What does "DMARC Enforcement" mean?
DMARC enforcement refers to the policy ("p=") set in your DMARC record that tells receiving mail servers what to do with emails that fail DMARC authentication.
This policy instructs receiving mail servers on how to handle emails that fail DMARC authentication. Selecting the right policy is crucial because it dictates the level of protection your domain receives against spoofing and phishing attempts, and it directly impacts your email deliverability.
To achieve full protection against spoofing, your DMARC policy should be set to "p=quarantine" or "p=reject."
There are three primary DMARC enforcement policies:
p=none | This is "reporting mode." It collects reports on email activity without affecting deliverability, allowing you to understand your email landscape. |
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p=quarantine | Instructs receiving servers to place failed messages in quarantine, typically the junk or spam folder. |
p=reject | Instructs receiving servers to outright reject failed messages, preventing them from reaching the inbox entirely. |
Gradual Enforcement: It's strongly recommended to implement DMARC enforcement policies in a phased approach, starting with p=none, then moving to p=quarantine, and finally to p=reject. This gradual rollout allows organizations to demonstrate to mailbox providers that their domain is trustworthy, which can also positively impact overall email deliverability.
Learn more about DMARC policies in our 101domain blog article, What should my DMARC policy be?.
Begin your DMARC journey and learn more about DMARC and our Managed DMARC Compliance Services or contact us today 1.888.982.7940.