SSL and TLS Certificates
Certificates are required for encrypted communications normally between your server and clients.
What are SSL Certificates and Why are they Important?
An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a digital certificate used to secure and encrypt the data transmission between a website and its visitors’ browsers. The primary purpose of SSL certificates is to ensure secure communication and protect sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal information.
Benefits of Using SSL Certificates
- Improved Security: SSL certificates encrypt sensitive information, preventing unauthorised access and ensuring that data transmitted between a website and its visitors is secure.
- Enhanced Trust: SSL certificates verify the identity of a website and establish trust between the website and its visitors. When a visitor sees a padlock icon or “https” in the browser address bar, they know that the website is legitimate and their information is secure.
- Increased Credibility: A website with a valid SSL certificate is perceived as more credible and trustworthy by visitors, which can lead to increased engagement and conversions.
- Better Search Engine Ranking: Google and other search engines favour websites that use SSL certificates and may rank them higher in search results.
- Compliance: Certain industries and governments require websites to have SSL certificates as a measure of security and privacy protection.
- Improved User Experience: SSL certificates can enhance the user experience by making the website load faster and ensuring that the connection is secure.
Types of SSL Certificates
- Domain Validated (DV) SSL Certificates: These are the most basic type of SSL certificates and are typically used for personal websites or small businesses.
- Organisation Validated (OV) SSL Certificates: These certificates provide more information about the website and its owners, making them suitable for larger businesses and organisations.
- Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates: These are the highest level of SSL certificates and provide the most information about the website and its owners. They are typically used by e-commerce websites and other websites that handle sensitive information.
What next?
When you see the green padlock on a website the browser is telling you that the server is using a valid certificate. This means the identity of the server is valid and your traffic between the server and your browser is encrypted.Â
Since 2020 certificates are only allowed a maximum of 13 months. This means the certificate for your website and any other services used e.g. Exchange Server need to be renewed every year.
When a certificate expires the services either prompt with warnings if it is a web browser or stop working all together.Â
We can manage all this for you so you don’t need to be worry about any downtime.Â
What is SSL and TLS?
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