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Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 is Microsoft's customer relationship management offering. It provides the capability of managing your customers through your sales process. As part of the Dynamics suit of business applications, Dynamics CRM provides an easy-to-use yet powerful business management tool.
Dynamics CRM allows users to make better business decisions based on their own real-time business data. The qualities of Dynamics CRM include the capability to direct and drive marketing and sales campaigns, whilst taking care of the day-to-day data management of your business development. Dynamics
CRM is a versatile, comprehensible and powerful business solution. With Dynamics CRM you will enable your employees to make informed assessments and take business decisions with greater confidence. It is your business strategy for how you communicate with and manage your clients
It will help you market and sell effectively to the right businesses and people, enabling you to build a picture of your clients from first contact through to post sales. We offer tools to help you and all your staff manage this strategy in order that you can focus on your business and customers, not on IT or systems.
A Customer Relationship Management system can be used to answer in an efficient way to your Clients' needs. Every area of the organisation can enter information into the Dynamics CRM system building a centralised network of communications full of data needed for sales, marketing activities, orders management, forecast and to build customers' loyalty. The CRM hosted solution is the best way to bring a real Dynamics CRM platform into your organisation. Thanks to this solution your agents and sales staff can be always in touch with your clients' needs.
In a hosted environment, all of the core infrastructure hardware is owned and maintained by Azurance. Customers access the hosted applications through the Internet. Instead of upfront costs in traditional software licensing, we charge based on usage in a subscriber model where the costs are calculated per user per month. Since the applications are hosted, your internal IT departments do not have to worry about maintaining or configuring the outsourced applications. The data hosted on our servers always belong to you; should you ever decide to terminate our agreement we will give the data back to you. As a customer of the hosted environment, you have an SLA (Service Level Agreement) that guarantees and ensures performance by Azurance.
The Workflow Management System is a powerful tool. You can use Microsoft Dynamics CRM to automate business processes by creating workflows to carry out routine tasks that involve daily business activities. Dynamics CRM workflow systems are there to work for you 24 hours a day, analysing your Dynamics CRM data and automatically taking the action that you have decided appropriate. By using Dynamics CRM's automated workflow rules, you can ensure that the information you require to reach your clients does so without wasting valuable employee time. Workflow rules will also help you make sure simple tasks are always completed and you respond quickly to customer requests. Workflow rules monitor data within your Dynamics CRM database and respond to it many ways. This can be by updating information in entities, creating activities for staff such as scheduling phone calls or by automatically sending emails to the appropriate people. Workflow rules will make the administration processes of any business considerably easier.
Within Microsoft Dynamics CRM there is support for identifying customer roles and relationships within a complex sales process. There have also been enriched account management systems allowing easier management of account lists across any possible sales teams. Dynamics CRM will also allow you to reference the sales goals of your employees against their achievements. Dynamics CRM allows you to centrally manage all aspects of a service request, from logging and dispatching to tracking and follow-up. It allows you to view and manage customer accounts, create sales tasks through the calendar, and schedule communications including telephone calls, emails, letters and faxes. You can also customise and use a wide range of reports relating to your businesses data to forecast and analyse sales. These enhanced sales process features also integrate with marketing management allowing coordination with marketing campaign activities. The sales system in CRM features automated workflows that will allow you to send automatic emails to customers and automatically update orders with the changing nature of your products. The automatic features will allow for opportunity tracking and pipeline management that will revolutionise your sales process.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM helps improve customer services by increasing the accuracy and efficiency in which you use your data. Accounts, leads and opportunities will provide the primary resources that you need to manage your customers. It will allow your staff to view their tasks as well as perform automated tasks itself. Customer service employees can easily view, share, and update real time information, ensuring a proficient customer service system. With the improved efficiency of your customer service system, Dynamics CRM will allow you to increase the quantity of your customers without increasing the headcount of your staff. With better managed personnel and resources you will also be able to respond with greater speed and efficiency to your customers' demands, increasing customer loyalty. Dynamics CRM can also automatically route and queue your support requests and ensure that your customer service staff can aid customers efficiently from initial contact. You can improve customer service by making sure that the right resources are applied to the task in hand with Dynamics CRM.
Microsoft CRM does not just integrate with Microsoft Office Outlook it becomes an integral part of Microsoft Office Outlook. Almost all functionality within Dynamics CRM can be accessed from within Outlook meaning all the functionality around sales, marketing and customer service is only a couple of folders away from your inbox. Using the Microsoft CRM client for Office Outlook, staff can carry on working in an application they are already familiar with, without having to learn new systems, which saves on training and drives user adoption. The simple track in CRM system allows complete compatibility with transferring Office Outlook data into Dynamics CRM. Emails, customer contact information, calendar items and tasks are all are stored centrally within Microsoft CRM with a single mouse click from Office Outlook allowing company-wide visibility. Because this information can be available company-wide, all employees have the power to see client histories and respond effectively to questions and requests. The advanced integration with Microsoft Office Outlook makes Microsoft Dynamics CRM an efficient yet simple solution for your employees to use.
