SSL - SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. This is a port on the server that is configured a particular way with what is called an encryption certificate. SSL allows us to have a secure and safe environment for exchanging sensitive information such as personal contact info and credit card numbers.

Using SSL, PGP and your favorite shopping solution (see step one) you can integrate your Ecommerce solution and your merchant account with a credit card processing company such as Cybercash. This can allow for real time credit card processing. Another use for SSL and Retail Ecommerce are those merchants who do not require real time credit card processing and wish to swipe. Your Shopping Solution may have an option to process requests from an administration location in the program. Therefore, using SSL you can take orders, store them in a database, and then also using SSL retrieve and process them through your storefront terminal.

Shared SSL - Most webhosts have a single secuity certificate created for their own domain. That would be: https://your-host.com
Common practice has become webhosts using virtual links, folders and domain pointers to allow you to use their security certificate. Therefore https://your-host.com/yourdomain/ could also be https://yourdomain.com/.

Getting a security certificate - You can obtain (or your host can obtain for you) your own secuity certificate for your business at one of two most prominent places: Thawte and Verisign . Both cost to create your certificate, neither option is particularly cheap and your webhost will have to implement the certificate after you (or they) obtain it.

Questions to ask :
1) Will your customers have the confidence they need to make a purchase after they find out that you dont have your own security certificate?

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