A healthy mail environment doesn’t just happen on its own. It takes companies and people who are actively committed to keeping email an open, secure, and trustworthy communication channel. The Certified Senders Alliance (CSA) recognizes this commitment with its “Supporter Spotlight” series, and we are delighted to be part of it.
The Certified Senders Alliance (CSA) has been the European certification body for email senders since 2004 and, as a joint initiative of eco and DDV, acts as an intermediary between email service providers and senders. As a sponsor, together with our partner Merox, we’re contributing our DMARC expertise to the fight against phishing and identity theft.
We’re continuing this commitment beyond our sponsorship partnership: In December, we’re hosting a webinar on the topic of phishing.
Our conversation with the CSA shows just how important this topic is in practice: Sébastien Fischer, a DMARC consultant at Nameshield who has been an expert in email deliverability for 18 years, talks about his early days at Emailvision all the way to his current work with us in the field of domain security.
Here is the full interview.
CSA: What still fascinates you about email today?
To start off, let’s take a look back at his career: We wanted to know what has fascinated him about this field over the years.
SF: I took my first steps in email marketing—and specifically in the field of email deliverability—18 years ago at Emailvision. There, I discovered an incredible communication channel that is constantly evolving, which is what makes it so fascinating on so many levels:
- Changes in marketing practices: Mass emails—which are still sent by some advertisers—have given way to more targeted emails with personalized content.
- Changes in spam techniques: Spammers can be very skilled marketers and quickly adapt to new technologies to bypass anti-spam filters and deceive end users.
- Advances in filtering techniques: Anti-spam filters use complex reputation systems based on various indicators, including technical configuration, authentication, historical reputation data for domains and IP addresses, content analysis, detection of suspicious behavior, and analysis of users’ email behavior.
- Evolving standards: Over the past 20 years, numerous RFCs have been published, and some have evolved or will continue to evolve—I’m thinking in particular of DMARC and version 2 of DKIM.
- Legal developments: The introduction of the GDPR a few years ago changed the rules of the game. All advertisers must adapt quickly to these changes if they want to continue reaching their users’ inboxes.
CSA: What is the challenge that Nameshield is particularly committed to addressing?
A key challenge for Nameshield is protecting brands from domain spoofing and phishing—through the targeted use of authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to secure companies’ digital identities.
SF: Nameshield is a global leader in domain management. It is important to us to be a one-stop shop for our customers when it comes to deploying state-of-the-art technologies to secure incoming and outgoing email traffic, while also serving as an advocate for these technologies to ensure a smooth transition for all our customers—so that this important communication channel remains as secure and reliable as possible.
CSA: What does it take to ensure that email remains a reliable channel?
SF: Email is a fantastic communication channel, but there are certain areas where it could still be significantly improved:
- Greater security: The adoption of DMARC with a restrictive security policy remains too low—a godsend for any attacker who likes to use unprotected domains for their phishing emails.
- More BIMI: The use of a VMC brand certificate with BIMI—to display the logo and a distinctive checkmark in the inboxes of certain providers—increases a brand’s visibility, much to the delight of marketing teams. It also lends greater legitimacy to emails sent to recipients’ inboxes, thereby helping to prevent confusion.
- Greater cyber awareness among businesses and individuals: Recognizing phishing emails and helping to protect passwords to prevent account and data theft.
More members of the CSA (Certified Senders Alliance) and its certification program: To deliver the right message to the right person in their inbox at the right time.
CSA: Why is the CSA’s collaboration with Nameshield important to you?
SF: The CSA is a key European organization in the field of email deliverability and trust, particularly thanks to its email certification program. The CSA is not only a trusted third party for numerous local and international providers but also serves as a legal and technological authority—which gives it strong legitimacy and considerable prestige within the industry. The organization offers invaluable support to anyone looking to improve the quality of their email marketing—which is precisely why we are committed to supporting it.
Our conversation with Sébastien Fischer demonstrates once again that a secure and trustworthy email ecosystem is a collective effort. At Nameshield, we work every day—together with partners like the CSA—to further advance domain security and email deliverability.
Many thanks to the CSA for the insightful questions and the great collaboration!
Learn more about DMARC or contact us here.
