Overview of Thawte
The following is a quick Thawte review, which highlights the benefits and features you need to know about this certificate authority’s SSL solutions.
Details such as SSL certificate plans, features as well as pros and cons will be discussed. These facts can help you make an informed decision on whether or not to settle for Thawte.
Does my Business Site Need SSL?
All websites, not just business sites, should use SSL. As cybercriminals find new ways to target sites, SSL is a simple (and relatively affordable) way to help secure your site and protect the privacy and financial information of users.
Here’s why your business site needs SSL:
- Ensures the connection between your site and your customer is encrypted
- Helps to protects against hackers
- As of 2018, Google began flagging sites as Not Secure if they are not HTTPS
- You cannot have HTTPS (displaying the padlock on the browser bar) without SSL
- Ensuring your business is secure builds trust with your customers
- Protects your customer’s payment information
- Hides password if your site is password protected
- If your customers are entering information into web forms, SSL keeps this data safe
- Potentially improves SEO
Video above: What is SSL? This video provides a quick explanation.
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What are the Main Features of Thawte?
Thawte SSL options vary in pricing based on the type of digital certificate that you need and how long the validity period lasts. Although some features are exclusive to specific SSL certificate types, several standard offerings cut across all plans.
For example, every Thawte SSL certificate comes with a 21-day free trial to test drive their SSL certificates, a secure https domain, a downloadable Thawte site seal logo, and over 99% browser compatibility. In addition, subscribers receive expiry date reminders automatically so that they can renew SSL certificates on time every time.
How Does Thawte Stand Out From the Competition?
Thawte’s packages include a variety of functions to offer the best SSL plan for businesses.
- Thawte Trusted Site Seal
- Access to Thawte Certificate Center to easily manage certificates
- Unlimited server licensing
- Free reissues
- Access to SSL/TLS tools
- 99% Browser compatibility
- Industry leading tech support
- Up to 256-bit encryption strength
- 30-day money back guarantee
How Does Thawte Keep My Site Secure?
Thawte SSL certificates offer incredible security and peace of mind. Each digital certificate encrypts your website with 256-bit keys, which is the highest level of encryption in the industry.
In fact, Thawte is very confident about the caliber of security and safety that their SSL certificates provide, so much so that they back each plan with a warranty worth thousands of dollars.
Build Brand Trust With Thawte Trusted Site Seal
This seal serves as a trust symbol and helps increase visitor’s trust by signaling that their information is protected.
Extras
Thawte doesn’t offer a lot of extra features but they do have some unique offerings such as a money back guarantee, free re-issues of SSL certificates that are still valid, an installation checker, over 500K NetSure Warranty, and the Thawte Certification Centre portal.
The last extra feature allows you to use Thawte’s intuitive control panel and manage all of their products from one place. We go into more detail below.
Thawte Certification Centre
This is an intuitive dashboard where SSL certificate holders can manage their account. This includes renewing certificates, buying additional certificates, and managing your code signing certificates.
Types of SSL Certificates
Thawte offers three major types of SSL certificates, which should be renewed annually by default. However, users who intend to use Thawte SSL solutions for long periods can opt for digital certificates with 2 or 3-year validity periods.
The certificate types include SSL WebServer with EV, SSL Web Server, and SSL 123. If you need to validate multiple subdomains, they also offer an SSL Web Server Wildcard certificate.
What Type of SSL Does a Small Business Need?
For most small businesses with simple websites, the SSL 123 will cover your needs. If you process purchases, the SSL Web Server with EV offers additional protection.
In terms of features, here’s a quick breakdown of what every Thawte SSL has to offer:
Domain Level Validation
Thawte offers only one domain level validation SSL certificate. This option is known as the 123 SSL certificate. It’s the entry-level plan, offering encryption for 1 domain name and the golden padlock in the address bar that lets users know they are on a secure connection.
The domain level validation SSL has the fastest authentication wait times since it’s usually issued within minutes after application.
Organization Level Validation
If you’re looking for organization level validation SSL certificates, Thawte offers two options. Their SSL web server certificates only secure a single domain. For multi-domain encryption, you’ll need to buy a SAN certificate at an extra cost.
The second security certificate Thawte offers in the organization validation level is the Wildcard SSL. With this option, you have the choice of encrypting multiple sub-domains using a single certificate at no additional cost. Full organization validation takes time to authenticate and hence
Thawte only issues SSL certificates in this category within 1 business day.
Extended Validation
Thawte’s web server SSL certificates with extended validation usually take 1-3 days to acquire. However, these are the only SSL certificates that display the green address bar with a secure site name and full identification credentials for your company or business.
The standard EV SSL certificate can only secure one domain. By accruing a SAN digital certificate, you can encrypt more than one domain but you’ll incur an additional cost for this feature.
Thawte’s Money Back Guarantee
In general, SSL certificates are pretty standard and once they are installed you are unlikely to have any issues. However, it is nice that Thawte offers a 30-day money back guarantee.
Video above: An SSL certificate is a foundational part of doing business online. Find out why in this video.
Help and Support
Since Thawte is a subsidiary of Symantec, their help and support services match those of a world-class SSL provider.
Customers can get in touch with the support team via live chat, phone or email. Thawte customer support offices are based in multiple cities around the world, allowing clients to access multilingual support.
For DIY users, the knowledge center is a great place to find troubleshooting guides, help articles, video tutorials, installation instructions, and answered FAQs.
Thawte makes it easy to find help documentation since the knowledge center features a search box and categorized links pointing to help pages.
Summary
While the ability to secure multiple domains with a single certificate would be a great offering, Thawte’s multiple SSL products are quite comprehensive.
Whether you want domain level validation, a Wildcard SSL, or EV authentication, Thawte offers a wide range of digital certificates to cater to every budget and web security need. Overall, their services can be relied on if you’re looking for an encryption service from a reputable SSL provider.
Pros
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Thawte SSL certificates work with almost all browsers (offering over 99% browser compatibility).
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Best in class SSL certificates offering up to 256-bit encryption.
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Free 21-day trial to test drive.
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NetSure warranty for all SSL plans.
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Wide range of digital certificates to choose from, including domain, organization and extended level validation.
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SLL products compatible with IDNs (internationalized domain names).
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Convenient online application process.
Cons
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To encrypt more than 1 domain, you must purchase an additional SAN (subject alternative names) certificate.
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