What is the definition of the domain authentication types?

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is an email authentication standard that allows a sender to list all the IP addresses that are authorized to send emails on behalf of their domain.
• DKIM (Domain-Key Identified Mail) is an email authentication method that uses asymmetric encryption to sign and verify your email. With DKIM implemented, the sending email server adds a cryptographic signature to your emails' headers verifying that the contents of the email haven’t been tampered with during the transit.
• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) is an email authentication protocol that sits on top of SPF and DKIM. If an email fails these checks - SPF, DKIM, or both, then DMARC policy tells the recipient's email server what to do – like block the email or mark it as suspicious, or do nothing. It's a way to stop bad actors from pretending to send emails from your domain.

Can an organization use 2 email providers with these authentications?

In summary, yes, an organization can set up DMARC, SPF, and DKIM for a domain that uses multiple email providers, but each provider needs to implement these measures independently for the domains they handle.

You can only have one DMARC & SPF record for a single domain. You will have multiple DKIM records depending on the different email providers you use to send your emails.

How does iFOLIO+Sendgrid set up email domain authentication for you?

SPF and DKIM authentication: We generate 3 CNAME records whose details (Value and where it points to) will be provided during the onboarding process, in which the IT team at your organization publishes these records under your domain.

DMARC authentication: We automatically look up your domain's DNS records to retrieve the DMARC record if it has been implemented by your IT team by publishing it under your domain. If you haven't implemented it yet, the simplest DMARC policy would involve adding a TXT record (v=DMARC1; p=none) to your DNS. You can also include a 'rua' or 'ruf' tag, such as rua=mailto: custom_email1@xyz.edu; ruf=mailto:custom_email2@xyz.edu as value of TXT record separated by semi-colon. The 'rua'/'ruf' tag is used to specify where the DMARC reports should be sent, although it may not be required by some email providers. Nonetheless, having a DMARC policy in place is beneficial at the very least.