Tips To Improve Website Speed & Security

SSL certificate provides an encrypted link through which data can be transferred to and fro between internet browser and server, without compromising security and integrity of personal or sensitive data. SSL provides internet security however, we should never forget that everything has its own pros and cons. Along with providing internet security, SSL certificate also slows down the performance of the website.

Effect on Performance

As we know, on one hand, SSL certificate provides internet security, which is important for improving web ranking but, on the other hand, it also affects the website performance by slowing it down. For a website owner, it is necessary to provide internet security to its client to gain trust and loyalty and there is no alternative other than SSL certificate because of benefits provided by SSL Certificate. If a user of the website looks for a secure site, he also looks for a site that does not take long to upload. A user wants fast results without compromising security. So technology is required, which enhances the performance of the website without bargaining security.

How to Speed It Up?

The solution to this problem is CDN (Content Delivery Network). What CDN does is, it places a network of Proxy cache server. This server stores the most searched content of your website so that it can be delivered to browsers effectively and efficiently. As the content of the website is stored it needs space for storing "particular" content. As most searched content is stored, the distance is reduced for that particular data to travel between server and browser. Now whenever anybody around the world pings for a quick response, CDN picks up the proxy cache server, which is located nearest to the browser geographically, increases the speed and performance of the website, significantly. Therefore, we can say that using CDN technology along with an SSL certificate can enhance the performance of your website and provide security at the same time.

How does SSL Certificate Work?

SSL certificate works as a backbone of internet security. It provides a link between the web browser and the server so that the data can be transferred between the two in an encrypted form, which cannot be read and modified easily. Websites with SSL certificate are HTTPS:// prefixed instead of HTTP://. Especially when needing to log in our personal details or do any financial transaction, we want to be sure that our information will not fall in wrong hands and will be received by the host without being modified. To ensure that, we normally prefer a website with SSL certificate, in other words, site with https:// prefix. But to fulfill other requirements of visitors of your website; you need a method by which you can boost up the performance of your site.

If you need more information regarding this or you need help in getting SSL certificates for your website, we are just a call away. Give us a call on our toll-free number +1 (888) 606-7330 or write us on info@thesslstreet.com, our team of experts will be happy to assist you.

Increase your Online Visibility and Customer Trust With Green Address Bar SSL Certificate (EV SSL)

When we are talking about security over the internet, we are basically talking about SSL (Secure Socket Layer), which acts as a backbone of internet security. As information travels across the world through computer network via the internet, it becomes essential to protect sensitive data. Data can be secured if the transfer is done in the encrypted form, which is a non-readable form that is exactly what SSL does.

Extended validation certificate (EV)

Out of all SSL certificates, Extended Validation certificate (EV) is the highest of available SSL certificates. Although all SSLs use almost the same powerful encryption technique, to get EV you require accurate selection process. We can say that all the levels differ in the process of identity verification and how the particular certificate is displayed. Once you get EV SSL certificate, you get a green address bar, which gives the feeling of security to all the visitors of that particular website.

Green address bar

If a company has EV SSL Certificate, its address bar (padlock), https, company name and country will be green in color. If the connection is partially encrypted, then the browser will issue a warning message which will indicate that the domain is not fully secured and can be hacked by a third party or hacker. For a domain which is fully secure or has a higher level of SSL certificate, the green padlock is shown. If in case, content is loaded over HTTP rather than https, the green address bar will not be shown, which indicates that connection is not fully secure.

How Do You Make Your Website https?

Step 1: Host with a dedicated IP address. In order to provide the best security, SSL certificates require your website to have its own dedicated IP address.
Step 2: Buy a Certificate.
Step 3: Activate the certificate.
Step 4: Install the certificate.
Step 5: Update your site to use HTTPS.

How to get EV certificate and how it provides security?

To get EV SSL Certificate, you have to go through global standardized identification process, which is a verification process that gives exclusive rights to use a domain by confirming the legality, physical existence, and authenticity of the company. All the information along with the name of the company and location is included in the EV certificate. Once you get EV Certificate, HTTPS and padlock in the browser address bar are activated along with the name of the verified website owner. It gives a secure feeling to the visitor to perform financial transactions.

