With the cyber crimes increasing at supersonic speed, it becomes crucial to be aware of different types of SSL Certificates available out there and which one is suitable for your company.

Without an SSL Certificate, your client鈥檚 data is transmitted over the wire unencrypted. Is that an acceptable risk?

Well, I don鈥檛 think so.

Surprisingly, there are still a lot of giant websites that are still not using Secured Socket Layer Certificates according to a recent Google report.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificates are small data files that digitally bind a cryptographic key to an organization鈥檚 details.

SSL Certificates Secure:

Google is forcing websites to have SSL Certificates since their top priority is security. Therefore, if you have an updated SSL Certificate, they will simply love you.

Before we move on, here are several abbreviation we will be using.

Now that you know not having an SSL Certificate could be disastrous, there are different types of SSL Certificates available:

They can be grouped based on:

Certificate authorities issue certificates to organizations only after their identities have been validated.

Must Read: How to Install SSL Certificates

Motive: To ensure we know who we are connected to when we send private information.

There are 3 types of SL certificates by Validation Level:

> Level of ValidationLowest

> How it is verifiedThe Certificate Authority or CA simply verifies that the organization has control over the concerned domain.

> Mode of verificationUsually done via email. For verification, you either make changes to a DNS record or upload a file supplied by the CA to the domain. By demonstrating control over the domain, they will be issued a certificate.

> Time taken Few minutes to few hours.

> Validation expenseMinimal since there is no human involvement.

> IndicationA browser with a secured HTTPS connection.

> Level of ValidationMedium

> How it is verifiedThe CA investigates the organization making the application though not very deeply. They will contact the organization to make sure it is authenticated.

> Mode of verificationThe Certificate Authority validates the ownership of the domain along with organization information included in the certificate like name, city, and country.

> Time takenFew days.

> Validation expenseMore than domain validation since humans are involved.

> IndicationDisplay company information in certificate details.

> Level of ValidationMost strict level.

> How it is verifiedThe CA validates the ownership, organization information, physical location, and legal existence of the company. It also validates if the organization is aware of the SSL certificate request and then approves it.

> Mode of verificationDocuments are required to certify the company identity along with lots of checks.

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> Time taken Few weeks.

> Validation expenseMost expensive due to high human involvements.

> IndicationA green address bar with the company鈥檚 name.

On the basis of the number of domains and subdomains, there are 3 certificates:

Protects a single subdomain/hostname.

Example: If you purchase single-name SSL Certificate for www.xyz.com, it doesn鈥檛 mean you can secure mail.xyz.com.

Protects an unlimited number of subdomains for a single domain.

Example: If you purchase a certificate for www.xyz.com, it will secure career.xyz.com, help.xyz.com, etc.

It will work on any subdomain. However, it will not secure abc.pro.xyz.com.

It allows customers to protect up to 100 domains with the help of the same certificate.

They are specially designed to secure Microsoft Exchange and Office Communications environments.

It protects different domains with a single certificate with the help of the SAN extension.

Other than these private CA issued SSL certificates, there is an option of self-signed certificates too.

A certificate that will be signed by the person creating it, for example, website owner rather than a trusted authority.

Although these certificates offer the same level of encryption, you must not use them when you have anonymous visitors connecting to your website.

Why?

Since an attacker can create a self-signed certificate, I don鈥檛 recommend it for public use.

It is a viable choice only for private use. It is better to spend a few bucks and go for a reliable SSL Certificate provider.

SSL Certificates are always a good investment, however, by analyzing your business needs you can make a better choice.

Some of the questions you need to ask yourself before buying one are:

After you have decided on the basics, you need to set a budget. (Well, the most important thing)

Since the requirements of certifications vary from instant insurance, cheap price (DV Certificates), to highly pricey and strict business validation (EV SSL Certificates); you must decide considering your business location, documents, budget, etc.

Don鈥檛 compromise and make a rational decision when it comes to complete business security solution.

Note: You can read more about encryption service reviews and make a decision about which encryption service to use for your business.

Some of the factors that impact the choice of a client are:

Analyze which SSL Certificate types your company needs right now.

Still confused? Get in touch with our experts.

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