FAQ-LRN-017

A digital certificate provides an electronic means of proving your identity in order to securely conduct business online. You can use certificates to: 

1. Encrypt information so that only the intended recipient can read it;
2. Identify yourself in electronic transactions; 
3. Digitally sign information to provide assurance to the recipient that it has not been changed in transit; and 
4. Verify that you actually sent the transmission. 
    

Our Certificate Selection Wizard will assist you in choosing the best certificate to meet your needs.

There are three general types of digital certificates--Individual Identity, Business Identity, and TLS/SSL Certificates:

• Individual Identity certificates authenticate an individual and are used to digitally sign and encrypt electronic documents.
• Business Identity certificates authenticate the individual to be an employee of a business and are also used to digitally sign and encrypt electronic documents.
• TLS/SSL, or Server certificates are issued for Web servers and are used to authenticate servers to Web browsers. This is used to protect information such as credit card numbers and account information on the Web.

The type of certificate may also dictate whether or not the certificate is stored in software or a hardware device, such as a Smart card or USB token.

See our document using the IdenTrust Certificate Selection Wizard for more information about choosing your certificate.