Many clients often ask us if there is a solution to secure a website along with its sub-domains. The quick and easy answer is yes. A Wildcard SSL certificate does exactly that, by definition a Wildcard certificate will secure the main domain and any sub-domains. For example, if your website is www.sslguru.com the wildcard certificate will secure the main domain (www.sslguru.com) along with any sub-domains (us.sslguru.com, secure.sslguru.com admin.sslguru.com etc.)
If you are somewhat tech savvy then installing the SSL certificate should be a breeze. However before purchasing the wildcard certificate it is important to distinguish between the different brands and what each certificate offers. There are a lot of different variables but there are three major ones that you should review before making your purchase.
Warranty- Depending on the size and structure of your business the warranty amount can be very important. Generally speaking, the warranty for an SSL certificate ensures that your users will be protected up to a certain amount if any loss should result from that certificate. For a small online business I would recommend a warranty amount between $10,000 and $100,000. For medium sized online businesses I generally recommend warranties between $100,000 and $750,000 and for large online companies a warranty of at least $1,000,000.
Server License- The next variable you should consider is the Server License. Depending on the brand, server licenses are generally either limited to one server or to an unlimited amount of servers. If you are using more than one server to host your site, it is very important to purchase a certificate that has an unlimited amount of server licenses.
Re-issue Policy- The last variable that I would consider before making my Wildcard purchase is the re-issue policy. Servers have a tendency to crash; if this should happen and you are stuck with a certificate that doesn’t reissue then you will have to pay for that same product again. Companies that offer unlimited re-issues include but are not limited to Digicert, Symantec, Comodo and Domeny.
For more information about Wildcard SSL or the different brands we offer check out our knowledgebase https://sslguru.com/faq.html. If you have any questions or need additional help purchasing an SSL certificate feel free to contact us.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
