Not having a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate on your website is soon going to become a real hindrance for you and your business.

Millions of users browse the internet on a daily basis, and as the popularity of the internet grows, so does the risk of an attack, therefore making cyber security a hot topic.

Google has always been known for the way it protects its users, and wants to ensure that they have the best experience when utilising their browser so they continue to use Google in the future. This is why Google are now imposing consequences upon those who do not have an SSL certificate on their website and therefore are failing to keep their users as safe as possible when using their tool.

Over a year ago Google announced that they would start marking all websites without an SSL certificate as “not secure”. However, Google has been implementing the change in stages and first marked web pages without encryption that collect passwords and bank card details. In the second stage Google started displaying the “not secure” warning when users enter data into a field on a HTTP page and on all HTTP pages visited in incognito. Eventually, Google intend to mark all HTTP pages as “not secure”.

A secure site will display a lock and the phrase “secure”, in green. This indicates that the site has an SSL certificate and therefore is safe for you to share your data with.

What is SSL and how does it work?

SSL is a computer networking protocol that secures a connection between a web browser and a server. Below is an explanation of how it works.

Firstly, your internet browser attempts to connect to a web server. Your browser then requests that the server identify itself. In response the web server sends a copy of its SSL certificate to your browser. Your internet browser then verifies if the SSL certificate is trusted. If so, it responds with a message. The web server then sends your browser a digitally signed acknowledgement to initiate an SSL encrypted session, this is achieved by using a randomly generated one-time encryption key, to ensure maximum security. Encrypted data is then shared between your browser and the web server through a private session.

The difference between SSL and TLS

TLS stands for Transport Layer Security and provides security and privacy when transferring data between two communicating applications. Previously when a more secure version of SSL was released, only the version number changed. However, when it became time to upgrade from SSLv3.0, instead of following the naming convention and calling the new version SSLv4.0, it was renamed TLSv1.0 but since SSL is such as well-known term, TLS certificates are often referred to as SSL certificates.

Why is it critical to get an SSL certificate? And how soon should you implement it?

It is advised to install an SSL to avoid any risks or warnings against your website. The longer you delay the process, the higher chance visitors could see the “not secure” warning located next to your URL, which is bound to deter any potential customers from the site, especially with cyber threats rising on a daily basis.

The main reason behind having an SSL certificate installed on your website is that it encrypts sensitive data such as credit card details, passwords and personal. With SSL, this information becomes unreadable to anyone apart from the server in which it is being sent to.

SSL provides you with protection from cybercrime, which is probably the hottest topic in computing right now, meaning that if your website does not have an SSL certificate you will certainly not escape the threat. Criminals are clever, and will locate weaknesses in your network, usually during the transmission of data.

The majority of websites have at least one contact form, such as a call back request, or a subscription form as gathering your own data is crucial for success after GDPR. Now the new version of chrome has been released, any website with a text input field will benefit from an SSL certificate.

Before Google flags your website, ensure you install an SSL certificate.

Benefits of SSL

All this may seem very confusing but that is where we can assist you, you can purchase an SSL certificate through us and we can set it up and manage it fully for you, so you don’t have to stress about the backend but can instead enjoy the following benefits of SSL:

• Customers visiting your website will know that the site is secure
• Your website will look more professional
• Building trust will lead to an increase in visitor loyalty as they know your website is secure
• You could potentially gain more sales through online business enquiries or gain more e-mail subscribers as they can trust your site to store their personal information safely

What we can do to help

Before purchasing an SSL certificate it is important to ask yourself a few questions, such as, how many domains do I need to secure? What level of validation do I require? This is because different businesses have different SSL requirements. Tiedata are happy to discuss and evaluate with you the best SSL solution for your businesses in order to ensure the security of your data and your customer’s data.

If you need any advice or assistance about SSL certificates or any other IT needs you may have, please don’t hesitate to contact us today on 0333 320 7335 or email info@webbytech.co.uk