Encryption is the basis of secure web communications. The process turns “plain text” into “cipher text” to scramble data so it’s not readable by anyone except the intended party. Historically, most websites have been served over HTTP or Hypertext Transfer Protocol which has one glaring flaw—it’s not secure. Any information transmitted via an HTTP connection is easy to steal. Given that today we share all sorts of sensitive information online—including addresses, login IDs, passwords, credit card numbers, and more—the browser community has pushed for the entire web, not just e-commerce sites, to be encrypted. Encryption is enabled via an HTTPS connection.

SSL, or Secure Socket Layer, is a universally accepted security protocol used by web browsers and web servers to protect data in motion—it’s the Web’s protocol for encryption. SSL has two components—the protocol and the certificate. The protocol is the code and procedures which allow computers to handle the encryption. ­The certificate identifies the specific web server and works in combination with a unique code used for encryption. Together, they enable a secure HTTPS connection.

Both SSL and TLS, or Transport Layer Security, are protocols that provide data encryption and authentication to ensure secure web communications. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, SSL is the predecessor to TLS, and there are slight differences in the protocol. Certificates are not dependent on protocols. The protocols are determined by the server configuration, not the certificates.

HTTP has been the accepted standard since 1997 and was the traditional way to serve up a website, even though it didn’t provide a secure connection. When you install an SSL certificate, your website will be served up using HTTPS (HTTP + SSL) instead of HTTP, indicating an encrypted connection.

An SSL Certificate is a server-based software product that serves two primary functions. The first is to secure data in motion by enabling an encrypted connection between clients (website visitors) and web servers (that host a website) via the SSL/TLS protocol. All SSL Certificates offer this base-level encryption but differ on the second function—identify validation. The second important function of an SSL Certificate is to authenticate or validate, the identity of the company or organization holding the certificate.

SSL Certificates aren’t just for e-commerce anymore. Starting in 2016, industry titans such as Chrome and other key browsers have made significant changes that turned encryption into a website security standard. Encryption and trust are both critical to your online success. SSL Certificates provide encryption to secure data in transit and, more importantly, validate who’s on the other end of online communications, giving users  confidence to share their information—and their money. In addition to protecting data and validating identifty, SSL Certificates have many other benefits that boost your bottom line.