5 Reasons to Switch Your SSL Provider or Certificate Authority

Thinking of switching to another SSL Provider or Certificate Authority, here is the list of factors that you should consider. It is wise to choose carefully than to repent later. To make the task of switching easily follow the following step:

• Make a list of various factors you are looking for(priority wise)
• Compare with the competitors
• Understand the pros and cons

In this article, we will discuss a few factors that can ease the task of switching. This will help you in decision making. Not only pricing but we should also consider other factors before coming to a decision. Let us discuss few of them one by one in detail:

1. Value of the Product: One of the main factors that help in decision making is costing, which we can’t neglect. But it is not an adequate reason for choosing SSL provider. Value of the product is also as important as its costing. For example, if you choose cost over value, you might end up compromising with the security needs. This will not be considered a wise decision. It is important to understand the business requirements and needs. You should also keep in mind your near future requirements as well as the long-term goals of your company. I am sure you would like a hassle-free solution, which will not only cover your company’s current needs but also future requirements. The Value that you should consider while searching for a new SSL provider are:

• The Certificate features
• Benefits provided
• Service level
• Customer support?

2. Features & Benefits: Every SSL provider will lure you with various benefits and features in order to sell their product. Be smart, choose wisely and evaluate offers given by different providers. Keeping value in mind, go through all the offers and choose the one that fulfills the needs of your business. These offers could be:

• Additional value-added service (free of cost)
• Automatic renewal of SSL certificate
• Unlimited Service licenses

Before considering any CA or SSL provider, take your own sweet time to think.The Good marketer will always try to fill his pocket in the name of additional features and benefits. Do not fall into their trap. Think wisely and answer a few questions before finalizing the deal:

• Do you really need these offers?
• Are these benefits (promised by SSL provider) useful (as per your business requirements)?
• If you are offered extra features with some additional charge, check whether those features are essential for the long run of your business.

3. Support & Service: If you are looking for the long-lasting relationship with SSL provider or Certificate Authority (CA), you should look for more than just cost. SSL Certificate provisioning requires the following things:

• Order placed
• Support and service in need (when required)
• Renewal (when required)
• Installation

Service and support is a very important aspect of building strong relationships and is what you should consider while switching your SSL provider. Check various support services like:

• Support for different languages
• Support irrespective of time zone difference
• Support over phone
• Response time
• Accuracy and time took to respond or resolve a query

While switching SSL provider, make sure you do not fall victim to some marketing strategy. Lower cost can mean that they may not facilitate you with all the features they have mentioned. Low cost also means that minimum support service provided. They may cut a few of the benefits (which are beneficial and can fulfill your business need) to lower the cost.

4. Comprehensive Lifecycle Management (CLM): CLM includes basically three things. These are:

• Discovering
• Taking inventories
• Managing all SSL certificate across your network including cloud service

Next thing to be considered is easy and a seamless process of deployment and management of various SSL certificates. It will not only save your money but also time. Get a demo before finalizing. Check the tool or platform and look for answers to the following questions:

Whether it is exactly what has been promised.

• Is it user-friendly?
• Is it a time-efficient tool?
• Are you the right person to understand and use this platform, or being trained?

A reputed CA will always provide you with a user-friendly and time effective tool. Now the question arises ‘can your team put this tool to work instantly?’

Also, do not forget to check whether your CA offers the following two important things:

• Dedicated account management
• Continued support for any kind of issue related to SSL    

5.Compatibility: While switching, it is important to look for a trusted SSL provider or CA. Major Browsers (Chrome, Mozilla Firefox) have joined their hands and made a list of trusted CA. Certificates issued by these CAs are compatible with almost all the browsers and devices. On choosing a new CA, few things you should ask them before finalizing are:

• How long they have been running as a CA or SSL provider?
• About browsers and devices, and what are their certificates are compatible with

Conclusion:

If your current SSL provider is not fulfilling all your business needs and you do not see the longevity of this partnership, then it’s the right time to switch. Another reason for switching can be trusted CA. Money does matter but there are other factors too, which you should consider for the smooth and long functioning of your business. On searching for new CA or SSL provider, there should be certain things kept in your mind. These are cost & value, features & benefits, support & service, CLM, and compatibility. If you get satisfactory answers to your questions, then you need to switch your SSL provider or Certificate Authority.

If you having similar questions then feel free to contact our team at The SSL Street. Contact us at the toll-free number +1 (888) 606-7330 or try the 24/7 email support at info@thesslstreet.com

How Wildcard SSL Certificates Works?

