This article is a step-by-step guide to using PowerDMARC’s Hosted DMARC feature.
DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance. It builds upon the already existing SPF and DKIM protocols. To put it simply, DMARC checks if either SPF or DKIM are passing, and if they are, it means that your emails are DMARC-compliant. Should SPF and DKIM both fail, it results in a DMARC failure and an enforcement policy may then be implemented.
Traditionally, DMARC exists in your DNS as a TXT record which you need to create and publish. Should you have to make any changes to your DMARC settings or update your record, you need to access your DNS and manually edit and save your changes. This can be a tedious task for organizations operating multiple domains and using multiple DNS registrars.
This is where hosted DMARC comes in, to simplify DMARC record and policy management for organizations.
Steps to Set Up Hosted DMARC
Hosted DMARC allows you to host, manage, edit, and apply any changes to your DMARC record directly from the PowerDMARC portal.
To get started, delete your existing DMARC DNS TXT record should there be any.
On the PowerDMARC portal, go to Hosted Services > Hosted DMARC
Click on + Add Domain to add register your domain, if you haven’t already done so.
Once your domain is added and verified, select the domain name from the drop-down box
Copy the CNAME record provided in the “Value” box and publish it on your DNS under hostname: _dmarc
You can manually publish the record on your DNS, or use our Auto DNS Publishing feature to simplify the process.
Once the DNS changes are updated, head back to the Hosted DMARC window. It should now show an “Active” status.
Updating Your DMARC Record and Policies Using Hosted DMARC
Once your Hosted DMARC feature is active, you can edit your DMARC policy directly from the portal instead of accessing your DNS whenever you need to make a change.
Click on the policy of your choice in the DMARC Policy section.
You can also select the policy percentage by simply toggling the button to enable “DMARC Policy Percentage”, and then dragging the slider to your preferred value.
As per your requirements, You can make other changes to your DMARC record, like setting up a subdomain policy, adding more Aggregate report emails, enabling Forensic reporting, and changing alignment modes.
Once you've completed this, you can simply click on “Save Record,” and the changes will be automatically implemented in your DMARC setup.
To get started, sign up for a free trial or contact us to learn more about our services.