You can use Microsoft Dynamics CRM in two ways. Through Microsoft Office Outlook (the Dynamics CRM for Office Outlook client), or through your internet browser (the web client). The Office Outlook client running on a Windows Vista operating system is pictured below. Dynamics CRM's Office Outlook client looks for the large part much the same as the web client, and is used in a very similar way. Both the web and Office Outlook clients feature the logical views and processes of all Microsoft Office programs. If your staffs are familiar with these they will adapt quickly to Dynamics CRM.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM is designed for use of real time dynamic data. Dynamics CRM also drives powerful and continuous workflow processes that allow the instant execution of tasks. Dynamics CRM's workflow rules work in the background, constantly analysing your real time data and reacting to it with the rules you have entered. This means whilst you can instantly see you have a new order for your product, Dynamics CRM can have already sent an email thanking them for their custom. Whilst Microsoft CRM will automatically capture thousands of your records, you will also need a reporting system that can analyse this real time data. Microsoft CRM can create sales, marketing and service reports on any data it holds. This will allow you not only to view all the data that is being put in your system but analyse it in report forms.
Using Microsoft CRM eliminates all unnecessary data entry. Dynamics CRM lets users organise and share the information they own. By using one shared centralised information source, Microsoft CRM allows users and teams of users to avoid entering the same data more than once. With powerful workflow processes you can also automate many tasks that would otherwise take up large amounts of staff time. Using Microsoft CRM staffs are able to concentrate on their daily tasks rather than distracting and time consuming data entry.
Azurance offers different Microsoft Dynamics CRM deployment solutions that you can choose from. We also offer complete assistance through the installation process. We will take detailed needs analysis of your business and advise you on how best to proceed. We will also offer a personal demonstration of Dynamics CRM 4.0 to show you how your business can benefit from it. Azurance will help your business adopt the new processes and work practices needed to maximise the value of your Dynamics CRM implementation. To find out more about purchasing Microsoft Dynamics CRM deployment solutions and how we can help you through the implementation process, please contact us and we will gladly assist you.
With Microsoft Dynamics CRM you can easily send emails to multiple contacts in your database using the mail merge process. The process is made easier with the use of email templates, which will be automatically adapted to your needs. If you wish to send a marketing email to multiple customers with an email template, you can dynamically populate the customer's name at the beginning of the email. If you are creating a marketing campaign via email, CRM also allows recipients of your email to opt out in future if they so wish. The Dynamics CRM email feature is a powerful tool that will enable your company to create more powerful and personalised email campaigns. If you want to inform your customers of a new product or merely wish them seasonal greetings then Dynamics CRM will be able to meet your needs. You can also use the workflow process to create automatic email responses and send emails to specified marketing lists. The bulk email features of Dynamics CRM will provide a powerful tool to keep your customers informed and you business running efficiently.
There is no set time that it will take to implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The implementation will depend on the size and needs of your company. While Dynamics CRM installations are often relatively simple, it is vital that your staff are proficient at using it and understand its benefits. A successful implementation will require a detailed plan of your business needs and an understanding of how you are going to best utilise Dynamics CRM upon implementation. We recommend you talk to one of our trained staff who will advise you on the best ways to implement Dynamics CRM. Azurance realises that every business has different needs and as such we do not like to make generalisations without assessing what the requirements of a Dynamics CRM implementation for your company would be.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM makes the process of sending out bulk letters to your customers simple. A powerful mail merge feature is accessible either through the Office Outlook Client or via web based access to Microsoft CRM that makes sending bulk letters easy. Mail merge is enhanced also for any custom entities you may have added to Microsoft CRM. You can create letter templates that you wish to send to multiple customers and dynamically populate certain areas of the letters with data you have stored in your Microsoft CRM system, for example you may wish to print personalised names and addresses on each letter. Dynamics CRM will print the specific data you have requested in each of these fields for your contacts. Microsoft Dynamics CRM makes sending bulk letters fast and accurate. The same process can be used to print postage labels or envelopes for your letters. Microsoft CRM has the necessary tools to make communicating with your customers a simple process helping you build and maintain profitable relationships.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM comes with reporting services with the default installation and these also include additional sub-reports. By integrating Dynamics CRM with Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services you can create custom reports that will offer a clear picture of how your business in performing. Reports can be assigned to any entity, such as a contact, lead or activity. Dynamics CRM makes viewing reports on every aspect of your data a simple process. The same security features that stop certain users from viewing or editing data that you want kept private can be applied to reports.
The Advanced Find feature of Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows you to locate any data in your records based on multiple fields. For example you may wish to find all the phone numbers you have that contain a certain area code to fine tune a marketing list. The Advanced Find feature is a powerful tool that will enable you to find records fast, no matter how much data you have stored. The Advanced Find feature in Microsoft CRM also provides the operators AND/ OR to create more complex searches to narrow down the data you require. Users can also save their Advanced Find queries so that they can run the same task at a later date. The Advanced Find feature in Microsoft CRM is a powerful tool that is used to create queries on the database to provide lists of records; it is also used to create reports and views of information that can be used again and again. The Advanced Find feature will allow you to reach the business data you hold in Microsoft CRM with ease, allowing you to extract meaningful information from your data for business reporting or for sales and marketing.
