Summary
Deciding whether to build or buy a DMARC reporting tool involves a comprehensive evaluation of factors spanning from technical expertise and data handling capabilities to cost considerations and specific organizational needs. Experts emphasize the criticality of presenting DMARC data in an actionable format tailored to the internal groups utilizing it, while marketers highlight the importance of aligning the chosen solution with the desired information and intended use. For organizations processing large volumes of email, building a custom solution might be appealing, although it necessitates developing in-house parsing software. Pre-built, third-party solutions offer faster deployment, user-friendly interfaces, and expert support, albeit at a higher cost. The decision should also weigh considerations like data volume, phishing analysis requirements, existing infrastructure (e.g., dashboards), vendor data access policies, and the availability of open-source tools such as `parsedmarc` for building customized reporting capabilities. Technical documentation from sources like IETF, Google, and Microsoft offers valuable insights for setting up and interpreting DMARC reports within specific email environments.
Key findings
- Data Actionability: Presenting DMARC data in an actionable and easily understandable format is paramount for effective utilization.
- Customization vs. Speed: Building offers customization but demands time and expertise, while buying provides faster deployment and support.
- Cost-Benefit Analysis: Consider setup costs, ongoing maintenance, data storage, and support costs when weighing the cost-effectiveness of building versus buying.
- Data Volume Impact: The decision is influenced by the volume of email being sent, necessitating robust filtering and clustering for high-volume senders to identify phishing attempts.
- Vendor Data Access: Evaluate vendor data access policies if opting for a third-party solution to ensure data privacy and security.
- Open-Source Alternatives: Open-source tools are available for parsing, storing, and visualizing DMARC data, providing a cost-effective alternative for organizations with technical expertise.
Key considerations
- Specific Organizational Needs: Clearly define your organization's specific needs, budget, and technical capabilities before making a decision.
- Infrastructure Integration: Determine whether seamless integration with existing internal tools and infrastructure is crucial.
- Technical Expertise Availability: Assess the availability of internal technical expertise for building and maintaining a custom DMARC reporting solution.
- Scalability Requirements: Factor in scalability requirements, particularly for organizations anticipating significant growth in email volume.
- Actionable Reporting: Prioritize the ability to extract actionable insights from DMARC reports, enabling proactive security measures and informed decision-making.
- Environment-Specific Configuration: Acknowledge that configuration steps for DMARC reporting tools may vary depending on the email environment (e.g., Google Workspace, Exchange Online).
What email marketers say
8 marketer opinions
Deciding whether to build or buy a DMARC reporting tool involves evaluating factors like desired level of customization, available technical expertise, budget constraints, and the specific information needed from the reports. Pre-built solutions offer faster deployment, ongoing support, and user-friendly interfaces, while in-house solutions allow for greater customization and control, especially when integrated with existing infrastructure. Companies should carefully assess their needs and resources before making a decision.
Key opinions
- Customization vs. Speed: Building in-house provides customization but demands time and expertise; pre-built solutions offer faster deployment.
- Cost Factors: Consider setup, maintenance, data storage, and support costs when comparing building vs. buying.
- Report Information: The choice depends on what information you want to obtain from reports and what you want to use it for.
- Open-Source Options: Open-source tools exist for parsing, storing, and visualizing DMARC data.
- Third-Party Benefits: Third-party services offer user-friendly interfaces, automated processing, and expert support, but are more expensive.
Key considerations
- Specific Needs: Determine your specific needs, budget, and technical know-how before deciding.
- Integration: Assess whether you need to integrate the reporting tool with other internal systems.
- Resources: Evaluate your team's expertise and available resources for building and maintaining an in-house solution.
- Scalability: Consider scalability requirements, especially if handling a large volume of DMARC reports.
- Ongoing Support: Determine if you need ongoing support and maintenance, which is typically included with pre-built solutions.
Marketer view
Email marketer from easydmarc.com suggests considering factors like setup costs, ongoing maintenance, data storage, reporting features, and support when evaluating the cost-effectiveness of building versus buying a DMARC reporting solution.
12 Dec 2022 - easydmarc.com
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests the choice depends on the desired information and its intended use, noting that dashboard companies offer similar variations.
27 Dec 2021 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
7 expert opinions
Experts suggest that the decision to build or buy a DMARC reporting tool hinges on actionable data presentation, internal group needs, and the volume of email being sent. For large senders, building a custom solution may be beneficial, but requires building parsing software. The team who will use the data should assess various outsourced options. Companies should evaluate their existing dashboard capabilities, filtering/clustering requirements for phishing analysis, and vendor data access policies.
Key opinions
- Actionable Data: Presenting data in a way that's actionable for the relevant internal groups is crucial.
- Vendor Data Access: If outsourcing, consider vendor data access and their transparency about data treatment.
- Filtering & Clustering: Filtering and clustering are essential for managing large volumes of DMARC data and identifying phishing attempts.
- Existing Infrastructure: Leverage existing infrastructure like dashboards or elastic search tools if available.
- Parsing Requirement: Building a DMARC reporting tool requires building your own parsing software.
Key considerations
- Internal Needs: Assess the specific needs of internal groups who will use the DMARC reports.
- Data Volume: Consider the volume of email being sent and the complexity of mail streams.
- Reporting Capabilities: Evaluate the company's existing dashboard and reporting capabilities.
- Phishing Analysis: Determine the importance of digging down into failures for actual phishing detection.
- Tool Assessment: Have the people using the tool assess various outsourced options for usefulness.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains the challenge is presenting the DMARC data actionably, which depends on the internal groups using it, their plans, the business model, and mail streams.
26 Jun 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks suggests exploring DMARC reporting tools on GitHub and recommends a Grafana dashboard if an elastic search tool is already in use.
23 Aug 2024 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
The documentation provides essential technical details for interpreting DMARC aggregate reports, including XML schemas (IETF). Specific guidance is available for setting up and interpreting DMARC reports within Google Workspace (Google) and Exchange Online (Microsoft), offering insights into authentication failures and security threats. The `parsedmarc` package (GitHub) provides parsing tools to build a custom DMARC reporting solution.
Key findings
- XML Schema: The IETF documentation provides the XML schema needed for interpreting DMARC aggregate reports.
- Google Workspace Setup: Google documentation details setup and interpretation of DMARC reports within Google Workspace.
- Exchange Online Configuration: Microsoft documentation outlines DMARC configuration and report interpretation in Exchange Online.
- Parsedmarc Tool: The parsedmarc package offers parsing tools to build a custom reporting tool.
Key considerations
- Technical Expertise: Building requires technical understanding of XML schemas and report interpretation.
- Environment Specifics: Configuration steps vary depending on the email environment (Google Workspace, Exchange Online).
- Parsing Needs: Consider using tools like `parsedmarc` to automate parsing of DMARC reports.
- Security Threats: Understanding the reports helps identify authentication failures and potential security threats.
Technical article
Documentation from learn.microsoft.com outlines how to configure DMARC settings in Exchange Online and interpret reports, critical for understanding mail flow and authentication issues within Microsoft's ecosystem. This documentation would be used for understanding DMARC reporting.
24 Oct 2024 - learn.microsoft.com
Technical article
Documentation from support.google.com details how to set up and interpret DMARC reports within the Google Workspace environment, providing insights into authentication failures and potential security threats which is useful when setting up a DMARC reporting tool.
5 Oct 2022 - support.google.com
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