What is SSL Certification and Why do you need it?

How many times have we seen those little pop-ups embedded with SSL certification advertisements? Now we may have ignored them despite the notifications but they may be an integral step towards establishing a secure connection.

SSL certificates are mini data files that digitally bind an organization’s details through a cryptographic key. When such certificates are installed on a web server, they activate an HTTPS protocol, which enables a secure connection from the browser to the server.

Ideally, a website with an SSL certificate will be prefixed as HTTPS, instead of HTTP and will have a padlock on the address bar.

Why do we need SSL Certification?

An SSL certificate binds together your website’s domain name, server name, or hostname along with your organization’s name and your work profile. But an SSL certificate’s use can transcend even beyond a basic secure connection.

An SSL certificate:

• Protects your organizational identity along with work usernames, passwords, emails, and internal communication.
• Increases your Google Rankings.
• Builds customer trust.
• Improve conversion rates.

How does an SSL certificate work?

We already know about the cryptographic key, which is fundamental to understanding how an SSL certificate works. The cryptographic key is a string of randomly generated numbers, which are further divided into private and public keys.
Now to access a file encrypted by an SSL certificate, one should have access to both the keys. For instance, colleague A sends an encrypted message to colleague B, he or she will use the public key, which is known to the organization’s server, but colleague B can only access that file with their private key.

Where to get an SSL certificate?

Though the internet is full of SSL certificate providers, make sure you get one from a trusted authority, which is either authenticated or is a certified provider. So if you use an SSL certificate, your browser, operating systems, and mobile devices will maintain a list of root certificates, which are essential to access SSL encrypted files. In case your device doesn’t have one, your browser may pop up with an error message, unable to proceed to the actual server.