DMARC for Small Business: Why It Matters

Email security isn’t just for enterprises. Small businesses are prime targets for email fraud. Here’s why DMARC matters for you.

The Problem

Small businesses are under attack—constantly.

Email Fraud Statistics

80% of phishing attacks target organizations with less than 250 employees
77% of businesses experienced email fraud in the last year
CEO fraud costs small businesses an average of $100,000+ per attack
Attackers love small businesses because they typically have fewer security measures

Why Attackers Target You

Small businesses are attractive targets because:

Less sophisticated security than enterprises
Fewer IT resources to detect attacks
Employees may not recognize phishing
Many processes are still manual

If your domain isn’t protected, attackers can send emails pretending to be you.

The Impact

Imagine if attackers could send emails from yourname@yourcompany.com. They could:

Impersonate leadership - “CEO” asking for wire transfers
Impersonate finance - Fraudulent payment requests
Deceive customers - “Your account was compromised, update your password”
Damage reputation - Customers think YOU sent malicious emails

This happens more often than you think.

Why DMARC Helps

DMARC is email authentication that says: “Only these servers can send mail from my domain. If anyone else tries, reject it.”

How It Works

Attacker sends email from yourcompany.com
↓
Email server checks DMARC record
↓
Record says "only our server can send"
↓
Attacker's server doesn't match
↓
Email rejected ✓

What This Prevents

✅ Domain spoofing - Attackers can’t impersonate you ✅ Phishing attacks - Fake emails won’t reach customers ✅ Credential theft - Fewer fake “verify your account” emails ✅ Brand damage - Customers receive legitimate emails only

Real Example

Before DMARC:

Attacker sends 500 phishing emails from finance@yourcompany.com
Customers see legitimate domain
20 employees enter credentials
Your business is compromised

After DMARC:

Attacker tries same attack
Email servers reject malicious emails
Customers never see them
Zero damage

Isn’t DMARC Complex?

No. It’s actually simple:

You Need:

SPF record - List authorized servers (5 minutes)
DKIM record - Digital email signatures (your email provider sets this up)
DMARC record - The policy (1 minute)

Setup Takes: 5 minutes

Cost: $9/month (with DMARC Nerd)

Implementation for Small Teams

Phase 1: Setup (Week 1)

Add SPF, DKIM, DMARC records
Start monitoring

Phase 2: Monitor (Weeks 2-3)

Review reports
Fix any legitimate senders that fail
Leave policy at p=none (monitoring only)

Phase 3: Enforce (Week 4+)

Move policy to p=quarantine
Monitor for 1-2 weeks
Move to p=reject for maximum protection

Real ROI

DMARC Nerd cost:

$9/month = $108/year
Even for 5 domains = $540/year

What it prevents:

One CEO fraud attempt = $50,000+ loss
One ransomware compromise = $100,000+ recovery costs
Brand damage from impersonation = priceless

ROI: 46,000% in the first prevented attack.

Action Items

This week:

Read Getting Started Guide
Sign up for free trial
Add your domain
Configure DNS records

Next week:

Receive your first reports
Review for issues
Fix any legitimate sender problems

Next month:

Activate enforcement
Enjoy protected domain

Questions?

DMARC can seem technical. We make it simple:

Protect your domain today.

Start your 14-day free trial - no credit card required.

P.S. - If you’re already using other authentication (Office 365, Google Workspace), you already have SPF and DKIM. DMARC is just one more record. We’ll help you set it up.

DMARC Nerd Team

DMARC for Small Business - Why It Matters