Private SSL Vs. Third Party

Online shopping is easy, but the security of information is vital to a successful business.

When you sell products online or administer online banking services, you must collect sensitive information like credit-card numbers and expiration dates, billing addresses and Social Security numbers. Maintaining the security of information transferred over the Web must be a top priority for banks and other online businesses. SSL certification was created to help customers ensure that their information is safe. For website owners, choosing between third-party SSL or private SSL is matter of cost and resources.

Identification

Secure Sockets Layer, or SSL, is a system for encrypting the communication between a Web browser and host server for a website. SSL is a standard method used to transfer personal information such as credit card numbers, personal identification numbers and more over the Internet. Without this encryption, the data being transferred is at risk of being stolen during the transfer.

SSL Certificate

A SSL certificate is an official notification to the users that the connection is secured over an encrypted connection to a dedicated server to maintain security. This gives users a level of comfort with doing business on the Web. Some browsers display a green button on the address bar to visually confirm the existence of a secure connection.

Third-party SSL

A third-party SSL certificate, also known as a shared SSL certificate, is shared among multiple users usually provided by a Web-hosting company. While the cost of third-party SSL is much less than private SSL, the domain that the SSL runs on is different from the primary domain name. When users go to a secured part of your site, the domain will appear like "https://yourcompany.hostingcompany.com." The level of security is the same as with private SSL, but the different name could cause site visitors to worry that they have been diverted to a malignant site not affiliated with your company. Clear communication at every step is important to let customers know their transaction is safe, despite the different name.

Private SSL

Geared toward larger, corporate websites, private SSL is a dedicated, single-user certificate. It costs significantly more because the purchase of the certificate and the required dedicated IP address is not spread over multiple users, as it is with third-party SSL. Customers feel more secure because the domain name remains the same whether they are on a secure or unsecured part of the site.

References

• Zanadoo: Shared SSL vs. Private SSL
• Host Gator: How Do I Purchase a Private SSL From You and What Type is it?
• SiteGround: Private SSL Questions
• Host Gator: How Do I Use the Third-party SSL Certificate I Purchased?
• The Linux Documentation Project: What is SSL and What are Certificates?
• SSL; What is SSL?; March 2006