A Wildcard SSL Certificate spares you cash and time by verifying your domain and unlimited sub-domains on a single certificate. Wildcard certificates work a similar way as a standard SSL Certificate, enabling you to verify the connection between your site and your client's Internet browser.

In this article, we will talk about the Wildcard SSL Certificate. SSL certificate safeguards data from a third party by ensuring secure link/connection between a server and a browser. But, when it comes to securing all sub-domains along with main domain, the Wildcard SSL certificate is needed.

Difference between SSL Certificate and Wildcard SSL Certificate

Wildcard SSL Certificate secures the URL of your website as well as its sub-domain, which can be numerous. Let us assume that you own a site www.mybusiness.com. If you get a Wildcard SSL Certificate, for this particular site, then it will not only secure this particular URL but also, all other sub-domains like blog.mybusiness.com, shop.mybusiness.com, onlinestore.mybusiness.com, etc., provided these sub-domains are linked with the main domain. Whereas, a regular SSL Certificate normally secures single fully qualified domain name. In short, if you own or manage multiple sites/pages that exist on the same domain/ main domain, Wildcard SSL Certificate is what you need for complete internet security and at a better price.

Working of Wildcard SSL Certificate

• When an organization applies for Wildcard SSL Certificate, it means that it owns multiple website or subdomains.

• When CA (Certification Authority) issues a certificate, the organization must ensure that all subdomains are associated with the main domain else it will affect the level of security.

• Once the validation of the domain and the subdomain is checked, Wildcard SSL Certificate will provide the same level of security to the main domain and all other subdomains associated with it.

• Wildcard SSL Certificate will look for all the possible subdomain names and will provide security to them. For example, a Wildcard SSL Certificate is issued to *.mybusiness.com, where ‘*’ represents all the subdomains associated with the main domain and in return Wildcard SSL Certificate will provide security to all the possible subdomains suffixed ‘.mybusiness.com’

An Easy Guide To Understand SSL, TLS, SSL Certificate And HTTPS

If you are technically not very sound and do not understand most of the terms used, then this article is specially written for you. In this article, we will discuss SSL, TSL, SSL certificate, and HTTPS in detail, and in a language which is easy to understand.

HTTPS: It stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure. We all are familiar with the term HTTP. HTTPS is a secure version of HTTP. When we talk about the word ‘secure’ we mean encryption (converting data into a non-readable form). When we use the internet, a wide amount of data is shared. The data can contain personal details, bank account details, credit card details, confidential data or sensitive data. When we share this data online via login forms, online shopping, banking or by any other means, our preference is to transfer data in such a way that it does not fall into wrong hands, is misused or modified. In short, data needs to be transferred from browser to server in a secure way. This is why HTTPS came into existence. HTTPS provides secure communication over the internet.

SSL: SSL is an acronym for Secure Sockets Layer. It is a technology used to provide security. Now, the question that comes to our mind is ‘provides security to whom?’ When we open any site, a link is created between a browser and a web server. This link has to be secured so that no hacker can misuse or modify the information or data. To achieve this kind of security, data has to be encrypted to make it impossible to read. With the help of this encrypted link, the data transferred between the browser and the server or, in some cases, one server to another remains safe and secured. In simple words, SSL is a technology which safeguards information, which is being transferred from one system to another from hackers or any other third party by creating an encrypted link between the two systems.

TLS: TLS stands for Transport Layer Security. It is similar to SSL but is more secure. In simple words, it is an updated version of SSL. However, SSL is the most commonly used term, so if you bought latest SSL and want to go for TLS instead, you don’t have to spend a single penny because most probably the latest SSL which you already have is actually a TLS certificate.

SSL Certificate: To get a secure connection or SSL connection between the browser and server, there is a need for SSL certificate. The information SSL Certificate carry is a domain name, company/organization name, and complete address along with the country name. Along with these details, additional information that the certificate contains is the date of expiration, which thoroughly depends upon the tenure you have opted for, and CA (Certification Authority) details. CA is the entity, which is responsible for issuing SSL Certificate. Whenever a browser makes a connection with the server, it checks the SSL certificate of that particular site and its expiration date. Along with this, the authenticity of the Certification Authority (CA) is also verified. If any of the above-mentioned information fails, the browser will automatically display a warning about the internet security threat. The warning simply means that the site is not secure to use.

