The Importance of Using SSL Certificates
Scott MorrisSolutions Engineer
Having been with 4mation since inception in 2001 while completing a Computer Science degree at UTS, Scott has played a variety of roles within the business through its almost 20 years of growth.
As a Certified AWS Solutions Architect, Scott has a strong ability to bridge the gap between the technical and business/user world. Scott has a deep understanding of the service we provide our clients having spent years as a Developer, Business Analyst, Team Lead, and Head of Delivery.
His focus now is heading up 4mation’s Internal Operations to make our work and suite of digital tools as efficient and effective as possible.
It’s been a little over a year now since Google introduced default SSL searching for authenticated users, and in the last 12 months we’ve seen a significant number of sites start using sitewide SSL. It’s become clear that SSL is no longer the security tool reserved only for e-commerce checkouts and online banking.
SSL (or Secure Sockets Layer), is the simplest and most popular method of encrypting traffic on the web. If you’re not sure if the page you’re visiting is using SSL, simply take a look at the address bar in your browser – if it says “https://” at the start then you’re connected to their server using an SSL certificate.
With the growth of security awareness on the web, it’s critical to make sure your customers know their data is secure on your site. Even if you only collect a name and email for a newsletter, it’s important to secure that data using SSL.
So how do you choose an SSL certificate?
There are so many variations, features and requirements it can be overwhelming. One of the biggest choices you’re likely to make initially is whether or not you opt for Extended Validation (EV). EV certificates will place your company name in the address bar as part of the certificate information. For example, you can see Thawte have an EV SSL on their online store.
EV SSL provides an important opportunity for branding, and if you run an active online store we would strongly recommend considering this option.
There are many other variations available and it’s important to get it right the first time.
To find out more about how an SSL certificate will work with your website give us a call on (02) 9213 1300 or contact us on-line.
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