V-Intern Task 3: Recommend Secure Socket Layer Certificate Your Task You have been asked by your virtual internship coordinator to research certificate authorities (CA) and the SSL certificates they offer and recommend the CA and certificate your eCommerce should select for your eBusiness

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V-Intern Task 3: Recommend Secure Socket Layer Certificate

Your Task

You have been asked by your virtual internship coordinator to research certificate authorities (CA) and the SSL certificates they offer and recommend the CA and certificate your eCommerce should select for your eBusiness.

 

Value of Communicating Trust. Companies generally obtain a SSL certificate signed by a trusted 3rd-party vendor, or certificate authority (e.g., VeriSign, GlobalSign, Thawte, etc.). Both a self-signed certificate and a certificate signed by a 3rd party encrypt data to create a secure connection. The value of a certificate signed by a CA is communication. It tells your customers the server they are accessing has been verified by a trusted source, and the information contained on that site is legitimate. The issue with using a self-signed certificate is they are almost always flagged as risky. Nearly every web browser checks that an https connection is signed by a recognized CA. If the connection is self-signed, this raises a red flag and the customer will see a message pop up encouraging them to consider the site's validity.  

 

To accept ePayment on the site, you will need to enable the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and to do that you need a SSL certificate. You need look into your options for an SSL certificate. There are a lot of certificate authorities (CAs) and each of them seem to provide a myriad of SSL certificates. You need understand the differences and recommend which one you should purchase.

 

First you start to review the major CAs out there and then narrow it down to the major trusted providers. From there, you write an analysis that compares the different offerings each CA has available. You differentiate the vendors' offerings varied in terms of level of security, price, and browser behavior, including any additional factors in your analysis that you think are relevant as well.

 

At the end of your analysis, you should provide a recommendation for the vendor and product you think best suits your eBusiness needs. This recommendation should include your rationale for the decision.

 

This task requires you to prepare one deliverable:

 

SSL Certificate Analysis and Recommendation that includes your research on certificate authorities, comparing the features of the SSL certificates they offer (e.g. costs, level of security, browser behavior, service level etc.), as well as a recommendation for the provider and product you think best suits your eBusiness needs, supported by your rationale for your recommendation.

 

The steps below will walk you through this process.

 

Get Started

 

1. Review the above instruction from your virtual internship coordinator.

 

2. Make a short list of trusted certificate authorities. You may find CAs by conducting an internet search, or you can visit popular eBusiness sites and find the CA that they use. Based on the information you find, identify 3-5 trusted CAs and focus your analysis on the certificates they offer.

 

3. Compare the SSL certificates available. The SSL certificates and supporting services provided by CAs vary from one vendor to another. Make a list of the key features of each SSL certificate and take notes on how those features differ from one provider to another. For example, your list might include a comparison of the following features:

 

     a. Price of certificate

 

     b. Level of security, e.g., how is security measured?

 

     c. Browser compatibility

 

     d. Customer Visibility, e.g., how will the customer know that the site is secure?

 

     e. Support Services, e.g., customer support, warranty, fraud protection, etc.

 

4. Draft your analysis. In a Word document, summarize the findings of your research, including your list of certificate authorities and the comparison of their SSL certificates and supporting services.

 

5. Evaluate each of the SSL certificates. Use the information you have collected and assess which CA and the specific certificate would best fit your eBusiness needs. Though you will ultimately only recommend one vendor and certificate to the CTO, there may be more than one that appears to make sense for your website. Carefully consider the services of each CA and how each would serve your eBusiness in both short- and long-term capacities.

6. Draft your recommendation. Along with your analysis, include your recommendation for CA and SSL certificate and your rationale for your choice.