Choosing an SSL certificate manager is an important decision for any business website. SSL certificates enable encrypted connections between browsers and websites, providing security and trust for your users. The right certificate manager should make purchasing, installing, renewing, and managing your SSL certificates easy.
There are many factors to consider when choosing an SSL certificate manager. You need to evaluate options based on the level of security, the types of certificates available, compatibility with your servers and clients, customer support, and costs.
You can find an SSL certificate management system tailored to your requirements and budget by understanding the key factors involved and evaluating available options. The extra diligence upfront will give you confidence in the integrity and security of your websites and web applications for years.
This article will explore key factors to consider before selecting a trusted certificate manager.
Table of Contents
5 Key Factors to Choosing the Right SSL Certificate Manager.
1. Types of certificates supported
Different types of SSL certificates have different uses, requirements, and pricing. Make sure to select a security certificate management system that supports all the specific certificates you need for your web properties, applications, and services. The main types of certificates include domain-validated, organization-validated, extended validation, wildcard certificates, unified communications, and code-signing certificates.
For example, if you run an e-commerce site, you will likely need both DV and EV certificates to support your online store. At the same time, a software company may require both website certificates and code signing certificates. So, the types of certificates you need will influence your shortlist of SSL certificate managers to only those that support all the necessary certificate types.
2. System and server compatibility
When choosing an SSL certificate manager, it is crucial to consider its compatibility with your organization’s web servers, domain names, hosting providers, applications, and systems. Incompatible certificate managers can create issues during deployment, management, and troubleshooting.
You can test deploy trial certificates to confirm full compatibility with your technical environment. Only a fully compatible certificate manager can provide seamless SSL certificate management. Therefore, compatibility is important to consider while shortlisting and selecting a trusted certificate manager for your organization.
3. Security
Security is crucial to effective certificate management. A good certificate manager should support the latest encryption standards, utilize secure protocols, have strong access controls, and properly protect your data.
The manager’s security practices should adhere to your organization’s policies and industry compliance. Look for timely security updates, external audits, and transparency around security issues for additional assurance. Before trusting a manager with certificate management, thoroughly evaluate its security controls, practices, and track record.
4. Customer support
Customer support is important to getting the most out of your certificate management system. Make sure that the support team is available 24/7, responds quickly, and provides multiple support channels.
The support team should have in-depth knowledge and a clear escalation path to ensure the timely resolution of issues for successful certificate deployment and maintenance. Ask about customer satisfaction ratings, response times, and resolution rates for transparency. Along with features and security, consider how effectively the support team can assist with issues that will inevitably arise.
5. Costs
You need to get the most value for your budget. Evaluate and compare the pricing models, base prices, additional fees, long-term costs, value-add features, scalability tiers, and potential hidden costs. Competitive pricing is important, but features, functionality, and compatibility also matter. Identify the most cost-effective certificate manager that meets your technical requirements, not just the cheapest.
While cost can influence your decision, evaluate it together with all other relevant factors to find the optimal solution. Sectigo’s SSL certificate manager provides you with a cost-effective and comprehensive solution to efficiently manage your digital certificates.
Improving Your IT Security with the Right SSL Certificate Manager
Choosing the right SSL certificate manager is important for simplifying the process of deploying and managing certificates. A good manager can help your organization derive full value from SSL certificates while reducing the administrative burden by automating tasks and centralizing the certificate management process. Sectigo offers robust and easy-to-use SSL certificate management solutions with improved compatibility, security, and cost-effective pricing.
