dmarcian IS Different

As part of our ongoing series, we’re spotlighting the people of dmarcian. We’re people helping people, and our team’s varied backgrounds and perspectives are united by one goal: making email safer for everyone.

I’ve learned a lot in my time as the Partner Manager for dmarcian’s Channel business. Working with a company that runs very differently from any company or organization that I’ve ever experienced in my professional career has given me many important thoughts and experiences. It is a surprise to many when I cover the number of industry verticals that I’ve experienced in my professional life, some in surprised disbelief but I have receipts and many former teammates, co-workers, customers and business partners. Unsure of the exact reason for my restlessness regarding my work roles in the past, I’d have to argue that I am one who looks to figure things out as quickly as possible and then advances straight to boredom, or “life is short, what am I doing here?” I am the father of 3 boys raised by myself for much of their growing years; this is where my story changes.

Two men and a SPAM filter. AppRiver was my first dip into the technology world. I was very familiar with technology; my three younger brothers had etched out quite impressive resumes in the technology space. I was the hold out for many, many years. AppRiver came along when SPAM was getting ridiculous (great timing, circa 2000) and I joined that seasoned Channel in 2011.  This local company was a bootstrap, with some private funding and a real people-friendly company. Decent pay, great benefits. It started and grew right in my little town, Gulf Breeze, Florida. A perfect place for a single dad. We were leaders in SPAM filtering and eventually in email encryption, archiving and becoming the first to resell Office365 in North America at its launch. My decade with AppRiver was my longest career run; I found that I could not get bored in the tech & cyber security world due to too many moving parts to ever “figure it all out.” Anytime that I felt trapped or unsure of my choice, my boys, together with my new love and now wife, were there to remind me of my priorities and responsibilities.

One day I got a call. AppRiver had been taken over by private equity money, and everything changed.  Without getting too deep into the pitfalls of private equity that chapter only lasted 18 months. Then again my company was purchased, this time by a public company with a stock ticker symbol. My time was short and eventually I had to say goodbye to my first role as a Channel professional.  

I needed a new home. One of my professional teammates and friends had moved on before me from my last gig and mentioned his new company, dmarcian. I was not too familiar with DNS at the level I work with it today, but dmarcian had the desire to expand their Channel and needed someone with experience and knowledge around the Software as a Service Channel. At this point, I had learned how niche technology can be from one service to another; I was not afraid to learn a new technology despite being unsure if I wanted to jump back into the SaaS industry. It can be overly challenging and exhausting meeting goals and making managers and executives happy. As I moved through conversations with my friend and Ehrow Draegen, dmarcian’s CEO, I quickly realized that this was not a company model that I’d experienced nor had even heard of up until this moment in my life. Ehrow explained the model – fully remote work, B-Corp membership and support, and a sight set on an evolving Sociocratic model. I was interested in re-entering the SaaS Channel again. 

I love dmarcian. I’ve been a dmarcian for over 5 years and when I am representing the company, whether on a web meeting with new and existing Partners and opportunities or at a conference making new connections and speaking to industry audiences, I always love expressing who we are and how we operate. dmarcian is different. We were formed by one of the primary authors of DMARC, and that’s why we exist! Our philosophy is simple, “DMARC for All!” There are no bells and whistles. Every domain with a DMARC policy of p=reject is a better internet citizen. Our company operates as a sociocracy, with no direct managers or hierarchy, circle structures and consent-based decision making where every dmarcian has a voice in everything we do. The circles operate interdependently and if one circle’s work affects another, we meet and run through a consent phase or a full project phase, looping in everyone. It is a better way to get work done and a better way for humans to exist in the working environment. A safe place to explore new ideas and paradigms that traditional organizations don’t acknowledge. Our B-Corp work is very important to us and many of us volunteer in our local regions to help others.  We band together to help our communities online and off. Making decorations for the kids at risk in Portland, aiding a food bank in Chicago, picking up trash around Sleepy Hollow and Florence. Contributing to a better world is more than just the paperwork we file. dmarcian is here to educate and advocate for the adoption of DMARC across the email ecosystem which helps make the whole internet a safer, better place. dmarcian is not here to hard sell; “DMARC for All” is our philosophy and we are here to serve and help fix email, because email is worth fixing.

Want to continue the conversation? Head over to the dmarcian Forum.