• by Ray Schultz , June 23, 2020

DigiCert is partnering with Valimail to help firms embrace BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification), an email security standard that helps brands display a logo in their email subject lines with Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs).

The goal is to create “a one-stop shop for companies to make themselves BIMI-ready," states Steve Mock, VP of Business Development for Valimail.  

This streamlined experience will help firms enforce DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) and establish VMCs, the firms say. VMCs will be required in upcoming BIMI pilots, they add. 

Valimail is a provider of anti-phishing tools. DigiCert offers TLS/SSL, IoT and other PKI solutions.

The companies announced last fall that DigiCert had issued an VMC -- the first for a domain used to send email to consumers at high volumes -- to CNN.   

BIMI allows customers to see brand logos before they open email. In addition, it provides an extra layer of protection against attacks via DMARC compliance.

BIMI improves deliverability and open rates by up to 10%, Vailmail says.

The firms anticipate “growing demand for digital certificates displaying verified logos in email,” states Dean Coclin, senior director of business development for DigiCert.

Google plans to launch a BIMI pilot this year, and Yahoo has been running a test for the past year.  

BIMI is “a huge step forward for email marketing, and when combined with DMARC enforcement it will help make the entire ecosystem more secure," Coclin contends.