Within a business environment, particularly small, fledgling start-ups, it’s easy to stick with a self signed CA certificate rather than taking the time, effort and investment and plugging it into a SSL certificate that users can trust. Perhaps this corner is cut to avoid the annual renewal cost, or maybe the server administrator hasn’t got round to sorting it just yet. The problem is, this sort of issue can matter, a great deal. Whether you’re planning to use self signed certificates on websites or internal software, you really should think twice and reconsider investing in the real deal, such as EV or a wildcard certificate.
SSL certificates are one of the most important tools with regards to online, network and website security. They allow the user to trust the service they are using, such as an online store or some web-based HR system software. Without these SSL certificates, business owners could risk compromise from phishing attacks, malware transfer or fraudulent attempts.
You are responsible, as a business owner, for protecting your customers and employees. Their sensitive data needs to be indecipherable; should a third party try and compromise it. Credit card details, bank details, personal information – it’s all subject to attack if hosted online, but with a SSL certificate, even if an attempt was made, it would be highly unlikely to be decrypted.
With self signed certificates, you are expecting your users and customers to trust your internal software or service on the pretence that you are being an honest business. The problem is, many individuals out there aren’t so trustworthy and with a self signed certificate, you can’t distinguish between the two as well as one approved by a reputable certificate authority.
Take the responsible route as a business owner and invest in a SSL certificate. Whether it’s Extended Validation, Secure Site Pro or a Wildcard certificate – they will all add to the confidence of your users, giving them the peace of mind they deserve.
