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Custom Domain and Email

Updated today

Custom Domain and Email

A custom domain and custom email complete the white-label experience for your clients. Instead of seeing "strategyoverview.com" in URLs and email addresses, your clients see your MSP's brand throughout.

Requirements

Both custom domain and custom email require:

  1. Subscription plan: Backer or higher

  2. User role: Administrator or Manager

Custom domain must be set up before custom email. The email system relies on the domain configuration being in place first.

Setting up your custom domain

A custom domain means your clients access the platform at a URL like app.yourmsp.com instead of app.strategyoverview.com. This is especially important if you're using Strategy Overview as a client portal.
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You'll set up two subdomains: one for the application and one for the authentication/identity service. We recommend app.yourdomain.com for the app and identity.yourdomain.com for identity, but you can name them whatever fits your brand.

  1. Navigate to Settings > Branding > Custom domain

  2. Click the edit icon next to Main APP and enter your custom URL (e.g., app.yourdomain.com), then click Add

  3. Click the edit icon next to Identity APP and enter your custom URL (e.g., identity.yourdomain.com), then click Add

  4. Expand the rows for Main App and Identity to see the DNS records you need to create. Each row shows the Value, DNS type, and Data

  5. Log in to your DNS provider and create the records exactly as shown

  6. Once the DNS records are in place, click Verify in Strategy Overview

If everything is configured correctly, the status will update to Verified (for the email row) and Authenticated (for the nested rows).

Tip: DNS changes can take time to propagate. Most propagate within an hour, but allow up to 24-48 hours depending on your DNS provider's TTL settings.
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Important: Once your custom domain is set up, your team should always use the custom URL to log in (e.g., app.yourmsp.com) instead of app.strategyoverview.com. Bookmark it so it becomes your default. This keeps your experience consistent with what your clients see and ensures you're testing the same login flow they'll use.

Setting up your custom email

A custom email address is used for sending account invitations, password reset emails, and Report delivery. Instead of emails coming from Strategy Overview, they come from an address you control, like [email protected]. This matters most when you start inviting client portal users. The invitation and password reset emails should look like they're coming from your MSP, not from a tool your clients have never heard of.

Step 1: Create a distribution list

Create a distribution list in your Office 365 or Google Workspace for your custom email address. We recommend [email protected]. This will be the "From" address on emails sent by Strategy Overview.

Make sure the distribution list can receive email from external sources, because you'll need to receive a verification email as part of this process. Test it by sending an email from an external address before moving on.

Tip: Add your admins and managers to this distribution list so your team sees any replies or bounce-backs from client invitations.
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Step 2: Configure DNS records for SendGrid

Strategy Overview uses SendGrid to send emails. You need to add DNS records so SendGrid can verify your domain and deliver emails reliably. Without these records, emails may be flagged as spam or fail to deliver.

Log in to your DNS management portal and add the following records (replace YOURDOMAIN with your actual email domain):
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CNAME records (3 required):

  1. Host: emso.YOURDOMAIN.com / Value: u23365381.wl132.sendgrid.net

  2. Host: so._domainkey.YOURDOMAIN.com / Value: so.domainkey.u23365381.wl132.sendgrid.net

  3. Host: so2._domainkey.YOURDOMAIN.com / Value: so2.domainkey.u23365381.wl132.sendgrid.net

SPF record (TXT):
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If you have no SPF record on your domain, add this TXT record:

v=spf1 include:sendgrid.net -all
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If you already have an SPF record, insert include:sendgrid.net before the terminating mechanism. For example, if your current record is v=spf1 a -all, update it to v=spf1 a include:sendgrid.net -all.
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DMARC policy:

You should have a DMARC policy in place, ideally set to Quarantine or Reject. If you don't have one yet, services like PowerDMARC (powerdmarc.com) can help you set one up.
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Tip: If your DNS TTL values are set high, it may take time for these records to propagate. You can temporarily lower your TTL values to speed this up.
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Step 3: Add and verify the custom email in Strategy Overview

  1. Navigate to Settings > Branding > Custom email

  2. Click Add Data

  3. Enter your company name or app name for the "Sender name (From)" field (e.g., "Dunder Mifflin App")

  4. Enter the distribution list email address you created earlier

  5. Click Add

The new email address will appear in the table with a status of "Unverified," and a confirmation email will be sent to your distribution list.

  1. Open the confirmation email and click the Confirm Custom Email link (the link is valid for 168 hours)

  2. Once confirmed, the status will update to Verified

If you don't see the confirmation email, check your junk or quarantine folders. If it still doesn't arrive, submit a support ticket through the chat in the bottom right corner of the app.
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Note: It usually takes a few additional minutes after verification for the custom email settings to start working. Test it by inviting a new user to your Strategy Overview tenant. Use an external email address (a personal email works great) to simulate adding a client to the portal. The invitation should come from your new custom email address and display your company logo.

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