Email... it's the backbone of modern business — whether you’re reaching out to new leads or handling day-to-day communication. Fortunately, protecting your email domain reputation and avoiding the spam folder doesn’t have to be complicated. That’s where DMARC comes in. In this post, we’ll break down what a DMARC record is, why your business needs one, and how to set it up for free.

The Importance of DMARC

DMARC — short for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance — is an important email security protocol. It helps ensure your emails are trusted, improves deliverability, and protects you from email spoofing, a dangerous technique where hackers pretend to be you to your customers. So how does DMARC protect you?

1. Email Authentication

DMARC works by verifying that emails sent from your domain are actually coming from your authorized servers. It helps recipients know the message is legitimate — not a forged or spoofed attempt by a bad actor. This dramatically reduces the risk of cybercriminals impersonating your brand to scam your customers.

2. Protecting Your Brand from Spoofing

Email spoofing is one of the most common tricks in a hacker’s playbook. It involves forging the “From” address to make it look like the email is coming from your business. These fake messages can trick your clients into clicking malicious links, downloading malware, or sharing sensitive information — all while thinking they’re responding to you. DMARC helps block these attacks before they ever reach the inbox.

Here is an example of a professionally configured DMARC:

v=DMARC1; p=none; sp=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]; ruf=mailto:[email protected]; fo=1; pct=100; aspf=r; adkim=r;

3. Improving Email Deliverability

Even if your emails are legitimate, they may never reach the inbox if email authentication isn’t set up correctly. Spam filters today rely heavily on SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to decide whether to trust a message. Without DMARC in place, your emails are more likely to be flagged as spam — or not delivered at all.

Not sure if your DMARC is configured properly?

Head over to EasyDMARC.com’s free DMARC checker, enter your domain, and look for a "Valid" status under the "Record Status" column. Second, both the "Domain Policy" column and "Subdomain Policy" column should be set to either "Quarantine" or "Reject", with "Reject" being the preferred higher security option. You can safely ignore the “Invalid” warning under the “EasyDMARC Reporting” column — as that’s only for their paid reporting tool and is NOT required for DMARC to work.

If you’re not seeing the right settings, your DMARC record is likely missing or misconfigured. The good news? It’s completely free to fix — and if your IT company hasn't set this up properly, there may be other critical security setups missing.

At CRCIT, we ensure your DMARC is properly configured when you onboard and that your business is protected with the cybersecurity fundamentals you should have in place. To discuss your needs, give one of our sales professionals a call today! - (508) 500- 1531