain from spoofing and phishing attempts. We handle everything from implementation to ongoing monitoring and reporting, ensuring your email security is always optimized.
Our Managed DMARC Service Includes:
✅ DMARC Record Setup & Optimization – Ensure proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC alignment.
✅ Ongoing Monitoring & Policy Management – We analyze your email traffic and gradually move your policy from monitoring (p=none) to enforcement (p=reject) safely.
✅ Monthly Reporting & Analysis – Easy-to-read reports with insights on unauthorized senders and email authentication health.
✅ Threat Intelligence & Alerts – Get notified when suspicious activity is detected.
✅ Dedicated Support – Expert guidance to keep your domain secure.