SPF(supported) (dedicated subdomain)
DKIM(recommended)



This article covers the SPF and DKIM authentication processes for Act-on and how they are managed in Valimail Enforce. While only one of the two authentication methods is required for an email to pass DMARC, our recommendation is to configure both whenever possible.

Act-On uses a CNAME DKIM key and a dedicated subdomain configuration setup.




TABLE OF CONTENTS




Configuring DKIM authentication for your Act-On emails


1. Gather the list of domains you are using for your From addresses (eg., marketing@company.com, janesmith@ourcompany.com, info@company.net) and make a list of the domains.


2. From the Start page in Act-On, locate your Account ID

  • Your Account ID number is listed next to your Account Name
  • You can also find your Account ID in the top-left menu under Account Details


3. For each domain: Work with your IT to create a new CNAME entry in your DNS:

  • Name or Host: {AOAccountID}aoauth._domainkey
  • (Replace {AOAccountID} with your Account ID from Step 2)
  • Value or Points To: dkim.act-on.com
  • See Editing Your DNS to Implement DKIM for detailed steps to create this entry
  • For multiple accounts: Please use your parent account's ID for the CNAME entry on all child accounts.


4. Continue the process below.


After setting up SPF and DKIM for your Email From domain, contact Act-On support team to complete the process.


In the support ticket include the subdomain you have chosen. Support will reply to confirm that setup is complete.


Important Note: You will also need to identify a subdomain that can be set aside for Act-On email. Act-On may require other subdomains for other purposes but this subdomain must be separate from those.

Act-On will send you the proper DNS changes required for DKIM. The DKIM key will be placed on the top level domain (not the subdomain) and can therefore be added through the Enforce UI. 

For SPF, add the SPF record on the subdomain and also ad the MX record on the subdomain, as specified here. Do not delegate the subdomain SPF to Enforce since Act-On will not be able to recognize this.


Note: You can add the subdomain selected above as a Single Sender subdomain in Enforce with Act-On as the selected sender. While Enforce will not be managing SPF for the subdomain, this acts as a record of the subdomain and also guides Helios when classifying email sent with that MailFrom.



You can also find the instructions on how to set up DKIM for Act-On here.






Add an Act-On DKIM key in Enforce


1. Go to your domain's Configuration page in Valimail Enforce and publish the newly created DKIM key.


    a. Scroll down and add the two DKIM keys in your configuration, by clicking on Add a DKIM key. 

    b. Enter the selector name, CNAME target value, associate the key with Act-On and then click Add.


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You can find more detailed information on how to add a DKIM key in Valimail Enforce here.






Configuring SPF authentication for your Act-On emails


Once you establish that Act-On is an authorized sender for your domain, you will need to add the service in your Enabled Senders list in Enforce.


1. Please go to your domain's Configuration page in Enforce.

2. Click on the + sign from the Enabled Senders section:


a screenshot of a email


3. Choose Act-On from the list of configurable senders and then click Enable:


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We encourage you to use the comment section for any useful information about your sending service, such as the name of the service owner, change request ticket numbers, etc.






As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to submit a ticket.