Important Things About SSL Security Certificate

E-commerce is very common nowadays, due to lack of time most of us prefer online shopping. But what if the e-commerce site is not secure? Most of us will prefer to search for a link which is more secure and reliable. Not only e-commerce sites but all the sites that handle sensitive information or personal information should opt for SSL Certificate in order to provide data security. It not only provides security but also enhances search engine ranking. These are the reasons why SSL Certificate is a must.

When do I need SSL? 

If you collect any credit or debit card details you absolutely need SSL certificates. If, however, you use third-party payment processors, such as PayPal, you don’t need to. This is because your website won’t actually hold any of the financial information. Similarly, if your website collects any personal information or has a login form for visitors, you should have SSL. This ensures any information gathered by your site is secure, encrypted, and protects the privacy of your visitors. Additionally, Google offers a ranking boost for sites with an SSL Certificate.

However, there are certain things that should be kept in mind before acquiring an SSL Certificate:

Which SSL to opt for: There are dedicated SSL as well as Shared SSL. Shared SSL is normally free of cost, no support service and the link is not that secure. Whereas Dedicated SSLs have good support service and cost money but is completely owned by one user only, this is highly recommended for e-commerce sites.

Encryption level: Depending upon the purpose of SSL certificate, there is an availability of various level of encryption. For example: For blogs, the level of security required is less than that of any e-commerce sites. So before accruing SSL certificate, one should be aware of the level of encryption.

From whom: There are quite a number of companies that sell SSL certificate but are these companies reliable or trustworthy? I would suggest to go for a good brand or CA (Certificate Authorities), especially, when we are talking about the security of e-commerce sites.

IP address: SSL is linked to an IP address to provide security to the domain/site. So it becomes very important to have a dedicated IP address in order to secure it a 100%. Although SSL certificate can be used in a shared environment as well.

Tenure: Minimum tenure for validation of SSL certificate is one year. But it depends upon requirement, service, and cost, which one would suit you the most.

Encrypted Security With SSL Certificate

SSL certificate is a small data file that helps in the binding cryptographic key to details of an organization. Upon installation, it activates the padlock and https//: protocol that ensures a secure connection between the browser and the web server. If any web address is not secured using an SSL certificate, upon transferring information (which is in readable form) through the Internet, the data can be seen and misused by anyone.

SSL certificate establishes an encrypted link in online communication between the server and the browser. To create an SSL connection, an SSL certificate is mandatory. SSL certificate is issued either to companies operating online or to legally accountable individuals. To be able to activate SSL certificate, a business owner needs to provide details about the identity of his website and the business, such as domain name, the name of the business, physical address (including the name of the city & country) etc. Once the certificate is uploaded, two cryptographic keys are created; these are a Private Key and a Public key. These keys are used to encrypt and decrypt data, thus provide security to data that is being transferred over the web.

There are a variety of SSL certificates available in the market but it is important to opt for an authorized certificate as it provides critical identity assurance that is important to establish trust between business and client. When dealing with e-commerce, a business must address to minimize risk and provide a secure way of collecting data from the client. When purchasing products and services online, a customer submits details like credit card number, phone number etc. These details should be retrieved in a secure and integrated manner. For this, business should implement a complete e-commerce trust infrastructure based on encrypted technology.

Encryption Technology

Encryption is a process of converting data to make it unintelligible to all unauthorized parties except the one who is an intended recipient. In this way, data integrity and data privacy can be maintained which has become essential for e-commerce. In simple words, we can say that encryption technology is used to convert data into a non-readable form and secure it from unauthorized parties and is received by the intended recipient in intelligible form. Main responsibilities performed by encryption technology are:

To put data(file) into code
Changing data into an unreadable form (unintelligible) using secret code
To prevent accurate interpretation of data by the third party

What SSL certificate encrypted security provides?

Authenticity:

This can be explained in two parts. The first part is server authentication and another is client authentication. Let’s discuss them one by one in detail.

• Client authentication: In this, the server uses the public key, provided in the client’s certificate, to decrypt data sent by the client. If the exchange of message is complete by using a secret key to encrypt, it confirms the authentication.

• Server authentication: Server along with data transfers public key, which is used by the client to encrypt data used to compute the secret key. The server can decrypt data and generate a secret key only if it has a valid private key.

If in any case authentication step fails or is not complete, the session is terminated between the browser and the server.

Confidentiality:

To ensure message privacy, SSL uses a combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption. For every session, a unique set of encryption algorithm and a shared secret key is used, ensuring the privacy of message even in case of interception.