While the spread of AI and the explosion of LLM-based tools have moved the goalposts of expectation across many industries, email security and management remain a top priority for those who understand the ongoing challenges of organisational safety. This blog will outline why continued email and email server protection is still vital and explains why the DMARC protocol is a major tool in a business’s cybersecurity posture.

Email remains one of the most critical communication channels for businesses. However, it is also one of the most vulnerable to cyber threats, including email-specific concerns like mail spoofing and phishing. These malicious activities can lead to significant financial losses, reputational damage and loss of customer trust if threat actors succeed in disrupting business-as-usual operations.
To combat these threats and more, businesses must employ and maintain robust email security protocols. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) is one of the most effective solutions available.

What is DMARC?

DMARC is an email security protocol that helps prevent mail spoofing and phishing by verifying the authenticity of emails and allowing domain owners to define how their mail servers should handle unauthenticated messages. By stopping malicious senders in their tracks, DMARC looks to significantly reduce the risk posed by business email compromise (BEC) phishing, ransomware and other email-based attacks. DMARC builds on existing email authentication protocols, namely SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), to provide a comprehensive solution for email security.
Microsoft have announced that from May of this year organisations meeting various criteria will be expected to implement DMARC to successfully deliver email to Microsoft and Outlook mailboxes. As well as enhancing email security, this move is aimed at increasing the overall health of the email ecosystem – increasing transparency and trust between senders and receivers.
With more systems beginning to rely on DMARC it’s the perfect opportunity to gain a better understanding of what this protocol means for email security and how it can enhance your email and security infrastructure.

Why is DMARC important for businesses?

Beyond the headline security benefits that it provides, DMARC enhances a host of component parts that make up a successful and trusted brand. Here are a some of the ways in which DMARC can make a positive impact:

1. Enhanced email security: DMARC helps businesses protect their email domains from being targeted in phishing and spoofing attacks. By verifying the authenticity of emails, DMARC ensures that only legitimate emails are delivered to recipients, reducing the risk of cyber threats.
2. Improved deliverability: Emails that pass DMARC checks are more likely to be delivered to recipients’ inboxes rather than being marked as spam. This improves the overall deliverability of emails, ensuring that important communications reach their intended recipients.
3. Brand protection: Phishing and spoofing attacks can damage a business’s reputation and erode customer trust. DMARC helps protect the brand by preventing unauthorized use of the domain in malicious activities or through defending against otherwise embarrassing and harmful attacks.
4. Regulatory compliance: Many industries have regulations that require businesses to implement specific email security measures. With Microsoft’s announcement that businesses will be expected to utilise DMARC from this year, avoiding being penalised for lack of compliance is key. Microsoft has said that unauthenticated emails will begin by being sent to junk folders, but that outright rejection of delivery will follow soon after.

How Mirus IT can help with your DMARC requirements

We understand the importance of email security and the challenges businesses face in keeping their email data and users safe. Implementing DMARC can be an additional challenge, which is why we want to make the process as simple and a streamlined as possible.
Our team will assist you in setting up and configuring DMARC, supporting with any early-stage challenges and ensuring that your domains and networks are properly authenticated.

Our best-in-class DMARC analyser tool, Valimail, provides detailed insights into your email authentication status, enabling you to identify and resolve any issues promptly. With comprehensive in-depth reports to monitor activity and provide actionable guidance, we can help improve and strengthen the email authentication status of every organisation.

Once your DMARC setup is complete and running, our ongoing maintenance and support will help your remain compliant with any evolving requirements and compliances, maintaining optimal email security and protection against threat actors.

Why Choose Mirus IT?

At Mirus IT, our experts have extensive experience in email security, including DMARC execution and implementation. With our team, you’ll benefit from the most up-to-date best practices and work with the most effective solutions for your needs.

Our proactive approach to email security and continuous monitoring of your authentication status, coupled with our commitment to offering tailored, bespoke solutions means we are sure to find a solution that works for you. We prioritise customer satisfaction, always striving to provide the best possible service, and whether you are a small company or a large enterprise you’ll be at home with us.

Why DMARC should be your next step for email security

DMARC is a crucial email security protocol that helps businesses protect their domains from phishing and spoofing attacks, some of the most common and costly email attacks today. Improving email deliverability and complying with industry regulations, DMARC offers a holistic solution to improve and sustain your email infrastructure’s health and maintain a reliable and trusted face for your email systems.

Mirus IT Solutions offers comprehensive DMARC reporting and support services to help you implement and maintain DMARC effectively and our experts teams are ready to be your trusted partner in email security.

To learn more about our Managed DMARC Reporting service or to discuss which business are affected by Microsoft’s announcement, we’re ready to talk to you today.