Your Guide to Email Security and Deliverability

• Robby Barnes
Email Security DMARC

In today’s digital environment, it’s critical that your emails reliably reach recipients while protecting your brand from fraud. Major email providers are tightening authentication standards, making protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC essential. This guide breaks them down in plain language.

What is SPF?

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) helps verify that an email comes from an authorized source. It works by checking whether the sending mail server’s IP address is listed as an approved sender for your domain.

In short, SPF prevents spammers from pretending to send emails from your domain.

Why it matters: Without SPF, malicious actors could impersonate your brand and send fraudulent messages on your behalf.

What is DKIM?

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a digital signature to your emails. This signature confirms that the email’s contents haven’t been altered and that it truly originated from your domain.

Think of DKIM as a tamper-proof seal—recipients can trust that the message they received is authentic.

Why it matters: DKIM helps maintain your organization’s credibility and protects against message manipulation during transit.

What is DMARC?

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) builds on SPF and DKIM to give you control over how email providers handle messages that fail authentication checks.

It also provides visibility into how your domain is being used—or abused—through detailed reporting.

Why it matters: DMARC helps prevent spoofing, phishing, and other cyberattacks that exploit your domain name.

Understanding DMARC Reports

DMARC can generate reports showing which emails passed or failed SPF and DKIM checks. Reviewing these reports helps identify unauthorized email activity and refine your authentication policies.

Why Monitor DMARC Reports?

  • Detect Abuse: Identify and stop phishing or spoofing attempts.
  • Improve Deliverability: Ensure legitimate messages aren’t flagged as spam.
  • Enhance Security: Fine-tune SPF and DKIM configurations for better accuracy.

By consistently monitoring these reports, you strengthen your security posture and maintain control over your domain’s reputation.

How SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Work Together

These three protocols complement each other:

  1. SPF verifies that the sender’s IP address is allowed to send mail for your domain.
  2. DKIM ensures that the message wasn’t modified and truly originates from you.
  3. DMARC sets the rules for how email providers should treat messages that fail SPF or DKIM checks.

Together, they provide a layered defense against email spoofing and deliverability issues.

Why This Matters Now

  • Deliverability: Emails that fail authentication may never reach inboxes.
  • Security: Prevent your domain from being used in phishing attacks.
  • Reputation: Maintain trust with customers and partners by protecting your brand’s integrity.

Starting this year, all major email providers are enforcing DMARC compliance. If you haven’t implemented these protocols, your emails may be blocked or rejected altogether.

Steps to Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

  1. Set Up SPF: Add an SPF record to your domain’s DNS, listing authorized mail servers.
  2. Configure DKIM: Enable DKIM signing on your mail server and publish your public key in DNS.
  3. Implement DMARC: Create a DMARC policy that defines how unauthenticated emails are handled.
  4. Monitor Reports: Review DMARC reports regularly to identify issues and unauthorized senders.

How 2Fifteen Tech Can Help

Implementing these protocols correctly can be complex—but it’s critical for secure, reliable communication. 2Fifteen Tech can help you configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for full compliance and optimal email performance.

We also offer a managed DMARC service that automates reporting, analysis, and enforcement—keeping your domain protected without the operational overhead.

Contact us to learn how we can help secure your business email systems and ensure your messages reach the inbox every time.

Curious how your domain stacks up? Try our email domain scanner to check your current SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration.

Back to Blog