| For obvious reasons customers visiting web sites are concerned with security. They want to maintain their privacy when they register for a service online and in particular want to be assured that their credit card details are kept well away from crooks and fraudsters. The most common means of calming these fears is through use of SSL or Secure Socket Layer technology to protect sensitive data. In simple terms when you connect to secure web space the data passing between your browser and the web site in question is encrypted which makes it virtually impossible for any third party to intercept the data that is being transferred. So whether it your address, your hat size or your credit card number that is being recorded it is strictly between you and the web site in question. No one can eavesdrop. There are two symbols that assure the public that a website has these security measures in place. Firstly a secure web server will be prefixed by https:// rather than the normal http:// and secondly your browser will display the "golden padlock" symbol that is your assurance that you are in a secure area. Sounds easy but it isn't really! To gain certification for the security of your domain is a costly, complicated and time-consuming procedure. No problem if you are a major player with a large turnover! If however you are a newcomer or a small to medium turnover business it can be discouraging. This is where shared SSL comes into its own. It is seldom desirable to host the whole of your site on secure SSL servers as the extra complexity results in slower performance than you would get on "standard" hosting. So now you can host the bulk of your site on normal shared hosting and just use SSL secure hosting for the sensitive functions - customer registration, online payment, etc. We maintain a secure server, with full certification by Thawte, and break it down into small packages that can be used by a number of websites in conjunction with their regular hosting. Costing as little as £100 per annum and usually set up inside 24 hours it can provide a low cost permanent solution or just temporary coverage whilst your own certification is arranged. | 
