SSL (Secured Socket Layer)

What is SSL?

SSL (Secured Socket Layer), is used for sending and receiving sensitive information such as Credit Card information across the World Wide Web.

When to use SSL:

SSL is not generally, nor should it be used for all pages on a website. SSL is most commonly used for the sending and receiving of sensitive information such as credit cards, membership ID's, or customer billing information access. SSL need only be used on the "particular" page where the secure activity is taking place.  ALWAYS use SSL when asking for credit card information. If visitors do not observe the https// appearing on the form URL, and the "SSL Symbol", does not illuminate in their browser, they won't be doing a whole lot of business with you. No one wants his or her credit card information intercepted and stolen as the result of a site not using SSL encryption!

SSL Usage:

You may purchase your own secure certificate or you can share a certificate. The two are essentially the same, however one will display "VenturesOnline" as the certificate holder, and the other, (which you must purchase) displays "your company" as the certificate holder. Essentially, when visitors click on an SSL enabled page, they receive a message that displays information about the owner of the SSL certificate. In most cases, e-commerce based websites would prefer to have 'their' name appear as the holder because it maintains a professional appearance. Alternatively, and if it matters not, you could simply use our default SSL server, however visitors will see "VenturesOnline" as the owner of the certificate.


Calling a page via SSL:

All of our web hosting packages are SSL enabled. Use of our "default" SSL system is included in your account package. To call a page using SSL, simply enter https://secure22.vosn.net/~username/anypage.html, and a prompt may appear, which states "Security Alert." (Security Alert display is set within your own individual browser, so it may not always display). It also provides information on whether the certificate is valid or not, as well as ability to view the "certificates ownership information." Go ahead, to see what we mean, give it a try here: https://secure22.vosn.net/~designin/index.html.

You will observe a "Small Lock" symbol appearing in the bottom of your browser (left for Netscape, right for Internet Explorer). This is to verify that you are now officially in SSL secure transaction mode. At this point, any information sent or received from this page is encrypted between you and our server.

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