Secure your web site with an ssl Certificate

If your new web site is intended to be used to sale a product or service and accept credit cards online then you will need to secure your site with an ssl certificate. Running a successful online business requires that your customers trust that your business effectively protects and secures their sensitive information from intrusion and tampering.

Why do I need an ssl certificate?

If a user attempts to submit personal information to an unsecured Web site (i.e., a site that is not protected with a valid ssl certificate), the browser's built-in security mechanism triggers a warning to the user, reminding him or her that the site is not secure and that sensitive data might be intercepted by third parties. Faced with such a warning, most Internet users, likely will look elsewhere to make a purchase.

What is an ssl certificate

An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a web site and encrypts information that is sent to the server using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. Encryption is the process of scrambling data into an undecipherable format that can only be returned to a readable format with the proper decryption key.

A certificate serves as an electronic "passport" that establishes an online entity's credentials when doing business on the Web. When an Internet user attempts to send confidential information to a Web server, the user's browser accesses the server's digital certificate and establishes a secure connection.

• The certificate holder's name
• The certificate's serial number and expiration date
• A copy of the certificate holder's public key
• The digital signature of the certificate-issuing authority

How will my customers know that my site is secure?

An "https://" prefix in the URL and a key or padlock icon in the browser's status bar indicate that a Web site is secure. An SSL-encrypted session usually starts once a visitor signs in to a secure area of a Web site, such as the checkout or account-management area of an online store.

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