The global organisations that issue SSL certificates have different methods in place for verifying domain ownership. These vary according to the type of certificate. The verification process for issuing a domain certificate is fully automated, which means a lower level of credibility. On the other hand, we have business and extended certificates where the individual company is properly verified. As a result, the credibility of websites that have a more advanced type of SSL certificate installed is at a much higher level.

As HTTP connectivity is fast becoming obsolete this year, we’ll spend a few words on business SSL certificates. These should be the first choice of small and medium-sized businesses that want to tell visitors to their website or online shop that they are a trustworthy company and that their websites are completely secure.

To help you decide which SSL certificate is right for you, here are the advantages and disadvantages of business certificates compared to domain and extended certificates. We have focused on SSL certificates from the renowned issuer Sectigo (Comodo), which are also available in our offer.

Advantages and disadvantages of OV SSL compared to DV SSL

If we compare a business SSL certificate with a domain SSL certificate, we can highlight the following advantages:

• Verification of the company: In a domain certificate, the issuer only verifies the ownership of the domain (a verification link is sent to the domain email address), whereas a business certificate also includes a “manual” verification of the company, association or organisation.
• Increased trust: Business verification assures website visitors that there is a trustworthy company behind the website. The name of the company to which the certificate has been issued is written in the certificate itself. Because visitors can verify this, they are more likely to trust such a website.
• Higher Issuer Guarantee: The guarantee ensures that website visitors are entitled to compensation in the event of online fraud resulting from a wrongly issued certificate. For commercial SSL certificates, the issuer’s guarantee is much higher – up to $250,000.
• Dynamic seal: Most domain certificates include a simple static seal that the website owner uses to remind visitors to use the SSL certificate. Business certificates include a dynamic seal that can be used to authenticate the business and the website at any time.

Now let’s look at the disadvantages of a business certificate compared to a domain certificate:

• Higher price: the cheapest of the domain certificates we offer is Sectigo Positive SSL, which is priced at just €19.90. The cheapest certificate for corporate and business websites is Sectigo Instant SSL, which costs €114.90.
• Longer issuance time: because the issuance process is fully automated, a domain certificate can be obtained in just a few minutes. A business certificate also requires verification of the company, so the whole process takes up to 26 days.

ov ssl certificate for ip address

Did you know that an SSL certificate can also be issued for an IP address? You can order an SSL certificate for a domain, but what if you want to use it for an IP address? This is also possible, check below how to get one.

Seven conditions for obtaining an SSL certificate for an IP address

The following conditions must be met before an SSL certificate can be issued:

1. SSL can only be issued for a public IP address.
2. Your organisation must be the owner of the IP address for which you want to use an SSL certificate.
3. The issuer of the SSL certificate must be able to verify the ownership of the IP through the IP WHOIS database. The following information must be visible: organisation name, physical address, telephone number and email address.
4. Only a business SSL certificate is available to protect the IP address.
5. If you choose a Multi-Domain Business SSL Certificate, you must enter your IP address in the CN(Common Name) field or in the SAN(Subject Alternative Name) field. If you use SAN, the certificate will not work on Windows OS 8.1 and earlier.
6. SSL certificates cannot be issued for reserved IP addresses (within the scope of RFC 1918 and RFC 4193), private IP addresses (IPv4, IPv6), intranets, local servers and private domain extensions.
7. An SSL certificate for an IP address cannot be issued for domain and extended (EV) certificates.

If you meet the above conditions, simply order the desired business SSL certificate and say that you want to protect your IP address.

Advantages and disadvantages of OV SSL compared to EV SSL

A business SSL certificate has the following advantages over an extended SSL certificate:

• Lower price: We’ve already mentioned the cheapest of the business certificates, now let’s take a look at how much the cheapest extended certificate – Sectigo EV SSL– costs. It is priced at €299.90.
• Faster issuance time: Issuing a business certificate requires much less company verification than issuing an extended certificate. With an extended certificate, the process from order to certificate takes up to 41 days.
• Fewer restrictions: the Business SSL Certificate is also suitable for start-ups, whereas the Extended Business SSL Certificate is not. In the latter case, the company must have been in existence for at least three years. You can read more about the eligibility requirements for the Extended Certificate in this post.

Compared to the extended certificate, the business certificate has two disadvantages:

• Lower level of credibility: because there is less verification of the company before the certificate itself is issued, the level of credibility is correspondingly lower for the Business Certificate. In fact, this is hardly a disadvantage, as the high guarantees of the issuer guarantee that the SSL certificate is definitely issued to a credible and trustworthy company.
• Reduced visibility of certificate use: The main advantage of an extended SSL certificate is the green box next to the URL address, which displays the name of the company to which the certificate has been issued. This is by far the most visible visual element, clearly telling visitors that they are on a trusted and secure website.

Which business certificate should I choose?

When it comes to choosing the issuer itself, we definitely recommend that you choose an SSL certificate from Sectigo (Comodo CA), which is considered the number one certified issuer in the world.

Business SSL certificates can also be distinguished according to their intended use. They can be divided into three groups:

1. Basic SSL certificate: designed to verify and protect a single domain or subdomain. In most cases, it is a domain (example: vasadomena.si), but it should be noted that the certificate is also valid for its www version (example: www.vasadomena.si).At NEOSERV, we offer three basic business SSL certificates:
   • Sectigo Instant SSL
   • Sectigo Instant SSL Pro
   • Sectigo Premium SSL
2. Wildcard SSL certificate: the so-called “wildcard” certificate is designed to verify and protect the domain and all associated subdomains (for example: vasadomena.si, www.vasadomena.si, shop.vasadomena.si, blog.vasadomena.si, mail.vasadomena.si, …). This type of SSL certificate is e.g. chosen by blogging platforms where users create their blogs on subdomains. You can purchase a businesswildcardcertificate from us:
   • Sectigo Premium SSL Wildcard
3. Multi-domain SSL certificate: as its name suggests, this SSL certificate is designed to verify and protect multiple domains at the same time. The investment therefore makes sense for companies with multiple websites. At NEOSERV, we have also provided the option to purchase a multi-domain business certificate:
   • Sectigo Multi-Domain SSL

Business SSL certificates are designed for small and medium-sized businesses. If you are an individual with a simple blog or personal website, a domain certificate will be quite sufficient. However, if you have a business, it is advisable to install a business certificate on your domain, where the verification process also includes a business verification.

We advise you to inform your visitors accordingly after installing an SSL certificate on your website. The easiest way to do this is to use a dynamic seal, which you can place in a prominent position. You can read more about SSL certificate seals here.

Finally, there are a number of major companies that have a choice of business and extended SSL certificates. For those who qualify for an Extended Certificate, we strongly recommend it. The green box is synonymous with secure website use, which is particularly important for online shops and websites that handle personal, transactional and other sensitive data.

Still not sure which SSL certificate would be best for your website? Call us on 059 335 000 or send us an email at info@neoserv.si. We’ll be happy to help you make the right decision!