SSL Certificates

Safeguard your investment

Fraud Prevention

An SSL certificate is a digital certificate verifying your identity. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer Certificate and is the de facto standard for securing e-commerce transactions. SSL encrypts data when it travels from a computer to your server. Without SSL, confidential information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, addresses or personal data is accessible to other computers on the internet. Therefore, SSL is a critical component in the protection of consumer privacy and a necessity to reduce the risks of fraud and identity theft. SSL activates the secure lock in a web browser to ensure a feeling of safety for a business and its clients.

Shared SSL

Shared SSL has the benefits of SSL without the costs that are associated with setting up a SSL server. With a shared SSL, the web hosting company's SSL certificate. A shared SSL will usually change the web address of a site to https:// rather than just http://.

A shared SSL will also prompt the visitor with a warning because the SSL is not installed for a specific account, but rather for the entire server. Because of this, a shared SSL has a tendency to scare away potential business. When accepting credit-card or personal information, a Dedicated SSL is recommended, as it is account-specific and prompts no warning.

Private SSL or Dedicated SSL

With private SSL you must purchase your own SSL certificate and have a dedicated IP address to run the SSL server on. With private SSL you get a secure URL like https://secure.yourwebhostingcompanysname.com/ and your web hosting company's name is not included in the URL with private SSL. Private SSL is more costly because private SSL requires you to purchase an SSL certificate and have a dedicated IP address.

SSL allows you to:

  • 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
    • ID numbers