Up until now, SSL certificates – the key to turning your HTTP website into a secure HTTPS URL – were a small tax one would have to pay to secure their website and customer data. That is, until Let’s Encrypt entered the fray, and began offering free SSL certificates.
How SSL Certificates Work and Why They are Important
Before we address Let’s Encrypt and its impact on the internet, we should briefly explain the importance of having an SSL Certificate, to begin with. As most already realize, the internet is plagued with hackers, and cybercriminals are lurking around every corner. For websites that collect personal information, an SSL Certificate encrypts the personal information being sent to a server, making it unreadable to everything other than the server receiving the information.
In addition to the encryption of personal data, an SSL Certificate also provides authorization that the website is truly the website and server you want to access, not that of a cybercriminal trying to steal customer information. When a website is shown to have a valid SSL Certificate, it shows visitors that they are in a safe online shopping environment.
What does Let's Encrypt do for SSL Certificate Authentication?
Traditional SSL certificate authentication relies on root certificates held by a few companies, meaning any and every HTTPS website ultimately counts on one privately-held company, accountable to investors, not customers. Your SSL certificate acts as the first of many authentication gates, eventually ending with authentication the root-level certificate.
Let’s Encrypt operates on a principal that the encryption at the root-level - the “last stop” in the authorization checklist for secure sites - is distributed among millions of users in pieces, rather than centralized in the hands of one or two entities. Let’s Encrypt not only makes securing your site easy and cost-effective but also takes a step further to ensure the internet is accessible and safe for all who wish to use it.
To that end, Hostway is proud to offer FREE SSL Certificates for all Managed Magento customers in partnership with Let’s Encrypt. It’s never been easier to save money, attract more customers, rank higher in Google search results, and make the internet a more secure place for everyone. Take advantage of Let’s Encrypt and keep your Magento eCommerce online store safe and out of the hands of hackers and cyber criminals.
For more information on SSL Certificates, and how they can benefit your website and search presence, take a peek at an overview of SSL Certifications.