SSL Certificates Include
Fraud Prevention
An SSL certificate is a digital certificate verifying your identity. SSL stands for secure sockets layer and it’s the de-facto standard for securing ecommerce transactions. SSL encrypts data as it travels from a computer to your server. Without it confidential information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, addresses or personal data is accessible to other computers over the internet. An SSL certificate is necessary for the protection of consumer privacy and is a critical component in reducing the risk of online fraud and identity theft. An SSL certificate activates the secure lock in a web browser and ensures a feeling of safety for businesses and their clients.
Shared SSL Certificates
Shared SSL has the benefits of SSL, without the costs associated with setting up an SSL server. A shared SSL will usually change the web address of a site to https:// rather than just http://
A shared SSL will also warn visitors, because the SSL is not installed for the specific website but rather for an entire server. Because of this, shared SSLs have the tendency to scare away potential business. When accepting credit card or personal information, a dedicated SSL is recommended since it’s account-specific and prompts no warning.
Private or Dedicated SSL Certificates
With private SSL you must purchase an SSL certificate and dedicated IP address to run your SSL server.
With private SSL your website receives a secure URL such as: https://secure.yourwebhostingcompanysname.com/
Your web hosting company’s name is not included in the URL with private SSL. Private SSL is more costly, because it requires the purchase of an SSL certificate and dedicated IP address.
SSL Benefits
- Accept online orders and credit card information
- Log in to confidential information on an extranet
- Share confidential information over an office intranet
- Comply with privacy and security requirements
- Process sensitive data including, addresses, birth dates, licenses and ID numbers