Additional features for the GlobalSign SSL [Part 4 of a 4 part series]

If you've come to our GlobalSign website or been approached by any of us, you've probably seen the term SSL. We've started a four part series where we blog about SSL Security and what it means for you. Stay tuned each week as we break down SSL into bite-sized bits.

This is the last article of the series.

When we provide our SSL Certificates, we also provide our customers with the GlobalSign Secure Site Seal for free. The clickable GlobalSign Secure Site Seal indicates to the customer that their information is secure and offers additional reassurance to the closed padlock icon that appears in the browser with every SSL connection.

 Adding the mark of trust to your website – the Secure Site Seal Secure Site Seal
 



SSL Secure Site Seals are a sign of trust on the Internet. They show website visitors that your business or website have been authenticated and you have invested in the SSL to secure their transactions and data. The Secure Site Seal is another indicator of trust and security outside of the HTTP turning into HTTPS and the browser displaying the yellow padlock. The presence of a “trust mark” such as the GlobalSign Secure Site Seal will help visitors trust your website, and help convert general visitors into paying customers. Do not risk potential customers abandoning their shopping carts and web forms - display the Secure Site Seal to give them the confidence to complete the transaction.

The Secure Site Seal is available free of charge to all GlobalSign SSL Certificate customers. Adding the Secure Site Seal to all your web pages will give immediate tangible trust benefits, with significant effects:

• Increases general visitor to customer conversion rates
• Reduces abandonment from unsure potential customers

The GlobalSign Secure Site Seal also provides useful features to aid customers, and your webmaster implement and match your website style:

• "Click to Verify" - customers can view your company information for added credibility
• Selection of sizes and formats - static GIF or animated Flash
• Easy to install into any web page – simply copy and paste some canned HTML code
  into the location on the page where you wish for the Secure Site Seal to be displayed

We hope that this information is useful. This ends our 4-part series, we hope that you found it informative and useful.

For more information, you can always visit us at our GlobalSign website.

Breaking down the SSL Certificate Classifications [Part 3 of a 4 part series]

If you've come to our GlobalSign website or been approached by any of us, you've probably seen the term SSL. We've started a four part series where we blog about SSL Security and what it means for you. Stay tuned each week as we break down SSL into bite-sized bits. 

This week, we'll introduce the various types of SSL Certificates that we offer:

What are the types of SSL Certificates?

Over the last few years the number of organisations using SSL Certificates has increased dramatically.  The applications for which SSL is being used has also expanded.  For example:

• Some organisations need SSL simply for confidentiality, e.g. encryption
• Some organisations wish to use SSL to enhance trust in their security and identity,
  e.g. they want to show customers they have been vetted and are a legitimate
  organization

As the applications for SSL have started to become wider, three types of SSL Certificate have emerged:

Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates:  where the Certification Authority checks the right of the applicant to use a specific domain name PLUS it conducts a THOROUGH vetting of the organisation.   The issuance process of EV Certificates is strictly defined in the EV Guidelines, as formally ratified by the CA/Browser forum in 2007, that specify all the steps required for a Certification Authority (CA) before issuing a certificate, and includes:

• Verifying the legal, physical and operational existence of the entity
• Verifying that the identity of the entity matches official records
• Verifying that the entity has exclusive right to use the domain specified in the EV Certificate
• Verifying that the entity has properly authorized the issuance of the EV Certificate

EV Certificates are available for all types of businesses, including government entities and both incorporated and unincorporated businesses. A second set of guidelines, the EV Audit Guidelines, specify the criteria under which a CA needs to be successfully audited before issuing EV Certificates. The audits are repeated yearly to ensure the integrity of the issuance process.

• Organisation Validation (OV) SSL Certificates:  where the Certification Authority checks the right of the applicant to use a specific domain name PLUS it conducts some vetting of the organisation.  Additional vetted company information is displayed to customers when clicking on the Secure Site Seal, giving enhanced visbility in who is behind the site and associated enhanced trust.
  
• Domain Validation (DV) SSL Certificates:  where the Certification Authority checks the right of the applicant to use a specific domain name.  No company identity information is vetted and no information is displayed other than encryption information within the Secure Site Seal.
  
  

1. Extended Validation: GlobalSign ExtendedSSL

The latest, and possibly most significant, advancement in SSL technology since its initial inception follows the standardized Extended Validation guidelines.  New high security browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 7+, Opera 9.5+, Firefox 3+, Google Chrome,  Apple Safari 3.2+ and iPhone Safari 3.0+ identify ExtendedSSL Certificates as EV Certificates and activate the browser interface security enhancements, such as the Green Bar.  For customers who wish to assert the highest levels of authenticity, ExtendedSSL is the ideal solution.  

2. Organisation Validation: GlobalSign OrganizationSSL

GlobalSign has been issuing organisation validation Certificates for 10 years.  Companies applying for OrganizationSSL have their company details vetted before issuance.

3. Domain Validation: GlobalSign DomainSSL

DomainSSL Certificates are fully supported and share the same browser recognition with OrganisationSSL, but come with the advantage of being issued in only 5 minutes and without the need to submit company paperwork.  This makes DomainSSL ideal for businesses needing a low cost SSL quickly and without the effort of submitting company documents.  

