An SSL (secure sockets layer) certificate is a digital certificate that both *authenticates the identity of a website, and *encrypts sensitive information so that any passwords, addresses or credit card numbers cannot be intercepted or read by anyone other than the intended recipient. Once a SSL certificate is installed you’ll notice your domain name protocol (website URL prefix) will change from Http: to Https. See URL example below of a website with a SSL certificate installed.
What are the benefits to have a SSL certificated installed?
A SSL certificate is by no means required for your website, but there are a several benefits to having one.
The data contained in your website, like passwords, addresses or credit card numbers will be encrypted.
SSL certificates tell your website visitors that the data within your website is encrypted.
Having a SSL certificate installed will increase your search results ranking with Google
Please Note: Your Learning Management System is still secure without having a SSL certificate installed.
How do I install a SSL Certificate?
Contact your web hosting provider for further details.
VERY IMPORTANT - Installing a SSL Certificate could affect the lesson content in your Learning Management System
Sometimes lesson files contain content that’s linked outside the lesson file itself, like a video or document. For example, if you have a video that is being pulled from Http://www.videohosting.com/example video.mp4 and the URL of your domain starts with Https (because of the installed SSL certificate), that video might not play or the viewers of your lesson could receive a security warning while attempting to play the video.
It’s very important to keep in mind when installing a SSL certificate to your LMS, how it will affect your lesson content. We suggest looking at your content before installing a SSL certificate to see how your content would be affected.
Definitions
Authenticate - The process of identifying an individual, usually based on a username and password. In security systems, authentication is distinct from authorization , which is the process of giving individuals access to system objects based on their identity.
Encrypt - The translation of data into a secret code. Encryption is the most effective way to achieve data security. To read an encrypted file, you must have access to a secret key or password that enables you to decrypt it. Unencrypted data is called plain text ; encrypted data is referred to as cipher text.