Security should be one of the primary concerns when planning to successfully run an online business. If your site asks users to input sensitive personal information to sign up for services or purchase varying products, you should be sure to take necessary precautions to protect this important information from being seen by eyes that shouldn’t have access to it.
Obtaining an SSL certificate is just one step in ensuring the security of your website. For those unfamiliar with the acronym, SSL stands for “secure sockets layer.” SSL certificates are used to protect the secure transfer of personal information such as customer names, phone numbers, addresses, and critical banking information.
Using SSL certificates, a secure connection is established between the user’s web browser and the company’s server that the user is attempting to interact with. This connection is essential for any company selling goods or services online. Ultimately, it helps you ensure that all customer information stays private and secure.
Benefits of SSL
Perhaps the most significant purpose of SSL certificates is to encrypt information in such a way that only the intended recipient will be able to view it in a legible format. Because information transmitted via the Internet usually passes through more than one computer before reaching its’ eventual destination, the odds that an unwanted third party could obtain access to this information increase dramatically.
In effect, an SSL certificate will insert random characters into the original information so that it becomes impossible to decipher for anyone that doesn’t possess the proper encryption key. In this way, even if your information winds up in the wrong hands, it will be illegible and, therefore, effectively useless.
Using SSL also helps to authenticate your site in the minds of potential customers. When you obtain an SSL certificate, you’ll also be issued a corresponding server certificate that will essentially act as a mediator between user’s browsers and your SSL servers.
The goal of this certificate is to validate the authenticity of the SSL certificate provider. Your customers will actually be able to view these documents to ensure that your SSL certificate is current and that the web page they’re about to enter sensitive information on actually belongs to you, instead of a third party imitator.
SSL is Essential for Online Business
Any online business that’s attempting to set up a website capable of accepting payments from customers is required to obtain an SSL certificate with a proper minimum encryption of at least 128-bit. Standards for compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) can be viewed here.
These PCI standards are used to verify that the source of a given SSL certificate is reliable, is utilizing the recommended strength of encryption, and is providing a private connection for any page that asks users to enter sensitive personal information. If your site fails to obtain an SSL certificate that complies with PCI standards, you will be unable to accept credit card payments online, which will effectively render your online business inoperable.
While there are many other benefits of using SSL certificates for online business, protecting sensitive personal information and ensuring your ability to receive online payments are two crucial reasons to secure your site with SSL. If you’d like to talk to an SEO professional about your website needs, please don’t hesitate to give the team at eKzact Solutions a call at 403-770-3023 today!
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