SSL Secured Socket Layer
SSL Certificates provide two things:
* An SSL certificate provides security by encrypting the data between the browser and the web server. Obviously, data encryption is important for financial transactions or other situations where websites are requesting sensitive data from visitors. Without that SSL certificate, and the little lock icon in the browser, most web surfers won’t provide that data.
* A SSL certificate provides identity verification, through domain and organization validation. New Extended Validation (EV) certificates take identity validation to the next level. Sites with an EV certificate will cause the address bar on Firefox, Internet Explorer or other current browsers to turn green. Users are able to view information about the website that will help them to confirm that they are dealing with who they think they are dealing with.
Both applications of SSL Certificates are important for building the trust relationship required before users will pass along personal, or financial information to websites or online service providers.
Practical Applications for SSL Certificates
The perception of SSL Certificates is that they are primarily used to secure the transmission of financial information in ecommerce. But with identity theft on the rise and more and more businesses opening up their networks via the Internet, protecting all types of personally identifiable information (social security numbers, login information, etc.) and key business information is important. SSL Certificates should be used to secure the following:
* Web servers
* Mail servers
* Web forums
* Blogging platforms
* Control panels
* Corporate intra- and extranets
* Wikis
* VPNs
* Customer portals
* and more!
We are pleased to offer a full range of SSL Certificates from the three leading SSL brands in the world – GeoTrust, thawte and VeriSign.
* GeoTrust is the world’s second largest digital certificate provider and the right choice for small-businesses looking to offer security and peace-of-mind coupled with a brand consumers know and trust. More than 100,000 customers in over 150 countries trust GeoTrust to secure online transactions and conduct business over the Internet. Our range of digital certificate and trust products enable organizations of all sizes to maximize the security of their digital transactions cost-effectively.
* thawte is the certification authority chosen by hundreds of thousands and has been innovating and delivering trusted services for more than a decade. They enable businesses and individuals to communicate and transact securely by verifying and authenticating their identities, thus allowing them to gain the trust and confidence of millions of users. thawte is the choice for small businesses throughout Europe and Asia and is a name consumers in those regions know and trust.
* VeriSign is the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world. Billions of times each day, VeriSign helps companies and consumers all over the world engage in communications and commerce with confidence. 93% of Fortune 500 companies choose VeriSign to provide SSL services for their websites.
Types of SSL certificates
SSL Certificates from OpenSRS are available in a number of different configurations, with differing features depending on the needs of the purchaser deploying the certificate.
Validation types
* Domain-validated certificates:: SSL Certificates for domains ensure that the domain has been authenticated by a recognized certificate provider. Visitors to the site can click on the seal to verify that the certificate is still valid, giving site visitors extra peace of mind.
* Organization-validated certificates: When corporate identity validation is important, an SSL Certificate for the organization assures customers that the website is trustworthy and secure.
* Extended Validation (EV) certificates: With Extended Validation, as well as displaying the certificate seal, the address bar is displayed in green, providing customers with an extra level of confidence. The green address bar is a strong visual indication that the site has an Extended Validation Certificate. The Security Status bar displays the organization name and the name of the Certificate Authority (CA).
Wildcard option
* Wildcard certificates: A wildcard SSL Certificate helps enable SSL encryption on multiple sub-domains using a single certificate as long as the domains are controlled by the same organization and share the same second-level domain name. For example, a Wildcard certificate issued to Company ABC using the Common Name (“*.CompanyABC.com”) may be used to secure subdomains like login.companyabc.com, payment.companyabc.com and support.companyabc.com.
Code Signing
* Code Signing certificates: When customers want to download applications online, install plug-ins and add-ins, and interact with sophisticated Web-based applications, a code signing certificate is a digital signature that identifies the company responsible for the code and confirms that the code has not been modified since the signature was applied.
Site Seals
Site Seals are static or dynamic images that can be placed on SSL secured websites that allows visitors to tell at a glance that they can trust who they are dealing with, that the online site is validated and that they can transact safely and securely. Each of the three brands of SSL Certificates offer different site seals:
* VeriSign Secured SealVeriSign Secured Seal is available with all VeriSign-branded SSL certificates for installation on pages secured with a VeriSign SSL Certificate. Customers not only see the trust mark, they can click the seal and verify the site in real time. More than any other trust mark, 79% of U.S. online shoppers are familiar with the VeriSign Secured Seal. 
* GeoTrust True Site Seal is available with every GeoTrust SSL Certificate and shows web site visitors that their information is protected. The GeoTrust True Site Seal can be added to home pages, buy pages, log-ins or any other page on your authenticated site where visitors need to verify a web site. Depending on the certificate, True Site Seals are either dynamic or static and may contain further information about the identity of the certificate owner. 
* thawte Trusted Site Seal is a dynamic image appearing on websites secured with thawte SSL certificates allowing visitors to tell at a glance that they can trust the site, that the online site is validated and that they can transact safely and securely. 
