What is the Right SSL Certificate for Me?

Choosing the right SSL Certificate depends how you plan to use it, the level of security & the importance of building customer trust. Use this tips below to find the appropriate SSL Certificate for your needs.

SSL certificate providers employ different methods for verifying the identities of the organization or individual purchasing SSL certificates. Unfortunately, not all validation processes meet the same standards. And it's important to understand the difference.

• Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates

  EV certificates provide secure connections, verify the business' identity, and help to prevent fraud through a thorough set of checks and validations. These certificates are designed to provide a highest standard of assurance for visitors to authenticate the business behind the domain. The green HTTPS address bar is exclusive to EV SSL certificates and reassures website visitors that they are interacting with a verified business on a secured domain.

  Best Use: Used by companies and organizations which want to offer their clients the highest level of security. Fraud and phishing techniques are almost impossible with Extended Validated SSL Certificates. Therefore not only clients benefit from the EV certificate, but the company and its brands also.
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• Organization Validation (OV) SSL Certificates

  An OV Certificate certifies that the company or organization is definitely the owner of the website because this is checked and validated by the Certificate Authority. Not only your domain name but also the company itself is validated, providing double trust for visitors/clients. In addition, each OV certificate supports mobile devices.

  Best Use: With this SSL Certificate, end users see that the identity of the company and the site is monitored and safe. To view the certificate details however, one has to perform a few steps and this is not always obvious and easy to find.
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• Domain Validation (DV) SSL Certificates

  In contrast, DV certificates are typically verified and issued through automated processes. Human intervention is minimized and organization checks are eliminated — a tactic that supports issuing certificates in a quick, cheap manner. This type of SSL Certificate only certifies that the website is secured. There is no Certificate Authority which has checked and validated the identity of the owner of the website.

  Best Use: DV certificates will be used for websites that just need a https connection (secure connection), or a secure connection for webmail, intranet, citrix secure gateway, and so on. This SSL Certificate is perfect in case one needs a certificate immediately.
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• Wildcard Certificates

  With a single wildcard SSL certificate it is possible to secure several sub domains which reside on the same server and on the same domain level. You will get a *.mydomain.com and you can connect as many sub domains as you want. This is useful for organizations that host a single domain, but different subdomains (eg webmail.mydomain.com, www.mydomain.com and shop.mydomain.com).

  Note: Due to the SSL protocol, it is not possible to use your wildcard certificate for *.*.mydomain.com, such as example.example.mydomain.com. It is only possible for one sub domain: *.mydomain.com or example.mydomain.com.

  Best Use: The wildcard SSL Certificate is an affordable and efficient solution to secure several sub domains with just one single certificate. A big difference with a SAN SSL Certificate is that you do not have to give your sub domains when register. A handy feature if you need a temporary subdomain for instance.
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• Multi-Domain Certificates

  A Subject Alternative Name (SAN) SSL Certificate, also known as Unified Communications SSL Certificate (UCC SSL), is mainly used for Microsoft Exchange 2007 (or newer) or Unified Messaging. This certificate allows multiple server or domain names using the same secure SSL certificate.
  A normal SSL Certificate protects only one Fully Qualified Domain Name. In a SAN Certificate several alternatives of common names can be placed in the "Alternative Name field". Request the individual product pages for detailed information.
  It allows you to secure your services with a certificate which is fully compatible for mobile device (i.e. SMTP, Outlook Anywhere, POP3, IMAP4, Unified Messaging, etc.)
  In the case of a Domain Validated (DV) certificate, the domain name and SAN name should be the same as the Common Name (CN) at all time. In organization validated certificates (OV and EV) you can even have different domain names. Until the certificate has the same company name. Because of everything is secured with just one certificate it is also easy to install and manage.

  An example of different common names with just one SAN SSL Certificate:
  mail.mydomain.com
  example.mydomain.com
  www.mydomain.com
  www.mydomain.net
  ucserver

  Best Use: Multi-domain, SAN (Subject Alternative Name), or UCC certificates are useful when organizations require different root domain names to run Internet-facing services.
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• SGC (Server Gated Cryptography) SSL Certificates

  A SGC SSL Certificate has the strongest encryption possible. SGC technology upgrades older browsers so they can connect at full 128- or 256-bit encryption levels meaning you convert more sales by protecting more customers than with a regular SSL Certificate.
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