8 Things you Need to Learn Before you Purchase an SSL Certificate

Of course SSL is a good idea. Before you migrate to HTTPS here are the things you need to know

Whether you have an e-commerce portal, a company website or even a tiny blog, it has become compulsory to install an SSL certificate in today’s times. As attackers continue to poke around in the hope of getting their hands on sensitive data, the browser community has cracked down on unsecured non-SSL websites stringently. Hence the need for SSL installation is greater than ever now. We ‘re not going to bore you telling you why you need SSL — you already know. How will you be here anyway? Good? But there are some things

8-things-before-buying-ssl

What Does SSL

An SSL certificate covers transmitted data between a server and a client. Which means which Encryption covers any piece of information forwarded back and forth. Such security is important for sensitive information such as credit card details, banking details, passwords, etc. It thwarts criminals from conducting attacks and data breaches by man-in-the-middle (MITM). In layman’s words, an envelope seal is almost identical to an SSL stamp.

Not all SSL-certificates are the same

Yeah, you understood that right. SSL certificates are divided into three key groups according to their attributes. Such three forms are Domain Validation, Validation of the Organization and Extended Validation.

Brand Name Questions!

Thumb rule when buying an SSL certificate-buy from reputed certificate authorities only. What we mean by ‘reputed’ is the world’s top authority for certificates. It includes CAs including Symantec, Comodo, GeoTrust, Thawte, RapidSSL and so on. Users around the world know certain brands and their trust-seals. Recall that encryption is just half what an SSL certificate does. The other role is authentication — or trust building. People have been known to gravitate to the names they remember, which is what gives an advantage to the Symantecs and Comodo, the planet.

SSL is not a one-stop repair

Many people believe your website is safe once you have installed an SSL certificate. Well that’s not real, as tempting as it sounds. SSL only secures in-transit data. This does not protect the information that is stored on the servers and systems. SSL is an essential part but not all of web security.

Try before you go buying

Most certificate authorities give their customers a free trial period. For example, Comodo offers you a trial period of 90 days to check out their certificate on your website. When you’re unsure about which brand to go with, you will get tremendously improved by the test times.

Encryption Level

We can’t think enough about the significance the encryption degree holds. If you are taking information of your credit card, 128-bit is the minimum level of encryption you need. The higher the amount, the better it will be for you.

Multi-year option

The maximum time you can buy an SSL certificate right now is two years. If you also opt for that option, you will get a hefty discount. So it is pretty much a no-brainer to pick a multi-year deal.

Additional features

This can turn out to be a tie-breaker if you’re confused between a pair of CA. Many SSL marks provide elements of authentication along with an SSL certificate. These resources can be of tremendous help to protect your website.