Email is pretty simple right? Well it can get a little confusing when you start digging a little deeper and configuring your deliverability and authentication settings.

Let me explain the composition of an email and which parts are used for sender authentication:

Parts of an email

DMARC Alignment is an additional check against SPF & DKIM as they relate to the DNS entries for DMARC.

• If the two sections highlighted in BLACK match exactly, it’s considered to be SPF Strict Compliance, if it is a subdomain it is SPF relaxed compliance.
• If the two sections highlighted in PINK match exactly, it’s considered to be DKIM Strict Compliance, if it is a subdomain it is DKIM relaxed compliance.

The types of information available in emails goes much deeper than what is visible to an everyday user. These sets of information are tied closely together by technologies like SPF & DKIM to help authenticate the sender. The correct use of these authentication techniques could mean the difference between the Inbox & Junk mail.