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What are the current DMARC adoption rates and future expectations?
Summary
DMARC adoption is steadily increasing globally, driven by growing awareness of email security threats like phishing and spoofing, the need to protect brand reputation, and the incentive of BIMI adoption. While DMARC might not become a strict requirement soon, aligning with SPF and DKIM for DMARC readiness is a best practice. Benefits include improved deliverability and protection from fraudulent emails. However, implementation costs and business process changes can be significant barriers. Future expectations involve stricter enforcement by mailbox providers and increased importance of DMARC reporting. Starting with DMARC on new domains is easier than retrofitting existing ones. Organizations should aim for full DMARC compliance, even if gradually, and proactively monitor their DMARC reports. Domains with properly configured DMARC records achieve better delivery rates, crucial for domain reputation and sender trust.

Key findings

  • Growing Adoption: DMARC adoption is rising, protecting a significant portion of email traffic.
  • Key Drivers: Security concerns, brand protection, and BIMI are driving DMARC adoption.
  • Best Practice: Aligning with SPF/DKIM for DMARC readiness is a recommended best practice.
  • Phishing Protection: DMARC effectively reduces phishing attacks and spoofing.
  • Future Enforcement: Expect stricter enforcement of DMARC policies by mailbox providers in the future.

Key considerations

  • Implementation Costs: Consider the costs and complexity of DMARC implementation and maintenance.
  • New Domains: Implementing DMARC is easier on new domains.
  • Gradual Rollout: A gradual implementation, starting with monitoring and quarantine, is advisable.
  • Full Compliance: Aim for full DMARC compliance to avoid deliverability issues.
  • Proactive Monitoring: Regularly monitor DMARC reports for insights and issue resolution.
What email marketers say
11 marketer opinions
DMARC adoption is growing due to increasing awareness of email security threats, the desire to protect brand reputation, and the rise of BIMI. It's becoming increasingly necessary for email marketing, with mailbox providers expected to enforce stricter DMARC policies. While adoption is on the rise, many organizations hesitate to implement a 'reject' policy due to concerns about blocking legitimate emails, preferring a gradual approach. DMARC reporting is crucial for understanding email handling and identifying issues. Failing DMARC authentication will likely result in email rejection, impacting deliverability. Starting with DMARC on new domains is easier than implementing it later. DMARC plays a vital role in domain reputation and maintaining sender trust.

Key opinions

  • Growing Adoption: DMARC adoption is steadily increasing across industries.
  • Driving Factors: Adoption is driven by email security threats, brand protection, and BIMI.
  • Policy Trends: Organizations are gradually moving towards stricter DMARC policies.
  • Reporting Importance: DMARC reporting is crucial for understanding email deliverability issues.
  • Future Impact: Failing DMARC authentication will likely result in email rejection.

Key considerations

  • New vs. Existing Domains: Implementing DMARC is easier on new domains than existing ones.
  • Gradual Implementation: Consider a gradual implementation approach, starting with 'monitor' and 'quarantine' before 'reject'.
  • Compliance: Ensure full DMARC compliance to avoid future deliverability issues.
  • Domain Reputation: DMARC is critical for managing and protecting your domain's reputation.
  • Monitoring is Key: Proactive monitoring is crucial to prevent deliverability problems.
Marketer view
Email marketer from LinkedIn user EmailSecurityExpert shares that DMARC adoption is being driven by the growing interest in BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification). To use BIMI, senders must have DMARC in place, encouraging wider adoption.
7 Jun 2022 - LinkedIn
Marketer view
Email marketer from ReturnPath (now Validity) stated that the expectation is DMARC becomes critical for managing and protecting domain reputation, ensuring that only legitimate emails are delivered and maintaining sender trust.
25 Jul 2023 - ReturnPath
What the experts say
5 expert opinions
DMARC adoption is considered vital for improving email security and protecting against phishing attacks. While not a mandatory requirement in the foreseeable future, aligning with SPF and DKIM for DMARC readiness is seen as a best practice. Cost and complexity in implementation are significant barriers to wider adoption, often requiring changes to existing business processes. Domains with correctly configured DMARC records passing alignment checks are more likely to experience better delivery rates, emphasizing the benefits of full adoption. Starting a new domain with DMARC in place is easier than retrofitting an existing one.

Key opinions

  • DMARC Security Importance: DMARC is vital for improving email security and protecting against phishing attacks.
  • Not a Requirement: DMARC is unlikely to become a mandatory requirement in the near future.
  • Best Practice: Aligning with SPF and DKIM is a recommended best practice for DMARC readiness.
  • Implementation Costs: Cost and complexity are major barriers to DMARC adoption.
  • Improved Delivery: Domains with correctly configured DMARC are more likely to have better delivery rates.

Key considerations

  • Cost-Benefit Analysis: Carefully weigh the costs and benefits of DMARC implementation, considering the potential return on investment.
  • Start from Scratch: For new domains, implement DMARC from the beginning for easier setup.
  • Alignment: Ensure proper SPF and DKIM alignment for DMARC to function effectively.
  • Business Process Changes: Be prepared to make potentially significant changes to existing business processes to support DMARC.
  • Stricter Enforcement: Future expectations involve stricter enforcement of DMARC policies by mailbox providers.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that starting from scratch is easy compared to trying to work out all the folks legitimately sending your mail.
4 May 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that Google announced they would be moving all their mail to p=reject in 2016 and then didn’t, indicating that DMARC is unlikely to become a requirement in the foreseeable future. However, she still believes that it is best practice for mail to align with both SPF and DKIM to be DMARC ready.
26 Jul 2023 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
DMARC adoption is steadily increasing, protecting a significant portion of global email traffic. Implementing DMARC helps reduce phishing attacks and domain spoofing. Major email providers like Google and Microsoft emphasize the importance of DMARC for email security and anti-spoofing protection. RFC7489 defines DMARC's technical specifications and sees it as a future requirement for email security.

Key findings

  • Increasing Adoption: DMARC adoption is growing, protecting a significant portion of global email.
  • Reduces Phishing: DMARC implementation helps reduce phishing attacks and spoofing.
  • Recommended by Providers: Google and Microsoft recommend DMARC for email security.
  • Technical Standard: RFC7489 provides the technical specifications for DMARC.
  • Future Requirement: DMARC is seen as a future requirement for email security.

Key considerations

  • Implement DMARC: Organizations should implement DMARC to improve email security.
  • Reduce Phishing: Implementing DMARC helps protect domains and recipients from phishing attacks.
  • Follow Standards: Adhere to the technical specifications outlined in RFC7489 when implementing DMARC.
  • Anti-Spoofing: Use DMARC with SPF and DKIM for comprehensive anti-spoofing protection.
  • Ongoing Monitoring: Monitor DMARC reports regularly to identify and address potential issues.
Technical article
Documentation from Google states that having a DMARC record is important for protecting your domain from spoofing and phishing. Google encourages all domain owners to implement DMARC to improve email security for everyone.
3 Aug 2021 - Google
Technical article
Documentation from Proofpoint (formerly Agari) reports DMARC implementation helps reduce phishing attacks and domain spoofing. They mention statistics showing a significant decrease in fraudulent emails for organizations that have fully implemented DMARC.
17 Aug 2023 - Proofpoint
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