In order to ensure that your business performs as a long term trusted player over the Internet, it is imperative that it fulfils the demands of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) security protocol. The security layer helps preserving the data that millions of users use across the Internet every day. It offers a secured link between the server and the client.
The SSL security layer is achieved via security certificate; which is offered in two ways. One is self signed, and the other is CA signed certificate. Here, we would try to differentiate self signed Vs CA signed certificates and seek to realize which version of the certificate is most suitable for your business.
Introduction
When we speak about both the certificates in terms of security, then we would find that they function almost in the same way. They will help you in building sites that are inaccessible to the third parties. The transmission of data via an HTTPS or SSL connection is encrypted to render high level security.
The key difference lies in attaining the trust of the customer. A CA signed certificate implies the fact that the security of the website is confirmed and issued by a trusted source. There are CAs like Verisign that actually verify the ownership of the concerned domain and even verify the dependency of the business prior to the issuance of SSL certificate. The practice enables the customer to share sensitive information like credit card details to the e-commerce websites with complete peace of mind.
The security certificates that are issued by a certificate authority do not come for free. If your objective is to optimize costs then you can go with self-signed certificates wherever feasible. For example, the webpages that do not require confidential data like credit card information can handle things with a self-signed certificate. In addition to that, the web developers working over website security can test a site with the help of self-signed SSL security certificate. In order to conduct these in-house procedures, you are not required to spend even a single penny.
Self Signed Vs CA Signed Certificates
Now, let us throw some light over the differentiating features between self signed Vs CA signed certificates. The below table would compare both the forms of certificates on the basis of certain features. It will help you scale down the option more suited to your business.
Conclusion
Well, the above table has drawn the line of difference between self signed Vs CA signed certificates. From the features that we observe in the table, it is quite evident that trusted CA signed SSL certificate is more preferable than self-signed one. Self-signed certificates are normally preferable in testing environment only.
The credibility of the third party authentication is one of the key reasons why CA signed certificate is always trusted by visitors, browsers and search engines to validate the existence of a page. That simply indicates the fact that the concerned website is safe and any sort of business can be executed with complete peace of mind.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I am here to share my knowledge and experience in the field of networking with the goal being – “The more you share, the more you learn.”
I am a biotechnologist by qualification and a Network Enthusiast by interest. I developed interest in networking being in the company of a passionate Network Professional, my husband.
I am a strong believer of the fact that “learning is a constant process of discovering yourself.”
– Rashmi Bhardwaj (Author/Editor)
