Email remains one of the most important communication tools for businesses, but increasingly, business owners are discovering that their emails are landing in spam folders or not being delivered at all.
With major providers like Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Yahoo placing greater emphasis on email authentication and security, businesses need to ensure their email systems are properly configured to protect their reputation and maintain deliverability.
To learn more about these changes and what they mean for small businesses, GBA sat down with Ross Saunders, Founder of gotaminute? IT Services, to discuss DMARC, email security, and how businesses can keep their messages landing in their clients’ inboxes.
Ross Saunders: DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance. While the name sounds technical, its purpose is straightforward—it helps verify that emails sent from your domain are legitimate.
DMARC works alongside two other email authentication technologies called SPF and DKIM. Together, these protocols help receiving email servers determine whether an email claiming to come from your business is actually authorized to do so.
When configured properly, DMARC helps improve email deliverability and reduces the risk of fraudulent emails being sent using your company’s domain.
Ross Saunders: The technology itself isn’t new. DMARC has been around for years, but many organizations delayed implementing it because enforcement was relatively relaxed.
What’s changed is that major email providers such as Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Apple have significantly increased their focus on email authentication and sender reputation. As these requirements become stricter, businesses that haven’t properly configured their domains are starting to see more emails landing in spam folders or being rejected altogether.
For many small businesses, this issue has only become noticeable recently because their emails were previously being delivered without any problems.
Ross Saunders: One of the most common signs is when clients tell you they didn’t receive an email, even though it appears to have been sent successfully from your end.
Other warning signs include:
In many cases, businesses don’t realize there’s an issue until it starts affecting client communication.
Ross Saunders: This is where many businesses run into trouble.
People often think only about Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, but every service that sends email on behalf of your domain needs to be considered.
That could include:
A common mistake is implementing DMARC for one service but forgetting several others that also send emails using the same domain, or overwriting existing settings with new services.
Ross Saunders: Email impersonation is one of the most common forms of cybercrime affecting businesses today.
Without proper authentication, cybercriminals can attempt to send emails that appear to come from your company. These emails may be used to trick customers, suppliers, or employees into sharing information or making payments.
DMARC helps reduce this risk by allowing email providers to identify unauthorized emails and take action against them. It becomes much harder for someone to successfully impersonate your business when these protections are in place.
Ross Saunders: Absolutely. One of the biggest misconceptions is that email authentication is automatically handled by a website provider or email provider. While some settings may be configured initially, they often aren’t updated as businesses adopt new software and services over time.
Another common issue is that businesses set up DMARC once and assume the job is finished. Email environments change regularly, and configurations should be reviewed whenever a new platform is introduced.
Without ongoing monitoring, it’s easy for gaps to develop that impact deliverability and security.
Ross Saunders: Small businesses should absolutely pay attention. In fact, many small and solo businesses are at greater risk because they often don’t have dedicated IT departments monitoring these systems.
The reality is that every business relies on email to communicate with clients, prospects, suppliers, and partners. If those emails aren’t reaching their intended recipients, it can impact customer service, sales, cash flow, and overall business operations.
Email authentication is no longer something reserved for large enterprises, it’s becoming a basic business requirement.
Ross Saunders: The first step is to have it reviewed. Many issues can be identified quickly through an assessment of your domain’s email authentication records and the services currently sending email on your behalf.
Even businesses that already have DMARC in place may discover that certain systems haven’t been included or that configurations need updating.
The sooner these issues are identified, the easier they are to address before they start affecting communications with clients and prospects.
Ross Saunders: Definitely. The trend across the industry is toward stronger security, greater accountability for senders, and better protection against spam and phishing attacks.
I expect email providers will continue tightening enforcement and placing more emphasis on authenticated email traffic. Businesses that take the time to implement proper email authentication today will be in a much better position moving forward.
For many businesses, email is the primary channel for communicating with clients, sending invoices, sharing important documents, and maintaining relationships.
As email providers continue strengthening their security requirements, ensuring your domain is properly configured with technologies like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is becoming increasingly important.
By proactively reviewing and maintaining these settings, businesses can improve deliverability, protect their reputation, and reduce the risk of email fraud.
If you’re unsure whether your domain is properly configured, Ross Saunders and the team at gotaminute? IT Services have created a free Email Domain Security & Deliverability assessment tool that allows businesses to review key email authentication settings and identify potential issues. The tool is available at tools.gotaminute.it under “Email Domain Security & Deliverability” and will also be available through the gotaminute? IT Services website.
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