Authentication is 3rd party verification of a Web site's identity to establish trust. Before Web visitors share username and password, payment information or other personal data, they need to know that they can trust the Web site requesting it. A company logo or brand name is not enough. These can be faked. To protect against fraud and phishing sites, Web visitors look for proof that your business entity and Web site are legitimate. This can be provided by a VeriSign (Symantec)® SSL Certificate.

Similar to the way a government agency verifies a birth date before issuing an identification card, an SSL provider (Certificate Authority) verifies an organization's right to use a domain name and other required identification information. SSL Certificates are uniquely issued to a specific domain and Web server.