A dramatically growing trend in online shopping over the past few years has been accompanied by a rise in privacy-conscious consumers who are increasingly cautious of sharing their personal information with anyone, especially companies. Certification authorities (CAs) have taken action to protect consumers by passing laws such as the General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR), the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and other regulations designed to enforce data encryption policies.
This continual evolution in data privacy standards has brought secure sockets layer (SSL) and transport layer security (TLS) certificates into the spotlight as companies look for the best way to implement data encryption protocols. As some CAs have scrambled to keep pace with these increasingly stringent regulations, the best suppliers of SSL and TLS certificates are meeting the challenge and complying with these changing data security standards. This builds added credibility with the businesses they work with and helps these companies establish greater digital trust with consumers.
Here are some key takeaways from recent trends related to SSL and TLS certificates.
While protecting your company and customer data is always a primary concern, this task is becoming more difficult, especially in the coronavirus economy. Cyberattacks are on the rise, with over 90 percent of businesses worldwide reporting an increase in data breaches since the beginning of 2020 – and customers are taking notice.
A decline in consumer trust can mean big challenges for businesses and brand relationships. Only 38 percent of consumers report an increase in digital trust related to businesses during the past two years. In addition, nearly half of consumers will terminate a paid relationship with a company after the public disclosure of a data breach.
Consumer trust directly correlates to online sales – an important consideration for businesses with a focus on eCommerce. To help overcome this obstacle, companies with eCommerce stores are finding success by investing in high-assurance SSL and TLS certificates backed by providers who continually meet the latest data privacy standards and regulations. Additionally, Extended Validation Digital Certificates play an important role by showing the highest level of trust mark on your website.
With customer security concerns in mind, most CAs collaborate with leading browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge to provide a safer internet experience for consumers. In turn, SSL and TLS certificate providers work closely with CAs to ensure they meet browser standards for the businesses they sell certificates to.
As more consumers shop from home, mobile browser compatibility is also important to protect customers’ private data when making online purchases via smartphones and tablets. Browser capabilities are continuing to evolve and improve and SSL and TLS root certificate compatibility will be key to a safe and secure transaction experience.
To maintain the trust of businesses with eCommerce stores, SSL and TLS certificate providers must regularly update their offerings to ensure their certificates will effectively provide a secure data experience on leading browsers. The SSL industry and TLS certificate market must also stay aware of new and developing online threats to ensure a safe consumer web transaction experience.
A website may have multiple domains and subdomains, each requiring an individual certificate. As the CA board is mandating a transition away from long-term product ownership, using certificate inventory tools will be critical for keeping track of each certificate, validity periods and renewal time frames. With shorter terms, encryption keys will be refreshed more often, helping to prevent vulnerabilities from entering the space.
Companies are increasingly looking to experienced SSL and TLS certificate providers for their expertise and proven track records for keeping them supplied with data security offerings that consumers trust.
Network Solutions stays current with best practices and evolving SSL and TLS compliance and regulations to offer businesses like yours the best security options. The SSL certificates we provide remove “not secure” language from your browser address bars, display visible security seals to earn customer trust and encrypt client-server communications. They also enable safer use of WiFi and public networks, provide unlimited re-issues regardless of your web host and drive customer engagement and conversions.
As an IT decision-maker, you can trust Network Solutions to make your job easier with efficiencies in validation so you can provide optimal security for your online presence.
While the future of SSL and TSL certificates continues to take shape, Network Solutions has the experience and expertise to keep your website customers safe and secure. Trust us to protect your valuable data both today and tomorrow.
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