Are you thinking of getting your business on the internet? Undoubtedly, it will prove to be a massive step towards sky-rocketing your corporate. With the rapid rise in the use of the world wide web over the last few years, everyone prefers online services over offline ones.
Everyone is now becoming more at ease with online stores and so it has become necessary to have your business on the internet to become successful. Many businesses and companies have suffered in the past few decades just because they did not have their businesses on the internet.
Being on the world wide web is not as easy as it seems to be. There are many responsibilities to be taken care of when you start an online service. The most important thing to consider is online security.
Nowadays, along with the growth of the internet, the threats to the owners and the customers have increased rapidly. Cases of identity theft, phishing, and fraud are becoming more common. Therefore, it has now become a necessity rather than an option to not only have an online presence but also a “secure” one.
If your website is not secure enough, you will lose customers which will result in huge losses in your business. The customer’s trust must be “earned” to be a successful website owner. With the growth of the need for security on the internet, people are becoming more aware of SSL.
SSL is the quickest and easiest way to secure your web traffic. There is no way you can provide an online service without acquiring some basic confidential information from the end-users such as name, address, credit card details, etc.
SSL acts as a shield during the data transfer and helps your client transfer their data securely and safely by encrypting the information. SSL or Secured Socket Layer is the secure protocol used by websites to make communication between the server and the browser.
It makes sure that no one listening on the channel can make sense of the information being transmitted. This helps in maintaining the privacy of users and so, makes your website a trustworthy place.
What is an SSL certificate?
The SSL certificates combat you and your clients against the most common online threats. Are you pondering upon who issues these certificates? Trusted third parties aka certificate authorities have been assigned the job to give out SSL certificates to websites, so the internet users can assure the authenticity of the sites.
These certificates assure secure and encrypted connections between the two communicating parties via the SSL protocol. They also make sure that the website the customer visits is not a corrupt or fraudulent site. Getting an SSL certificate is the best way to prevent identity thefts and frauds that occur via MITM attacks and keeps your customers’ data secure.
Having an SSL certificate is of utmost importance for creating a safe and trusted environment so that the customers conduct financial transactions and share personal information on your website.
Now that you know about SSL certificates and their need in this online world where threats are advancing by the day, you must plan on buying an SSL certificate for your website too. You might have some doubts like: What are the types of certificates available in the market and which one will be the most suitable one for you?
Types of SSL certificates
There are many types of SSL certificates out there to pick from. Do you possess a website that has multiple sub-domains? If yes, you can either consider buying multiple certificates for all your subdomains or can buy a single multi-domain SSL certificate. It is a sensible choice to buy a single multiple-domain certificate rather than multiple single domain ones. It saves your time, money, and requires comparatively less management.
Moreover, you can choose any type of SSL validation. Well, the SSL Certificates can also be divided based on the level of verification required.
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Domain Validated (DV) SSL certificates
DV SSL certificates have a minimum level of verification and carry an automated process. In this case, the CA or certificate authority only verifies that the domain, for which the certificate has been applied is controlled by the applying organization and is not a fraud.
Once the validation is done, the certificate authority issues a Domain Validation SSL certificate. It is the cheapest method to get an SSL certificate issued for your website and can be obtained easily via email. For verification, you can alter the DNS record linked to the domain of your site.
INDICATION: When these certificates are issued to your website, you will find a green padlock next to the address window of your site.
SUITABLE FOR: This kind of certificate is considered a good option for sites that are not involved in selling products or services, for example, blogs and small businesses that do not need sensitive data transfers.
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Organization Validated (OV) SSL certificates
OV SSL certificates have a strict level of validation compare to domain validation and involves scrutiny of business-related documents. The certificate authority validates the organization that makes the application, though not with a lot of details.
As part of the investigation, the CA contacts the organization to make sure that it is the one that made the SSL certificate application. This is mostly done by humans and not machines, and so it costs comparatively a little more than the certificates created by an automated process. This process takes a few days to get the certificate issued. This SSL certificate offers details about the domain ownership and registered company.
INDICATION: When you get OV SSL certificates for your website, a certificate is shown with the concerned details of the site by clicking on the green padlock next to the address bar.
SUITABLE FOR: These certificates are ideally for S/MIME email certificates, client authentication, and code signing.
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Extended validated (EV) SSL certificates
Extended validated (EV) SSL certificates: EV SSL certificates have the firmest level of authentication. The certificate authorities carry out a comprehensive check of the organization that has applied for this SSL certificate, starting from the physical verification.
The authority also checks the legal existence of the company and even its operational presence. It also ensures that the organization mentioned is aware of the SSL certificate request made in their name, and only then, the issuance is approved by the CA. The whole process is managed by humans and costs the maximum among all SSL certificates. This takes about a week to get verified and granted.
INDICATION: The browser URL turning green indicates that an EV SSL certificate has been issued to that site.
SUITABLE FOR E-COMMERCE AND BANKS: These certificates are frequently bought by organizations that must handle sensitive customer data such as credit card numbers and passwords.
Conclusion
You must now have a thorough understanding of SSL and the types of SSL certificates. By every moment that passes, the internet is not getting any less dangerous – to be honest, it is becoming frightening for the users. The responsibility is now with the website owners to take adequate steps and assure the security and safety of the customers.
You can buy an SSL certificate without much trouble or having to spend a vast amount of money on securing your web traffic. It makes sure that your clients can exchange their confidential data with your website without the fear of it being stolen during communication. Now that you know all about the types of SSL certificates, choose the best one for your site.
