Starting 2018.1 release, for any emails sent from NetSuite, the setup of Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) is now required in order to display your email address in the From email header.
What is the reason for this DKIM change?
To protect customers from unsolicited email, many ISPs check the domain key used in an email message to determine whether it is spam or not. DKIM is a method of digitally “signing” your email to allow its authentication.
When sending email from NetSuite, using your own domain key increases campaign delivery rates and help enhance your reputation as a legitimate marketer. Without DKIM, you cannot send more than 10,000 messages in a single email campaign.
What will happen if I do not setup DKIM?
If you do not set up DKIM in NetSuite, or if you are using a free email domain on email sent from NetSuite, the email’s From header is rewritten. The original email address is moved to the display string. The SMTP-related email address in the From header refers to netsuite.com. For example, if domain keys have not been set up in NetSuite, the email’s FROM header would be savan.patel@jcurve.com.au <system@netsuite.com>.
Please see examples below of how your email header will appear for your recipient:
Email Header with DKIM setup
Email Header without DKIM setup
Note: The header may appear differently depending on your email preference in NetSuite.
How to Setup DKIM in your NetSuite Account
Note: It is recommended that the following steps are performed by your IT team.
In your NetSuite account
1. Go to Setup > Company > Email > Email Preferences.
2. Click the Domain Keys subtab.
In the Domain Selector field, enter the first domain selector. You can name the selector anything you want, but it is recommended that you incorporate the current date in the selector name so that you know the age of each key.
When you set up your domain name with your domain provider, you will enter the same domain selector along with the suffix ._domainkey.
For example, if you enter selector1 in this field, the domain selector you enter with your domain provider will be selector1._domainkey.
4. In the Domain Name field, enter the domain name you are using.
5. Enter the Private and Public domain keys used for signing in one of the following ways:
- If you have used the same domain with another application, enter the domain keys manually.
- If you have not generated a domain key for this domain previously, click the Generate Key Pairs link to have NetSuite generate them for you.
6. You need the public domain key to set up your domain with a domain hosting service.
After entering the domain keys, click DNS Entry. Your complete, properly formatted DNS entry is shown in a popup window. Copy this DNS entry. Do not close the browser window.
In your domain provider
1. Open another browser window, and log in to your domain provider.
2. Add a text record with a name in the format selector1._domainkey.
3. Use the selector name you entered in to NetSuite and make sure you append it with ._domainkey.
For example: selector1._domainkey.jcurve.com.au
4. Paste or enter the DNS key value you copied after clicking the DNS Entry link in your NetSuite account. Save the text record.
In your NetSuite account
1. Back in your NetSuite account on the Email Preferences page, check the Active box for each key you have set up.
2. Click Save. All outgoing email messages sent from NetSuite using the selected keys will have a DKIM header.
This code header contains the domain key information but does not add any text to your messages.
How long will it take for my DNS to update?
The propagation of data as well as refreshing of the DNS from your domain and Netsuite will at times take around 24 to 72 hours to complete, or alternatively, if you have control of the hosting server itself, flushing DNS entries will refresh them and should almost automatically allow you to use DKIM almost instantly.
Test DKIM Setup in NetSuite
You can verify that your domain keys are properly set up before attempting to use them in marketing campaigns or in other email communication. You can also perform more extensive testing by sending a test message and receiving a report on your DKIM setup.
After you have entered your domain information in NetSuite and added the appropriate DNS entries with domain provider, go to Setup > Company > Email > Email Preferences. On the Domain Keys subtab, select the domain key you want to verify and click Verify DNS Entry.
NetSuite checks to make sure the public domain key in the DNS record matches the public domain key entered in NetSuite. The results of the test are displayed in a popup window.
Possible results from this test include the following:
If you receive a message that your DNS entry for DKIM has been verified, click Send Test Email to DKIM Reflector to send a test email message. A DKIM reflector is a service set up to receive and analyze email. This reflector then forwards a report on your domain key setup. The report is sent to the address shown in the Email Address to Receive Test Response field.
For additional details, please refer to DKIM Reference Guide, suite answer article 14740.