New email service

Overview

This article explains an update to the service we provide to use a different email service, which will require some changes on your part.

It is crucial that emails from the service we provide are delivered in a timely manner with minimal risk of being classified as spam. Our new email service will continue to ensure your users receive the regular communications you need them to receive, while also enhancing security standards and delivery rates. 

Timings 

Once your IT team have made their necessary DNS (Domain Name System) record updates (explained below), we will schedule the switch to the new email service, which will be in the background and seamless. 

Actions for you

These are the changes your IT team will need to make to the DNS records they control. The changes can be done well ahead of the email service change, and we suggest they are actioned as soon as your IT team are ready to make the changes.

1. Add a new entry to your DNS SPF (sender policy framework) record
2. Add a new DNS DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) record

Note: Ciphr will have provided you with a unique DKIM key to pass to your IT team, if these changes apply to your organisation.

Add a new entry to your DNS SPF record

If your use of your HR system is configured to use a custom email ‘From’ address using your company’s email domain, then your IT team will need to add a new entry to your DNS SPF record.

Why you need to make this change

Your IT team will need to add a new entry to their DNS SPF record, if you have set that emails from the HR system should appear to have been sent from anything other than the default domain for your system. For example, the default Ciphr HR domain (i.e. @ciphr247.com).

This new DNS SPF record entry will need to be added to ensure your users continue to receive emails from your system.

How you can check if your HR system is using a custom email ‘From’ address

Follow these four steps to check if your HR system is using a custom email ‘From’ address:

1. Within Ciphr HR navigate to System -> System Configuration -> System Settings
2. Select the “Configuration” tab
3. Check the “Email Verification From Address” field (see screenshot)
4. If this field does not contain ‘@ciphr247.com’ then you do use a custom email domain (note: it may contain an email address using your own company email domain)

Adding a new entry to your DNS SPF record

If your system is using a custom email ‘From’ address, add a new DNS SPF entry to your DNS SPF record using the below configuration. How your IT team implements this in the DNS SPF will be dependent on their existing DNS SPF record – they are, of course, best placed to know.

• Host: [yourcompany.com]
• Type: SPF/TXT/TEXT
• Value: v=spf1 include:ciphr247.com ~all

Note: Square brackets [ ] have been used to indicate where you need to enter information unique to your organisation. Ensure the square brackets are not included, refer to the example below.

Note: If you already have an entry for Ciphr in your DNS SPF record, you will need to edit it, rather than add a new entry. 

Example:

Note: The example above uses a root domain, if you are using a sub-domain for sending emails (recommended), for example, no-reply@hr.company.com then the host value is ‘hr.company.com’. (sometimes this can just display as 'hr' as the root domain is pre-populated).

Add a new DNS DKIM record

Your IT team will need to add a new DNS DKIM record.

Why you need to make this change

By switching to a new email service we are taking the opportunity to improve email security and stay aligned with industry best practice.  
This involves adding a cryptographic authentication method (DKIM) to verify the authenticity of emails, which reduces the likelihood of emails either being marked incorrectly as spam or blocked as untrustworthy.

Adding a new DNS DKIM record

Configure your DNS DKIM record as below:

• Host: ciphr._domainkey.[yourcompany.com]
• Type: DKIM/TXT/TEXT
• Value: [unique DKIM key provided by Ciphr]

Note: Square brackets [ ] have been used to indicate where you need to enter information unique to your organisation. Ensure the square brackets are not included, refer to the example below.

Example:

Note: Ciphr will have provided you with the unique DKIM key to pass to your IT team to use when they add the new DNS DKIM record. The key will be longer than the example above.

• Contact your Customer Success Account Manager at Ciphr if you have not been provided with this.

If we were unable to provide a DKIM key for you

In such instances we would have advised you in the email you received.

This will be because a DKIM key already exists for your domain. (e.g. yourcompany.com). There are two options available to you:

1. Use a sub-domain (e.g. hr.yourcompany.com) to receive HR system emails from, and for which we can create a .DKIM key to share with you.
2. Use the default Ciphr HR domain (i.e. ciphr247.com) to receive HR system emails from, rather than a custom email ‘From’ address.

You will need to let your Customer Success Account Manager at Ciphr know which option you decide to use, (provide us with the sub-domain, if you go with option 1) and update the custom email ‘From’ address in your HR system.

To update the email ‘From’ address in your HR system follow these three steps:

1. Within Ciphr HR navigate to System -> System Configuration -> System Settings
2. Select the “Configuration” tab
3. Update the “Email Verification From Address” and "HR Email Address" fields with the new required email address (e.g. no-reply@hr.yourcompany.com)

If you decide to proceed with option 1, then once you let us know the sub-domain you have chosen to use, we will provide you with the unique DKIM key.

If you decide to proceed with option 2, using the default Ciphr HR domain (i.e. ciphr247.com), then we won’t need to provide you with a DKIM key.

Useful help links for common DNS providers

• GoDaddy
• NameCheap
• Network Solutions
• Rackspace Email & Apps
• Rackspace Cloud DNS
• Amazon Route 53
• Digital Ocean

FAQ

Please see our FAQs on the new email service here.