DigiCert acquires Valimail in move to tap USD $4B DMARC market

DigiCert has announced the acquisition of Valimail, expanding its digital trust platform to include zero trust email authentication.

The move sees DigiCert enter the market for paid Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) solutions, which industry estimates value at more than USD $4 billion. The acquisition also enhances DigiCert ONE, the company's platform that offers certificate management, public Certificate Authority (CA), private Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), and Domain Name System (DNS) services, adding new email authentication capabilities to a unified security suite.

Zero trust focus

Valimail currently services over 92,000 clients globally, with reported client growth up 70% over the past year. The company is widely acknowledged for advancing zero trust email authentication as a service, aimed at tackling threats such as phishing, spoofing, and other domain-based attacks.

The inclusion of Valimail's technology supports DigiCert's strategy to offer a wider range of digital trust solutions. According to DigiCert, the addition will enable customers to manage trust across websites, software, devices, and email through a single platform. This comes amid increasing industry focus on email-based cyber threats, which remain a key vector for attackers.

"Our strategy has always been to expand our platform's capabilities with technologies that solve emerging threats for customers, and we believe that email authentication is the next logical step for DigiCert ONE. This strategy has guided our evolution from the world's largest certificate authority company into a digital trust platform leader. Today, the rise of AI and the looming threat of quantum computing against current encryption have made it clear that the future of digital trust must be built on the belief that every digital interaction requires the right level of protection. Valimail is a leader in zero trust email authentication, with durable, foundational technology that is essential for securing email interactions at scale."

Market and technology

Valimail is noted for pioneering hosted DMARC in 2015 and later, DMARC-as-a-service in 2021. Its security technology is used by global brands, enterprises, and government agencies. The company holds a substantial portfolio of DMARC-related patents and is the only DMARC provider to have received FedRAMP authorisation, a key credential for serving regulated sectors.

DigiCert's own portfolio also includes Mark Certificates (MCs) and Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs), which allow organisations to display verified brand logos in emails. The combination of DMARC and VMC enables the Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI), a standard that helps email recipients visually identify trusted emails. This is made possible by features such as a blue check mark displayed next to a sender's name, helping to prevent phishing while reinforcing brand identity through visual indicators.

Integrating DMARC enforcement with VMCs through DigiCert's digital trust platform is designed to support organisations in delivering more secure and easily recognisable email communications.

Executive views

Valimail Chief Executive Officer Alex Garcia-Tobar highlighted how the acquisition aligns with both companies' missions to enhance safety across digital communications:

"Our mission has always been to authenticate the world's communications, starting with email. Teaming up with DigiCert helps accelerate our joint mission globally, aligning with the company's broader trust ecosystem and ensuring that organisations are secure not only in their email, but across all their digital interactions. As a growth company, we're excited to work closely with Amit and his leadership team to capture a larger share of the $4B+ market opportunity ahead of us."

Broader industry context

Industry sources indicate that demand for email authentication is set to climb as organisations seek to defend themselves from increasingly sophisticated phishing and email spoofing campaigns. The transaction packages Valimail's experience in developing and implementing DMARC protocols for enterprises and public sector bodies, including its leadership in helping shape industry standards through technical working groups.

DigiCert was advised by Sidley Austin on legal matters relating to the acquisition. Piper Sandler acted as exclusive financial advisor to Valimail, with Fenwick & West LLP serving as legal advisors to the company as well.