To round off the last of our four part series, we'll introduce some additional features that come with your SSL Certificate order.

Stay tuned!

January 2012 News Roundup

It's almost the end of January, so here's a quick round-up of some of our top news for this month:

1. 30% Spring Festival Discount for GlobalSign Hong Kong customers!

It's time for you to get SSL or Code-Signing certificates for your company! Or else why not consider renewing your certs if they're reaching their expiry date? If you're a new GlobalSign customer, we're sweetening the deal with a 30% discount for those in Hong Kong. 

Get your 30% discount!

2. Former CTO of Networking4all is appointed as Business Development Director for GlobalSign EMEA

We've announced the appointment of a new Business Development Director for EMEA. Paul van Brouwershaven, former CTO of Networking4all, brings a wealth of industry knowledge and experience to further accelerate GlobalSign's expansion in Europe.

For the full press release, visit our GlobalSign site.

3. QiQ Communications signs on as our first customer for the APAC region!

"The decision to deploy OneClickSSL has enabled us to offer an affordable and efficient SSL solution to our clients," said Peter Harris, Managing Director, QiQ Communications. "An SSL voucher may now be purchased via QiQ's online billing system and activated within a client's hosting control panel with minimal fuss. Clients may choose to complete this simple process themselves or alternatively, QiQ can administrate SSL on their behalf."

For the full press release, visit our GlobalSign site.

If you haven't received it in your mailbox already, the January Newsletter is also out!

30% Discount to welcome the Dragon Year!

Enter the Dragon year with a ROAR!

恭喜發財! 

Kung Hei Fat Choi! 

It's 2012 this year, have you started acting on your New Year Resolution yet? 

To make it just a tad bit easier, we're offering a generous 30% discount for any SSL or Code Signing Certificate for our Hong Kong customers! 

Just key in the campaign code when you're ready to make your purchase for any SSL or Code Sign products. 

Start the 2012 on the right note - grab your discount at our Hong Kong page now! 

Our 2012 Security Predictions for Asia

2012 - it's the year of the Olympics and supposedly it's also the end of the world, but we're more interested in the online security scene and how it will pan out in the coming year as more customers join the online market.

1. Online Attacks Grow in Asia

We're barely into our second week and we've been hit by news that various Philippine government websites were defaced and brought down by hackers on New Year's Day.

This was shortly followed by news that the National University of Singapore had its database breached. Hackers made away and subsequently published university information, which included staff usernames, domain information and hashed passwords.

2. IT Security Spending Remains Strong Despite a Weaker Forecast

With the growth in online attacks, it is worrisome that companies now face a slower growth in IT spending this year. Gartner has forecast a dip in spending, projecting a growth of 3.7 percent to total US$3.8 trillion in 2012, a decrease from 2011, when spending reached US $3.7 million and rose from 6.9 percent from 2010 levels.

Nevertheless, IT Security spending is still strong, with reports stating that 37% of information security professionals say their business plans to increase its security spending, while only 16% expect their security spending to decrease. With the overall downturn in the market, it is inevitable for some cautious spending in the year ahead.

Companies have to make wise decisions regarding their IT services and it is imperative to find a choice that balances both the price as well as the quality of services offered.

3. The Rise of Cloud Computing in Asia

Cloud Computing has been highlighted as the number one technology priority for companies in 2012. Cloud adoption is not just limited to big companies, even Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are predicted to adopt the Cloud, attracted by the relatively low set-up cost involved.

Nevertheless, Cloud Security is highlighted as a security concern, with many worried about the safety of one's data stored in the Cloud. Our CloudSSL is an SSL distribution service available via API and is designed specifically to help web services operate securely in the Cloud. It is able to operate in any IaaS, PaaS or SaaS usage environment. There are a myriad of Cloud solutions available and it is vital that users choose the right type of Cloud service to match your business needs.

4. What is your IT wishlist for 2012?

With a plethora of IT products and services hitting the shelves this year, what is your IT wishlist for this year?

Check out our GlobalSign Singapore Website for your SSL, Email Encryption, Code Signing and PDF Signing needs! Or Contact Us and let one of our friendly customer service representatives help you out!

An Quick Introduction to GlobalSign

Curious to know about what GlobalSign does? Here's some quick facts on GlobalSign to get you started.

Who are we? 
We provide core Digital Certificate solutions to allow thousands of authenticated customers to conduct secure online transactions, data transfer, distribution of tamper-proof code, and protection of online identities for secure email and access control.

What are some of our key products?

• SSL Certificates 
• Digital IDs/Email Encryption 
• Code Signing
• PDF Signing
• ePKI 

Depending on your requirements, we have consumer, developer and enterprise-level solutions.

What have we achieved?
We have issued over 200,000 SSL server Certificates and 1.4 million Digital Certificates / Digital IDs to people, web sites and machines. Over 20 million Certificates worldwide rely on the public trust provided by the GlobalSign root.

To find out more about our products and services, do visit http://www.globalsign.com.sg/digital-certificates/ for more information.