We have put the following information together based on common questions we are asked. Please Contact Us if you have a question which has not been answered on this page.

What Is SSL

The SSL protocol is the web standard for encrypting communications between users and SSL e-commerce sites. Data sent via a SSL connection is protected by encryption, a mechanism that prevents eavesdropping and tampering with any transmitted data. SSL provides businesses and consumers with the confidence that private data sent to a web site, such as credit card numbers, are kept confidential. SSL Certificates are required to initialize an SSL session.

Customers know when they have an SSL session when their browser displays the little gold padlock and the address bar begins with a https rather than http. SSL Certificates can be used on web servers for internet security and mail servers such as IMAP, POP3 and SMTP for mail collection / sending security.

128 and 256 Bit SSL Certificates are usually used to protect information whilst it is being entered into an online form, securing e-mail, servers and ftp.

What Is A Wildcard Certificate

Our wildcard certificates can be used to secure multiple sub domains on a single domain name. Wildcard allows web sites to conduct secure e-commerce with an encrypted SSL connection, at a fraction of the cost of other wildcard providers.

What Is A Single Root SSL Certificate

Some Certification Authorities do not have a Trusted Root CA Certificate present in browsers, or do not use a root that they own, and use a Chained Root in order for their SSL Certificates to be trusted. Essentially a Certification Authority with a Trusted Root CA Certificate issues a Chained Certificate which inherits the browser recognition of the Trusted Root CA. These SSL Certificates are known as Chained Root SSL Certificates.

Most SSL Certificates are issued by Certification Authorities who own and use their own Trusted Root CA Certificates. Some newer SSL Certificates (such as Extended Validation SSL Certificates) may contain a Chained Certificate, however we will only provide Chained Certificates when the Certification Authority owns the Root Certificate associated with it.

You can view the Certification Authorities who have and use their own Root Certificates by viewing the list in your browser.

Why Is Stability Important

For a Certification Authority to have and use its own Trusted Root CA Certificate already present in browsers is a clear sign that they are long time, stable and credible organizations who have long term relationships with the browser vendors (such as Microsoft, Mozilla and Netscape) for the inclusion of their Trusted Root CA Certificates. For this reason, such Certification Authorities are seen as being considerably more credible and stable than chained root certificate providers who do not have a direct relationship with the browser vendors, or do not use their own root certificates to issue SSL Certificates.

What Is A Free Trial 30 Day Trial SSL Certificate

Our free trial SSL Certificates are fully functional test SSL Certificates valid for 30 days. If you need to test your server, or would like to test our support and issuance speed our free trial SSL Certificates are an ideal solution.

What Browser Versions Are Compatible

Our SSL Certificates are compatible with IE 5.01+, Netscape 4.7+, Mozilla 1+, AOL 5+, Firefox, Safari and many newer Windows and Macintosh based browsers.

How Long Does It Take To Issue

If you need an SSL Certificate right away our online ordering system ensures that you will receive it within a matter of minutes. Some products require documentation to be provided, however these products clearly display the requirements within the product description pages.

How Many Can Be Ordered

We do not limit the amount of SSL Certificates that can be ordered. Go ahead and get as many as you need!

What Is Browser Ubiquity / Recognition

Browser ubiquity is the term used in the industry to describe the estimated percentage of internet users that will inherently trust an SSL Certificate. The lower the browser ubiquity, the less people will trust your certificate - clearly, if you are operating a commercial site you require as many people as possible to trust your SSL Certificate. As a general rule, any SSL Certificate with over 95% browser ubiquity is acceptable for a commercial site.

Ubiquity is however not the only consideration in deciding whether one SSL Certificate is better than another. Many companies running high transaction volume web sites need to maximize customer confidence and therefore buy certificates from well known, long time security vendors and mostly use the major players.

Can I Secure Multiple Domains

An SSL Certificate is issued to a fully qualified domain name (FQDN). This means that an SSL Certificate issued to "secure.domain.com" cannot be used on different sub domains, such as "www.domain.com". To get around this restriction we have Wildcard SSL Certificates. Wildcard SSL Certificates allow you to secure multiple sub domains on the same domain name, thereby saving you time and money, and of course you do not need to manage multiple SSL Certificates on the same server. Most customers secure "www.domain.com" and use wildcard SSL Certificates if their SSL requirements change.