SSL Information Center - 10 Tips for Managing Multiple Servers from VeriSign, Inc.

If you exchange secure information between Web servers and clients, facilitate server-to-server connections, or support server load balancing or SSL acceleration, you are managing cross-network security for multiple servers. These 10 tips from VeriSign will help you save time and money without sacrificing the trust of your customers.

1. Choose a management tool with a single point of control.

Managing enrollment, issuance, and renewals of certificates one-by-one is tedious and time-consuming. The VeriSign® Certificate Center allows you to view order status, renew an expiring certificate, or download a backup at any time. To purchase a large number of certificates for issuance by multiple administrators to different organizations or business units, choose Managed PKI for SSL.

2. Look for instant issuance with high-quality authentication.

VeriSign offers different levels of control, depending on your organizational needs. With a VeriSign® Certificate Center Enterprise Account, you can pre-approve organizational and contact information. When you request a pre-approved certificate, VeriSign needs only to verify the domain. If your organization is the legal holder of the domain, you can expect to receive your certificate within one hour of submitting your request. With Managed PKI for SSL, VeriSign authenticates the primary administrator who pre-purchases VeriSign® SSL Certificates for instant issuance. Administrators can be assigned organizations as well as roles and privileges to manage security, account configuration or certificates.

3. Take advantage of volume pricing.

If you need four or more SSL Certificates per year, you can save time and money by bundling your annual SSL purchases into one transaction with Volume Discounts. Units can be redeemed throughout the year to issue SSL Certificates when you need them. Each certificate's validity period begins when it is issued by the administrator. And all certificates can be managed from your VeriSign® Certificate Center Enterprise Account. Volume pricing is also available through Managed PKI for SSL.

4. Take advantage of a longer validity period.

Reduce your management time by choosing a multi-year certificate whenever possible. When you purchase multiple certificates through VeriSign Certificate Center Enterprise Account or Managed PKI for SSL, you receive expiry notification alerts and can generate reports based on expiration date in 30, 60, or 90 days.

5. Issue a unique certificate for each server.

To ensure a common, high-level standard of security across all types of configurations, VeriSign recommends that you do not share or copy certificates among servers. To support redundant server backups, server load balancing, or SSL acceleration, VeriSign offers a licensing option for certificates.

6. Maximize customer confidence with a verifiable trust mark.

Concerns about identity theft and browser warnings erode consumer confidence, even on secured pages. The best way to communicate to Web site users that pages are secure and your site is legitimate is to install Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates and display the VeriSign Secured® Seal, the most trusted mark on the Internet. (See VeriSign Secured Seal.) When shoppers visit a Web site secured with Extended Validation SSL Certificates, new high-security browsers will display your URL in a green address bar next to your company name and the trusted VeriSign name. (Learn more about SSL Security and Extended Validation).

7. Customize enrollment pages to streamline processing.

If you have multiple administrators managing SSL Certificates for multiple business units, Managed PKI for SSL enables administrators to customize enrollment pages for instant issuance and generate email alerts for appropriate administrators. The Web-based portal offers a single point for quick response to requests for all your VeriSign certificates across your enterprise.

8. Choose the strongest possible SSL Certificates.

Internet users the world over still use browsers and operating systems that will not connect at the strongest encryption level available to them unless there is an SGC-enabled certificate on the server. VeriSign is the leading SSL provider of SGC-enabled SSL Certificates, enabling 128- or 256-bit encryption for over 99.9% of Internet users. (SGC: Strongest SSL Encryption.)

9. Purchase certificates from a trusted, experienced SSL provider.

VeriSign* secures over 1,000,000 Web servers worldwide, including the world’s top 40 banks and over 95% of Fortune 500 companies, making us the leading SSL provider worldwide.

10. Protect your reputation and improve your online business.

When your company protects the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information, your business benefits. Customers complete their transactions online. Partners trust you with sensitive business information. And you gain a reputation as a reliable online resource. (E-Commerce, Trust, and SSL.)

*Includes VeriSign subsidiaries, affiliates, and resellers.

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