How to Setup Email DKIM in NetSuite

NetSuite for Administrators

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is a common security feature for emails. Learning how to set up DKIM in NetSuite can be confusing, so lets try to understand DKIM in simple terms.

What is DKIM?

Imagine that you decide to drive a relative’s car. You may or may not think you have their approval to drive that car (hopefully you do!), but if an officer pulls you over, he needs a way to know whether you have the authority to drive that vehicle. Nearly anyone can physically drive a car from place to place, but not everyone has documented approval to drive that car. One way of verification may be to look at the vehicle registration. Another way of verification might be the vehicle insurance. There is not only one means of verification. One might suffice, but multiple would resolve any doubt.

A similar concept applies to DKIM (and SPF as well) in emails. You may be able to send an email without correctly setting up DKIM, but other times, your email may be rejected. Amidst the server world, DKIM acts as a kind of verification for sending emails. When you set up DKIM for your emails, you are establishing a signature that you have permission to send an email on behalf of your domain.

For example, if you are sending an email to someone (e.g., johnyappleseed@email.com_) with your domain (e.g., suiterep.com), your email isn’t simply directly transmitted to their inbox at that domain. The email must first be passed between servers. These servers have their own rules about sending and receiving emails. These rules are not always easy to understand, unfortunately. But just know that when you set up DKIM, you are providing a means of verification that these servers are programmed to follow.

How to Set Up DKIM?

So here’s the real question: how exactly do we set up DKIM in NetSuite? We’ll give you some tips about this and point you in the right direction. But you may need to consult with your company’s IT department for additional guidance if you need.

There are two areas that will need to be set up: NetSuite and your DNS server provider.

NetSuite Setup

  1. With Administrator access, navigate to SETUP > COMPANY > EMAIL PREFERENCES.
  2. In the “Domain Keys” tab, you can enter a test email in the “Email Address to Receive Test Response” field. (This could just be your personal work email if you would like.)
  3. Select the “Generate Key Pair” button to have NetSuite generate a private and public key for you if you need one (that’s convenient!).
  4. Next, you’ll need to enter a Domain Selector and a Domain Name.
    • The NetSuite help documentation says this about the Domain Selector: “In this field, enter where the public key is located in the DNS entry of the domain. Do not include the ._domainkey suffix that you include when setting up your domain with your domain provider. This is the same domain selector you enter when setting up the domain with your domain provider. For example, if you are using GoDaddy.com for your domain hosting, enter the TXT name you entered as the Host in the TXT (Text) section of the Total DNS Control Panel.”
    • The help docs also say this about the Domain Name: “In this field, enter the domain name where the public key is stored.” This would simply be the domain name that is shown on the emails you send out (e.g., suiterep.com).
  5. Once you enter these values, you can submit the line and click the “Generated DNS Entry” to see the offical DKIM information. Keep this in mind for future use.

DNS Provider Setup

Here is where your IT department may prove essential. You must specify with your DNS server provider the rules for connecting with this DKIM info. You may also find this article helpful if you need more information about setting up your DNS server settings.

Conclusion

Setting up DKIM may help you get more succesful emails out to clients or prospective clients. With setting up DKIM, you will be able to reduce the number of bounced emails that your team sends. We hope you find this NetSuite tip helpful!