SSL Certificates are an essential part of running a website in the age of digital transformation. A secure website is an essential part of any organisation’s online presence.
Users are becoming more aware of cyber threats and will only trust websites that take security seriously. SSL certificates are a trusted way to show users that your site is safe to use.
In this article, we’ll explain what an SSL certificate is and why you need one for your business. We’ll also highlight the ten best SSL certificates for your business in 2022.
What is an SSL Certificate?
SSL stands for “Secure Sockets Layer” which is a standard for secure communication over a network. SSL certificates are digital certificates that use encryption to secure websites and web services.
An SSL certificate ensures that sensitive information like usernames, passwords, and financial data are kept private during transmission. SSL certificates use a public key and a private key to encrypt data. The public key is used to encrypt data, and the private key is used to decrypt data.
If a website has HTTPS instead of HTTP, it means the site uses an SSL certificate. Let’s Encrypt is a free and open certificate authority (CA) that issues SSL certificates for websites. If you have ever used a website that starts with “https”, you have used an SSL certificate.
It's a lesser known fact that in 2015, SSL was actually retired from use, in favour of a new protocol: TLS.
What is the difference between TLS and SSL Certificates?
SSL and TLS are both cryptographic protocols that enable secure communication between two parties. The main difference between SSL and TLS is that SSL is a predecessor of TLS and is less secure than TLS.
TLS uses asymmetric encryption to provide confidentiality protection and integrity protection to the communications. This means that each party has a public and private key pair, and all data transmitted is encrypted using the public key. Additionally, all data received is verified using the private key.
SSL uses symmetric encryption to protect the confidentiality of a message being transmitted across a network. The message is encrypted using a single key that both the sending party and the receiving party possess.
Such is the brand recognition of SSL though, they still continue to be referred to as SSL Certificates to this day. So that's what everybody still calls them.
Why do you need an SSL certificate?
Your users’ trust is vital to your website’s success. One of the best ways to build trust is to ensure that all data is encrypted when it is transmitted. SSL certificates do this by using a public key to encrypt the data. The data is decrypted using a private key that only your website has access to.
When a visitor browses your website, they can be assured that their data is secure. SSL certificates also help with your SEO. Google has stated that websites with HTTPS will rank higher in search results. This is especially important for eCommerce sites since a higher SEO ranking means more sales.
While SSL certificates are not a requirement for Google search results, they are recommended.
The Top 10 TLS/SSL Certificate Providers
The Top 10 SSL Certificate providers in 2022 are Symantec, Comodo, GoDaddy, Positive, DigiCert, Trust.com, GlobalSign, RapidSSL, Let's Encrypt, and Thawte.
While looking for the right SSL provider, you need to consider the reputation, cert terms, customer support, and price of the provider. These are the top-rated SSL providers based on their features.
Comodo
Comodo provides a wide range of SSL certificate options to fit any business size or unique needs. The best prices for Wildcard, Multi-domain Domain Validation, Organizational Validation and Extended Validation SSL certificates.
Comodo has the most comprehensive list of products available in the market, including trusted email, code signing and smart domains. Their products are backed by expert technical support, detailed knowledgebase, and the most experienced trust authority.
GoDaddy
The Certificate Authority/Browser Forum is a joint initiative between browser manufacturers and certificate authorities to improve the safety and authenticity of the internet. GoDaddy is one of the founding members.
GoDaddy Guides security experts are always super-friendly, super-knowledgeable, and hands-on, to help you. Across 50 countries, they've supported more than 20 million entrepreneurs for more than 20 years, and we've been continuously innovating to provide the most cutting-edge services.
Positive
This product utilises the latest innovation to provide a great experience. It is trusted more than many of the more costly alternatives on the market.
Sectigo's PositiveSSL certificates offer 2048-bit digital signatures, immediate online issuance, and unlimited server usage.
PositiveSSL certificates provide an easy, fast, and efficient way to encrypt online transactions, demonstrating that you are using the highest-quality security protocols to keep their data and transactions safe.
DigiCert
According to DigiCert, 97% of the world's largest banks and 80% of the Global 2000 are protected by high-assurance OV and EV certificates. More global leaders choose DigiCert for its trust, innovation, advocacy, and CA leadership, as well as so much being at stake in today's digital economy.
These organizations trust DigiCert to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information during the issuance of their certificates. The company’s reputation for accuracy and attention to detail is what makes it one of the most trusted certification authorities in the world.
SSLTrust
Your customers must feel secure when using your website. Web security is an essential element of the internet. You must ensure their safety.
SSLTrust helps you encrypt and secure customer data using SSL Certificates. We have well-established partnerships with leading Authorities including Comodo, GeoTrust and DigiCert.
GlobalSign
GlobalSign provides the world's most trusted identity and security solutions, enabling businesses, big corporations, cloud service providers, and IoT innovators to safeguard online communications, track millions of verified digital identities, and automate authentication and encryption.
