Why do you need an SSL certificate, anyway?
What the heck does an SSL certificate do, anyway?
If I do need an SSL, how do I know which kind I need?
Those are just some of the most common questions surrounding a set of three confounding letters. SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. The emphasis here is Secure. When you place an SSL certificate on your page, the information is encrypted, effectively cut off from other parts of the Internet. One of my recent trainers compared it to running a garden hose across a river. You can put river water into it - but the water inside remains separate from the water running over and around it.
Pages secured with an SSL should have a website address that begins with https:// rather than the more common http://. That S on the end means the page is encrypted, so someone outside can't break in and access private details. While there's no such thing as an unbreakable code, current SSL certificates carry encryption levels of 2048 bits or higher. That's the level available on TwisterJester and is double the encryption standard of just a couple of years ago.
SSL certificates are mandatory for some sites - notably a web store where credit card details are entered. An SSL certificate should also be placed wherever privacy matters: online forms collecting personal data; login names and passwords; in short, any confidential information.
TwisterJester offers several different types of SSL certificates. All include the minimum 2048-bit encryption.
SSL Security Levels
If only one area of a website requires SSL coverage, a Standard (Turbo) SSL is appropriate. It encrypts data and throws up a virtual brick wall to keep hackers from intercepting data. The price difference is among Turbo SSL's involves the level to which we guarantee a site's visitors are where they belong. A standard SSL costs the least but doesn't require much in the way of validation It will function whenever a standalone SSL certificate is required and normally only takes a few minutes to set up.
A Deluxe SSL takes the verification step a bit further. Among other things, it's verified by phone. A little more work for the domain owner, perhaps, but it's designed to assure web visitors that not only is their information is encrypted, but it's also going to a company that's provided valid information. Typical time to issue is 2-4 hours.
A premium SSL requires the highest level of verification (including a letter from an attorney or accountant) and in turn provides the most reassurance to visitors. A premium SSL will mean that in addition to the typical https:// prefix and the seal of assurance, there is a visible colored area to browser address bars, assuring that the site is secured. It guarantees visitors that the site is secure and that their information is being transmitted solely to the recipient named. A premium SSL may take a few days to issue, since all verification is done manually.
All of our SSL certificates include a $2000 security warranty.
Special Case SSL Certificates
In some cases, more than one area of a website requires encryption, or a business has multiple domains to cover. In both of those instances, there may be a need for a different type of SSL.
When dealing with multiple subdomains, a typical Turbo SSL won't cut it. A subdomain is the part that falls two dots before the "com" in dot-com sites. For example, our store is at shop.twisterjester.com. TwisterJester.com is the domain; shop is the subdomain.
Some businesses own servers that manage an online website, email and an internal network. In that case, the website is probably the www., the email will be mail.domainname.com and so on. If all (or several) subdomains require an SSL encryption, a Wildcard SSL is the right choice. It's listed as unlimited subdomains on our SSL sales page, and that's precisely what it covers. Wildcard SSL coverage is available at our Standard and our Deluxe validation levels only.
The other scenario is when one company manages several domains, several or all of which require an SSL certificate. In that case, a UCC certificate fills the bill. UCC (shown as multiple domains on our SSL sales page) will allow one certificate for encryption of up to 100 domains.
Why Get an SSL for Multiple Years?
The above question will likely only be asked once. After that, a webmaster will know every why imaginable and a few more we didn't imagine.
While we've made our SSL process as streamlined as possible, it can still take a great deal of time and effort to validate and install, particularly when using on a non-TwisterJester server. Longer registrations generally reduce per-year costs for the certificates themselves; but more than that, they save time and limit the possibility that a secured site goes offline because of an SSL that expires.
See, unlike some providers, when using an SSL certificate from TwisterJester.com, it automatically includes and applies a dedicated IP address. Some registrars allow you to purchase an SSL, then casually point out that it doesn't work without also buying a dedicated IP address - which may cost double the price of the SSL itself. All SSL certificates require a dedicated IP address. Keep that in mind when comparing prices.