SSL Certificates (Secure Sockets Layer)

The SSL certificate is a unique "digital passport" that verifies the authenticity of the website and encrypts information transmitted to the server, using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology. SSL certificate allows you to display the padlock icon in the address bar of the browser and activates HTTPS protocol, which provides a secure connection between user and the web server.

When the customer is setup they decide on a hostname, for example: my.highpeak.gov.uk and if they are to also offer https (the secure padlock icon) then they must provide us with a SSL certificate which we then load into Microsoft Azure (our hosting partner). This is because we can't just generate a SSL certificate for your domain, as we are not the domain owner.

Certificates can expire at any point in the future, but typically most councils generate for 3 year expiry, or 1 year for the more cautious customers.

To ensure continuity we need to update the certificate before the existing certificate expires.

In the first instance we would specifically request the replacement certificate(s) in a .PFX file format, which will also usually be password protected.

No unencrypted data should be provided in an insecure link/url, and Password protected files provided should have the password sent in a separate email.