GlobalSign's PKI and identity services support the billions of services, devices, people, and things that make up the Internet of Everything (IoE).
RapidSSL
RapidSSL is dedicated to helping you secure your domain with SSL as quickly as possible. Every phase of the registration and verification process has been streamlined and automated.
RapidSSL is trusted by businesses of all sizes, from small startups to enterprise firms. What sets RapidSSL apart from other providers is its focus on simplicity.
Registering a domain with RapidSSL takes only a few clicks, and verification is as easy as uploading a photo ID. Once your domain is secured with RapidSSL, you have access to a variety of useful tools to help grow your business, such as site analytics and marketing reports.
Let's Encrypt
Let's Encrypt is a nonprofit Certificate Authority providing TLS/SSL certificates to 260 million websites.
It's open-source, automated, and free, making it easy for anyone to secure their website. It's an easy alternative for websites that currently have paid certificates from a different provider. Let’s Encrypt works with many common hosting providers and CMSs, and it’s easy to set up. It’s a great option for both individuals and enterprises.
Thawte
Having a secure online experience leads to higher conversion rates, as well as to customers creating an account and returning to the site. DigiCert's Thawte SSL certificates provide strong authentication and encryption, guaranteeing that your customers' data and transactions are safeguarded.
Plus, they offer expert support, an industry-leading authentication process, and easy online management with DigiCert CertCentral platform.
Symantec
Symantec SSL Certificates have been taken over now but for years they were industry leaders. Their products are still available from resellers and are worth a look.
With free daily malware scanning, vulnerability assessments, the highest encryption levels, and the Norton Secured Seal, you will invest directly in your customers' trust in the security and privacy of dealing with your business.
It's a great way to boost conversion rates and keep visitors coming back repeatedly if you have the most trustworthy and well-known brands online aligned with your company.
Top 10 in Summary
These SSL providers are very active in the industry and continue to provide top-notch services to their clients. They have a proven track record and have been in the industry for quite some time now.
The above-listed providers also have a solid reputation among their customers and have earned their trust. They are widely used by people all over the world. The top-notch SSL providers will continue to grow in popularity and are likely to stay at the top of the list for some time to come.
Now that you know the best SSL providers, let’s dive into the guide to buying SSL certificates.
Which is the best SSL certificate provider in 2022?
Best For Beginners: Let's Encrypt
Let’s Encrypt is a free, open certificate authority (CA). It issues SSL certificates for websites that use HTTPS. Let’s Encrypt is run by the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG), a California-based nonprofit. ISRG has been providing SSL certificates since 2016.
Best for Growing Small Businesses: RapidSSL
With a range of great value products, RapidSSL are the best option if you've outgrown the need of a free SSL and want a simple, low-cost option to provide a greater level of security for your website and your customers.
Best all-rounder: Digicert
Digicert offers more than just SSL Certificates, so if you have a requirement for document signing as well as running HTTPS on your website, they will give you the greatest flexibility from one simple control panel and are a reliable, trustworthy partner for your business.
Best for Enterprise: Comodo
Comodo really specialise in enterprise grade security products, this is where they excel. If you're running an enterprise-level operation and need to secure a lot of different domains, subdomains, intranets, extranets and so on, the Comodo offering has always represented great value.
How to choose the best SSL Certificate for your website?
When choosing an SSL certificate, there are many factors to consider. Such as price, ease of installation, and security level.
Other important factors to keep in mind when purchasing an SSL certificate include - Trustworthy reputation - SSL certificates are digital certificates used to encrypt sensitive data like credit card information.
A CA issues these certificates and verifies that the information provided by your company is legitimate. An SSL certificate provider that is trustworthy will have verifiable identity, regular audits and compliance with industry standards.
Conclusion
When it comes to business, you can’t take any risks when it comes to security. Customers expect websites to be secure, so you need to make sure your site is protected. An SSL certificate is one of the easiest ways to boost your security. In this blog post, we’ve discussed what an SSL certificate is, why you need one for your business, and how to choose the best SSL certificate for your website.
The landscape has changed a lot over the last 20 years, with the original big players being swallowed up by competition and new players offering free solutions entering the market and gobbling up most of the share of small business and one-man-bands that used to be the main-stay of the industry.
If you're a solo or small team start-up, with a blog or a small marketing website, a free SSL certificate will cover most of your needs for basic HTTPS web space. When you progress into data captures and processing payments through an online store, you'll want to invest in a more robust solution.
These suppliers represent the best deal in terms of trustworthiness, reliability and value and whichever one you choose, you can't really go wrong as long as what you buy covers you for what you're looking to do.
This article was first published on AIO Spark: https://www.aiospark.com/the-10-best-tls-ssl-certificates-in-2022?utm_source=&utm_medium=fs-share&utm_campaign=auto-social
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