Email authentication is the process an email provider uses, to verify the legitimacy of an email. It effectively acts as a bridge between email providers and users, ensuring that only communications from legitimate and trusted sources get through. The more confidence a mailbox provider has that the emails you send are legitimate, the more likely that provider is to deliver the message to the prospect’s inbox.

Email providers use email authentication to protect users from spam, phishing scams, and other malicious emails. Therefore, by properly setting up your email authentication you are doing your best to maximize your email delivery.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the fundamental system for sending emails, but it lacks built-in security features. To improve email security, SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) standards were created.

Let's delve into the specifics of Outbase's configuration test when integrating an email account.

Once you've successfully linked your email account with Outbase, the system initiates a configuration test in the background. This test meticulously examines your domain, verifying the presence of SPF, DMARC, and DKIM records.

To pinpoint which of these essential authentication records is missing, you can review the results by clicking on the link within the pop-up window, or head to the Email Accounts Settings section in Outbase and select the Configuration Test tab.

You can explore our dedicated articles for each authentication record, complete with step-by-step instructions on how to configure them, listed below.