AlphaSSL is owned by GlobalSign, the second oldest Certificate Authority (CA) next to Symantec. As they are the second oldest CA, their SSL certificates are recognized by 99% of all web browsers.

AlphaSSL certificates are chained certificates. This means they provide the same level of acceptance but with a higher level of security than single-root certificates. In fact, PayPal uses a chained certificate for their own website.

Benefits:

  • Provides more security than single-root certificates! Chained SSL certificates are more secure than single-root certificates since installing an intermediate certificate keeps the top root certificate secure. It is important to keep the root certificate secure since the security of any SSL certificate depends solely on the root certificate.
  • More bang for your buck! Covers both 'versions' of your domain with one SSL certificate. Example: Secures both https://www.yourdomain.com and https://yourdomain.com if you order a SSL certificate for the hostname, "www.yourdomain.com".
  • Provides up to 256-bit encryption for your website.
  • Works with much more micro/cell phone browsers than RapidSSL.
  • Is issued from a 2048 bit Root Certificate which meets the NIST (National Institute of Standards & Technology) recommendation to use 2048 bit keys.

Disadvantages:

  • Can be a little more difficult to install than RapidSSL.

Compatibility List

The following applications recognize AlphaSSL certificates:



Web Browsers (SSL/TLS enabled)
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 5.01+
  • Netscape Communicator 4.51+
  • Mozilla Firefox 1.0+
  • AOL 5+
  • Opera 6.1+
  • Apple Safari 1.0+
  • Red Hat Linux Konqueror (KDE)
  • Microsoft WebTV
  • Camino

Micro Browsers & Handsets (SSL/TLS enabled)
  • Netfront 3.0+
  • Opera 4.10+
  • Microsoft Windows Mobile 5/6
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer Pocket PC 2003
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer Smartphone 2003
  • Sony PlayStation Portable
  • Sony PlayStation 3
  • Brew
  • PalmOS 5.x
  • Openwave mobile browser 6.20+
  • Major Network Operators inc. Vodafone, Orange, AT&T
  • Major Handset providers Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Alcatel & Palm
  • (S40/S60/S80/OSSO) based Handsets from 2002
 Email Clients (S/Mime)
  • Microsoft Outlook 99+
  • Netscape Communicator 4.51+
  • Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0+
  • Qualcomm Eudora 6.2+
  • Lotus Notes (6+)

Application Suites
  • Mozilla Suite v0.9.8+
  • SeaMonkey

Others
  • OpenSSL.org's OpenSSL v0.9.5+

What is SSL?

SSL facilitates e-commerce by encrypting communication between your customer's browser and your server.