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Implementing DMARC and BIMI is just the beginning we discussed that in our previous blog; ensuring their long-term success requires Management Oversight and continuous monitoring. CIOs, CTOs, CMOs, and CISOs must work together to maintain security posture, optimize branding strategies, and respond to emerging threats.

To guarantee effectiveness, leaders should ask the right questions, Additionally, organizations must monitor evolving threats like newly registered look-alike domains and take proactive steps to address impersonation attempts. Regular security audits, cross-team collaboration, and leveraging DMARC/BIMI analytics tools are essential for continued success.

Let us guide how executives can oversee and measure the impact of DMARC and BIMI, ensuring that these security measures truly protect the brand from email-based fraud and deception.

Security Discussions that Management Should initiate for Communication Security

For CIOs, CTOs, CMOs, and CISOs, implementing DMARC and BIMI is not a set-and-forget project – it requires continuous oversight and support. Executives don’t need to dive into DNS records themselves, but they should ask the right questions to ensure their teams are on track. Here are key questions leaders should pose to their IT and security teams to drive effective protection:

• Are we enforcing DMARC on our domains? What is our current DMARC policy (none, quarantine, reject) for each major domain we own? If it’s not at least quarantine, what is the timeline to get it there? Executives should look for a concrete plan to reach p=reject on primary domains, as that’s when the full protection kicks in.
• Have we covered all email sources and domains? How have we accounted for third-party senders (like marketing email platforms or SaaS apps that send on our behalf)? Also, have we set DMARC (with a reject policy) on domains that don’t send email at all? Even unused or “parked” domains can be spoofed by attackers. A complete inventory of domains and senders, with DMARC on each, is crucial.
• What are the DMARC reports telling us? Are we seeing any unauthorized use of our domain in emails? How many spoofing attempts are being blocked per week or month? This question ensures the team is actively monitoring the data DMARC provides. It also quantifies the value – e.g., “We blocked 500 phishing emails last month that tried to use our domain.” If the team isn’t reviewing reports, executives might consider investing in services by AmbiSure that can help implement a reporting tool or service.
• Have we implemented BIMI for our brand, and is it working as expected? Is our logo appearing in inboxes like Gmail and Yahoo for our outbound emails? If not, what’s left to do (e.g., obtain VMC, create compliant logo, etc.) and what’s the target date? This question signals that leadership cares about the brand presentation and trust in customer communications, not just the behind-the-scenes security. It also encourages collaboration between IT/security and marketing.
• How are we monitoring and responding to look-alike domains? Beyond protecting our own domain, are we keeping an eye on new domain registrations that resemble our brand? While this might be more of a legal or security monitoring function, it’s worth asking. Some companies use threat intelligence or brand protection services to get alerts if, say, a scammer registers YourCompnay.com (a misspelling of your name) or spins up a phishing site using your logos. Executives should ensure there’s a process to handle such incidents – whether it’s quickly sending takedown requests, warning customers/employees, or blocking those domains in corporate filters.

By asking these questions, executives create accountability and visibility around the brand protection initiative. The goal is to foster a culture where email domain security is treated as an essential aspect of protecting the company’s reputation and customers. Regular updates in leadership meetings (for instance, a quarterly security report including DMARC/BIMI status and results) can keep this initiative on the radar.

Final Thoughts

Brand impersonation via look-alike domains is a persistent and growing threat, but it’s one that organizations can decisively combat. As we’ve discussed, combining DMARC and BIMI provides a one-two punch that protects your brand in email channels. DMARC acts as the gatekeeper, blocking fraudulent emails that attempt to use your exact domain. BIMI then serves as the banner of trust, telling recipients at a glance that an email truly comes from you – complete with your verified logo. Together, these measures greatly reduce the risk that customers or employees will be fooled by a fake email posing as your brand.

For mid-sized and large organizations, the scale of potential damage from impersonation – financial loss, data breaches, customer distrust – is simply too great to ignore. Implementing DMARC and BIMI is a proactive strategy that pays dividends in security and brand integrity. It does require cross-functional effort and executive sponsorship, but the outcome is well worth it. When your emails consistently show up authenticated and branded, you not only stop the bad guys, you also strengthen your relationship with your audience.

In closing, preventing brand impersonation should be a top priority for leadership. Think of it as protecting the company’s public face in the digital world. Just as you’d secure your physical trademarks, you must secure your email identity. By deploying DMARC and BIMI, backed by ongoing vigilance, your organization can stay one step ahead of impersonators. It sends a clear message to customers, partners, and threat actors alike: we value our brand’s trust, and we have the defenses to keep it safe.