Allow Duoplane to Send Email on Your Behalf

Duoplane sends emails on your behalf to both vendors as well as to end customers. To help ensure that those emails are delivered to the recipients, it is important to specify that Duoplane is allowed to send emails from your domain.

In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to set up CNAME records to verify your email domain and to allow Duoplane to send emails on your behalf.

The verification process should take just a few minutes to complete, but it should be done by someone on your team with access to your DNS (Domain Name System) host and who is comfortable editing those DNS records.

Background

Major email providers now require DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) verification for emails to be delivered to the recipient's inbox. DKIM is a security mechanism that serves as proof that emails sent from your domain are indeed authorized by you. Failure to verify your sending domain could result in your emails being marked as spam or not delivered at all.

If your sending email domain is not verified using this process, the "from" address on any emails that we send on your behalf will be set to mailer@mail.duoplane.com. This ensures that all email that Duoplane sends passes DKIM, SPF, and DMARC tests.

Steps to verify your domain

Please note that this process replaces the previous recommendation to include Duoplane's sending domain in your domain's SPF records. SPF records are no longer necessary.

Step 1: Add your domain to Duoplane

  1. In Duoplane, navigate to Settings > Email Domain Settings. The direct link is: https://app.duoplane.com/company/mail_domains
  2. In the form field under "Add New Domain", type in or paste your domain. Then click the "Add Domain" button. The value in the field should be only the domain (e.g., yourcompany.com), and not your full email address or your website URL.
  3. On the next page, you will see a list of DNS records that you will need for the next step. Keep this page open during Step 2.

Step 2: Add records in your DNS settings

  1. In a new browser tab or window, login to your hosting provider (or whoever manages your domain's DNS settings)

    If you do not know who manages your DNS, you can use tools such as https://mxtoolbox.com/spf.aspx or https://lookup.icann.org to look it up. There are instructions for how to access your DNS records for various popular domains at the bottom of this article.

  2. Add the 3 CNAME records from the previous step to your domain records.

    Please note that the CNAME records displayed in Duoplane show the full domain (e.g. duo._domainkey.yourcompany.com), but some DNS providers only need for you to add the subdomain (e.g. duo._domainkey) when setting up CNAME records.

  3. If you do not already have one, add a DMARC record. A basic DMARC policy is a TXT record that contains: v=DMARC1; p=none;

Step 3: Verify that your domain settings are active

  1. Return to your email domain settings in Duoplane. This in Duoplane under Settings > Email Domain Settings.
  2. On the line for the domain that you just added, click the "Verify" button.
  3. Confirm that the status has changed to "Verified".

It might take some time for the DNS changes from Step 2 to propagate, so you might need to come back to Step 3 after a few hours.

 

Troubleshooting

While setting up CNAME records for email verification is generally straightforward, you may encounter some issues. Here are a few troubleshooting tips:

  • Hostname format in your DNS settings: Some DNS providers may ask for the full domain name (e.g., duo._domainkey.yourcompany.com) when adding CNAME records, while others may only require the subdomain (duo._domainkey). Ensure you follow your DNS provider's specific format requirements.
  • Propagation delay: Changes to DNS records can take time to propagate across the internet. If your domain isn't verified immediately, wait for a few hours and try again.
  • Typos: Check the CNAME values you entered in your DNS configuration to ensure they match the values provided by Duoplane.
  • Base domain only in Duoplane: Make sure that you add only your base domain to the settings in Duoplane. The value in the field should be only the domain, and not your full email address or your website URL.
    • Correct: yourcompany.com
    • Not correct: joe@yourcompany.com or https://yourcompany.com

Accessing DNS Settings

There are a large number of domain providers, however we have references to many of the major hosts below to help you locate and learn more about DNS management:

If you encounter any issues or have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team at support@duoplane.com for assistance.