The Challenge: Email Deliverability Crisis Amid New Security Rules
From February 2024, Google and Yahoo began enforcing stricter sender rules. Every organisation sending to Gmail must now authenticate its email with SPF or DKIM and keep spam rates below 0.3%. Organisations sending more than 5,000 messages a day must also publish DMARC and support one-click unsubscribe. Microsoft applied similar rules to Outlook.com, Hotmail and Live addresses from 5 May 2025.
The rules are aimed at spammers, but they apply to everyone. Any system that sends email in your name without proper authentication is now treated as suspect, however small your volume.
SCCAC, like many Australian aged care providers, used multiple domains and third-party applications to send vital communications-ranging from care updates to compliance alerts. Suddenly, emails began bouncing with error codes, landing in spam folders, or failing to send altogether. Staff reported missed notifications, while families expressed concern over lost updates.
In short, SCCAC was suffering from an email reputation problem and it needed email reputation management, not a new email platform.
For a full breakdown of how SPF, DKIM and DMARC work together, see our technical guide
The Solution: Comprehensive Email Authentication & Reputation Overhaul
Technology + Implementation Process
= Tangible Benefit
Email Service Discovery & Audit
Microsolve’s team, drawing on 30+ years of IT support for Australian SMEs, began with a full audit of SCCAC’s email ecosystem. This included all registered domains, line-of-business (LoB) applications (e.g., care management platforms), embedded technology devices and third-party (SaaS) senders.
Advanced DNS Authentication
Leveraging Microsolve’s partnership with PowerDMARC-a global leader in email authentication-SCCAC’s domains were enrolled in a real-time monitoring and reporting platform providing confirmation of audit results and visibility of non-compliant systems requiring attention.
Vendor Coordination and Application Remediation
A number of Line of Business applications were sending emails on SCCAC’s behalf but lacked proper authentication, used outdated settings or had other inherent issues - these were independently addressed, either through configuration updates, component replacement or technological retirement. Throughout this phase monitoring and reporting kept track of the improvements in compliance.
Policy Posture Improvement and BAU Status
Upon satisfying email authentication compliance requirements, DMARC policy settings were moved firstly from monitoring to quarantine and finally to reject. This progression of settings ensured no interruption to outbound email during implementation and maximise the protection offered once implementation was complete.
Ongoing monitoring, reporting and investigation services are provided by the Microsolve Support Centre ensuring the SCCAC email environment is compliant and not subject to delivery restrictions.
The Results
Once every sender was authenticated, SCCAC's deliverability rating reached A+ and email provider rejection messages stopped. SCCAC did not have to change its email content, its mailing lists or the platforms it sends from. Fixing the authentication and DNS settings behind them was enough.
- A+ deliverability rating across SCCAC's domains
- 4 authorised sending services configured and verified
- 6 unauthorised senders found and removed, each a potential source of business email compromise
- 4,500+ emails a month now reaching staff, residents and families
- DMARC moved from monitoring to quarantine to reject with no interruption to outbound email
SCCAC's experience shows how expert-led support can turn a compliance-driven crisis into a lasting improvement. SCCAC restored its email communications and is now protected against evolving threats and future rule changes.
Why Microsolve?
With over 30 years of experience delivering IT support to the Australian aged care sector, Microsolve brings deep expertise in:
This wasn't the first time strong email authentication made the difference between a crisis and a non-event — Woodward Finance faced a similar deliverability risk ahead of a time-critical EOFY broadcast to over 5,000 subscribers, and resolved it the same way: proper SPF, DKIM and DMARC configuration under expert management.
Microsolve’s tailored solutions ensure that critical communications are delivered securely, reliably, and in full compliance with the latest industry standards.
If staff or families tell you emails are going missing, the cause is often a sending system you did not know about. Check your email reputation for free, or see how our email reputation management service finds and fixes every sender on your domains.
Dale Jenkins discussed this project with Bouncer in Is email verification necessary? Experts share their lessons.
