Secure Web Sites

Fortunately all modern web browsers like Internet Explorer, FireFox and Safari have a built in mechanism to help us make an informed decision about the web site we are visiting.  Firstly, for a transaction to be done securely in a browser the web site address should have https:// at the beginning of it.  The 's' in this case tells us that the browser is communicating securely with the web site and any information shared is done so via encryption.
Depending on your browser settings you may even see a pop up message advising that you are about to view the web site via a secure connection.
The second part to ensuring your safety is to know who it is that you are providing your details to.  Once again the browser helps us out here.
When accessing a secure web page the address bar will change colour or be highlighted with a small padlock.  The level of encryption and security is likely to be the same, however, the colour of the address is very important!
 

 
A green bar currently offers the highest level of verification that a business can do to identify who is operating a web site.  It means that the business is a true commercial entity and each time you visit the site you will be presented with the legal name and country of trading  Verification is done manually by the issuing authority against national agencies and governing bodies so when a web site shows the green bar you can be sure that you are dealing with the company you think you are.  All major banks and respectable on-line traders take this extra step for customer assurance.
A blue bar indicates that encryption is still taking place but that there has been no verification of the entity behind the web site. Blue bar certificates are validated by the domain name on which they are hosted.  So a general rule is if you trust the web site based on its domain then you implicitly trust their on-line security.
Marken Hosting has been using a green bar Geotrust TrueBusinessID + Extended Validation for the past couple of years at https:/secure.marken.com.au/ to help protect the personal information of its clients.  In fact even this page you are reading is protected - try clicking on the green bar above for details.
We now offer discounts on the GeoTrust secure certificate range so it is a perfect time to get one for your web site.
Geotrust TrueBusinessID + EV  $229  (Save $70) QuickSSL® Premium  $99  (Save $50) RapidSSL  $39 (Save $20)
Order them directly from our secure on-line store or contact us to get it organised