Email has been an essential tool for communication since the inception of the internet. However, with the growing use of email as a means of communication, cyber threats have also increased. Email authentication has consequently emerged as a critical component of email security to guard against phishing scams and other malicious activities.
Introducing BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification), a new email authentication standard that aims to give users a more reliable and secure email experience.
In this blog, we will explore the benefits of BIMI and how you can get ready for this new standard.
What is BIMI?
With the help of the BIMI email authentication standard, recipients can quickly determine the legitimacy of an email and its sender. By offering a visually recognizable indicator that verifies the sender’s authenticity, the standard, which was created by the Brand Identity Protection Working Group, aims to assist organizations and users in building trust in their emails.
Benefits of BIMI:
- Increased Email Deliverability:
BIMI verifies the authenticity of the sender, which helps to prevent the spoofing of emails. As a result, email providers are more likely to deliver BIMI-verified emails to the recipient’s inbox rather than mark them as spam. This leads to better email deliverability, greater brand visibility and credibility, and higher engagement rates.
- Improved Brand Recognition:
BIMI provides an opportunity for organizations to showcase their brand logo within the email client, thereby improving brand recognition. This can be especially beneficial for companies and organizations that use email as their main method of communication with clients and other stakeholders.
- Enhanced Email Security:
BIMI helps prevent phishing attacks by enabling email recipients to quickly and easily verify the authenticity of an email’s sender. Because of this, people and organizations are better shielded from the potentially disastrous effects of a successful phishing attack, such as identity theft and financial loss.
- Better User Experience:
A better user experience may result from email recipients’ ability to quickly and easily determine the legitimacy of an email and its sender with the help of BIMI. Building stronger relationships with your customers and stakeholders is possible as a result of increased trust and credibility in your brand.
How to Get Ready for BIMI?
- Verify Your Domain:
The first step in getting ready for BIMI is to verify your domain. This entails making sure that your DNS records are accurate and up-to-date, as well as that your domain is registered with a reputable domain registrar.
- Create a BIMI Record:
Once your domain is verified, you need to create a BIMI record. This entails adding a BIMI record to your DNS that makes a specific SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) file reference that contains your company logo.
- Publish Your BIMI Record:
Once your BIMI record is created, you need to publish it to your DNS. This will make it possible for email clients to display your brand logo when displaying your emails.
- Validate Your BIMI Record:
Once your BIMI record is published, you need to validate it to ensure that it is working correctly. You can do this by using tools like the BIMI Validator, which will check your BIMI record for errors and ensure that it is properly formatted.
- Monitor Your BIMI Implementation:
Following the validation of your BIMI record, you must keep an eye on it to make sure that it is operating properly and displaying your brand logo as you had intended. You should also regularly check your BIMI record to ensure that it is up-to-date and accurate, and update it as needed.
In conclusion, BIMI is a fascinating new email authentication standard that promises to deliver an email experience that is more secure and reliable. With increased email deliverability, improved brand recognition, enhanced email security, and a better user experience, the benefits of BIMI are clear. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can get ready for BIMI and help build a brighter future for email authentication.
Don’t let your email security be an afterthought. Get ahead of the game and start taking advantage of the benefits of BIMI today. By doing so, you can help to ensure that your emails are secure, trustworthy, and delivered to the inbox where they belong.