[ic] Quick Question

[Jim Balcom]

On Tue, 10 Apr 2001, Jason Osborne wrote:

JO>>I know this is totally off the topic, but I was sitting here trying to
JO>>figure it out and since Interchange uses SSL I thought someone might know
JO>>something about this. I noticed that I have a test certificate that came
JO>>installed out of the box when I installed openssl. I was wondering how to
JO>>get a real key, can I just make one or do I have to pay loads of cash each
JO>>year for one?

For starters, read the long message that I just posted.

You can use the test certificate, but your customers are going to get
continual warnings from their browser to the effect that you may be a
phony trying to rip them off.

You are going to need to buy a real key and renew it each year. Thawte
is charging $225 per year for a cert (www.thawte.com) (Or, is it $250?)

If you are going to do business on the internet you MUST have a cert,
and it must be registered to a domain that you are doing business
under. Otherwise, people will get complaints from their browser.

Having a secure server and a cert is a GREAT investment. I had one for
a year. When it ran out, I let it lapse for a year. During that time I
received a couple of e-mails from people about my lack of a secure
server, and their refusal to buy from me. On January 3rd, I put the
secure server back up. Oct, Nov, and Dec sales were flat. January, the
first month with a cert, they did a dramatic increase and they have
been skyrocketing since. I made no significant changes to my methods of
merchandising, or advertising. As far as I am concerned, that cert has
paid for itself many times over.

The internet is full of rip-off schemes, and plenty of people that are
only out to get your money. People are scared, especially when it comes
to putting their credit card on the line. They don't have too much to
judge you by when they place their first order. But, 2 things that they
DO want is a secure server, one that their browser is not going to puke
on, or throw up warnings about; and they want their charge cards
processed by that company. If you placed an order at Amazon.com and
your credit card statement said that you had made the purchase at
'Podunk Processing', you should be concerned about what is going on.
 

-= Jim =-

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