If you caught our recent post, What Microsoft’s New DMARC Policy Means for High-Volume Senders, you’re already familiar with the major changes Microsoft has made to tighten DMARC enforcement as of May 5, 2025. As a reminder, any mass sender (sending over 5,000 emails per day) without proper DMARC alignment will be outright rejected by outlook from now on.
But let’s be clear, this isn’t the start of the DMARC tightening trend. The early signs were back in 2023, when Google and Yahoo announced plans to start enforcing p=none policies beginning February 2024, signaling a broader industry shift toward stricter email authentication. Put simply, this isn’t a problem that can be swept under the rug any longer.
As we look ahead, it’s clear that DMARC’s role in proper email authentication will only become more important. Here’s a look at what’s next for DMARC and why organizations can’t afford to lag in their adoption.
As I covered last week, the financial services industry is under intense pressure to adopt DMARC due to PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliance, which mandates strong email authentication for all communications involving cardholder data. This makes sense given the sensitive nature of financial transactions and the catastrophic potential for breaches.
But financial services will not be the only sector under the microscope for long. Other high-risk industries like healthcare, legal, insurance, and critical infrastructure (energy, transportation) are waiting just around the bend. These sectors handle sensitive, regulated data and are prime targets for cybercriminals.
Healthcare providers are already facing increased scrutiny under HIPAA for secure patient data exchange, while the legal sector is guided by data protection rules like the American Bar Association’s Model Rules. Critical infrastructure sectors, including energy and transportation, are seeing tightening cybersecurity mandates through frameworks like NERC CIP (North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection). And the list goes on…
It's not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when your particular industry will be under added pressure to enforce stricter email authentication standards. As regulators recognize the role of email security in broader cybersecurity frameworks, DMARC will likely become a minimum standard for digital communications across a wide array of industries.
Moving from a basic p=none policy to p=quarantine or p=reject will become not just a best practice but a compliance requirement. This shift is here, and organizations that act now will avoid costly last-minute scrambles to meet new regulatory demands coming ahead.
As cyber insurers tighten their risk assessments (as has been the trend for many years now), DMARC is emerging as a critical control for securing coverage. Insurers increasingly demand clear, demonstrable email authentication to reduce the risk of business email compromise (BEC) and phishing attacks. Without a strong DMARC policy, organizations may face higher premiums or face outright denial of coverage.
The overlap between regulators and insurance company concerns rarely differs for long. Insurance companies look towards regulators in many ways as they structure their policies. DMARC compliance will more than likely become a baseline requirement for obtaining or renewing cyber insurance policies. Organizations that can demonstrate mature DMARC controls and strong overall email security will be better positioned to secure favorable rates and more comprehensive coverage.
It’s easy to get caught up in the mandates, but let’s not forget the overarching purpose of this DMARC shift. The ultimate goal is to create a more controlled, predictable, and secure email ecosystem. Moving from no DMARC policy or a p=none policy to a more stringent p=quarantine or p=reject setting significantly reduces the risk of domain spoofing and fraudulent email use.
This shift isn’t just about individual domain protection. It’s about creating a safer, more trustworthy internet. By enforcing stricter DMARC policies, organizations collectively make it harder for threat actors to misuse legitimate domains for phishing and other malicious purposes. This has a ripple effect – the more domains that adopt p=reject, the more difficult it becomes for attackers to spoof trusted brands.
IRONSCALES offers a streamlined approach to DMARC management, helping organizations not only adopt the right policies, ensure deliverability, and monitor their effectiveness in real time. Our platform automates the complex steps of setting up and enforcing DMARC, including SPF and DKIM alignment, ensuring compliance without the manual hassle. This automation is particularly valuable for organizations managing multiple domains or complex email environments.
Our DMARC service provides advanced visibility into email traffic, including detailed reporting on failed authentication attempts, suspicious activity, and potential domain spoofing. This allows security teams to fine-tune their policies, reduce false positives, and respond quickly to emerging threats, reinforcing their overall security posture.
If you haven’t yet made the move to a more restrictive DMARC policy, now is the time to act. The stakes are high, but the pros far outweigh the temporary cons: improved brand trust, reduced risk of phishing, and potentially lower cyber insurance premiums.
Want to simplify your DMARC journey? Our AI-driven email security platform makes it easy to adopt and maintain a strong DMARC posture, with automated policy enforcement, real-time monitoring, and actionable insights that go beyond basic DMARC reporting.
Book some time with our team to learn more about how our solutions can help you stay ahead of the compliance and regulatory curve.