Dynamics CRM has the ability to work offline in the same way as Office Outlook does. The Dynamics CRM laptop client allows users to access all the Dynamics CRM data even when they are not connected to the network. With Dynamics CRM, going offline and coming back online is easy. Once back online, Microsoft CRM will automatically synchronize with the server updating any information that has been changed. The ability to work offline will make sure that even in the remotest of locations you will have all your business data with you. Dynamics CRM is the ideal tool for any business that often has employees working off-site. It gives them the ultimate resource in the field, and allows them to report their progress as soon as an internet connection is available. This allows for greater staff productivity, more accurate and up to date data entry keeping your staff efficient and productive maintaining the competitiveness of your business.
The benefits of Microsoft Dynamics CRM extend to the smallest of businesses. By making use of the familiar Microsoft Office Outlook interface and integrating seamlessly with widely used Microsoft Office tools such as Word and Excel, Dynamics CRM makes use of systems your business is already using minimising training and support and saving your business money. Dynamics CRM is designed to allow easy in-system tailoring and customising making it the ideal small business tool. Without using a single line of code you can customise Dynamics CRM to make it work for you. You can customise your workspace so that you can instantly access the data you need, edit forms to make them suit the needs of your business or create custom reports so that you can easily track the progress you are making.
The control of business data is of vital importance to any company. Microsoft CRM has a powerful security system that can restrict and allow data to your employees. Once an employee has been given a role, he or she may be restricted from viewing, creating, changing or deleting particular data in Microsoft CRM. Dynamics CRM comes with 13 predefined access roles that will assign certain privileges to the users. Other roles can be created to meet the particular needs of your business. Every user must have at least one role assigned to them. These roles will be able to keep employees from seeing data you may not want publicly known. Equally Dynamics CRM has systems which allow the sharing of data, such as creating teams, in which team members will have their data easily accessible for each other. Dynamics CRM provides powerful tools to make sure your business data is seen by the right people at the right times.
Dynamics CRM is comprehensive in forecasting and reporting business activity. By using the comprehensive reporting tools on offer you will be able to assess trends, find problems and create forecasts. Sales forecasting is critical for any business so Dynamics CRM has been supplied with all the tools you will need. Dynamics CRM will allow salespersons to track their progress and compare this to their targets. The information viewed by salespersons will also be available to the management to view, allowing them to create sales forecasts for the coming period. Microsoft has built in reports that are focused on sales activity. For example you may wish to see what deals a salesperson predicts he or she will close in the coming month. Every opportunity is given a probability as well as predicted revenue so that overall figures are recorded. With Dynamics CRM you will always be able to accurately forecast and analyse business activity, making sure you get the most out of your sales process.
The key to a successful implementation of Dynamics CRM is knowing exactly what you want from it and having a competent plan. We believe that the guidance Azurance can offer will enable a smooth and cost effective installation of Dynamics CRM. Implementations of Dynamics CRM can fail to reach their potential if the right procedures are not laid in place. Beyond the installation process, every member of staff must be fully competent in the use of Dynamics CRM and be happy with the benefits it will offer them. Azurance offers expert staff to assist with post implementation training that will allow Dynamics CRM to reach its potential in increasing your businesses productivity.
Dynamics CRM is available in a number of languages. It is available in Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian (Bokmal), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish and English.
Dynamics CRM will be able to keep pace with any fast growing business. Flexible licensing terms mean that you can add more licenses and further capabilities as and when you need to. Dynamics CRM also has no restriction on the amount of data you enter into it. It will be able to meet the needs of any growing business. With Dynamics CRM you can be assured that no matter how fast your business grows you will have an application that is able to continue to meet all your business needs. Dynamics CRM's easy customisation processes also allow you to tailor your application to meet the needs of your changing business.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 is the latest version of Microsoft's CRM product. Building on the success of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0, the new version offers improved end-user benefits, enhanced integration with Microsoft Office, greater support for global business, flexible hosting scenarios and improved availability, performance and scalability. Dynamics CRM therefore includes a mobile browser client for PDAs and features closer integration with Microsoft Office Outlook. This makes it ideal for any business that has employees who need to access or input business data whilst they are out of the office. The improved integration with Office Outlook also increases the usability of Dynamics CRM 4.0. Microsoft has also improved the developer environment making it easier to tailor Dynamics CRM 4.0 to meet your individual business needs. The improvements that were made with the introduction of Dynamics CRM 4.0 created a more usable, mobile and versatile system. This has enabled more businesses to introduce Dynamics CRM and reap the benefits that it provides. What's new in Dynamics CRM 4: Multi tenancy Multi currency Multi language New Resource Centre Internet-facing Deployments Access to Dynamics CRM without a VPN Outlook CRM Load Status Bar Improved navigation (SmartNav) left hand navigation easier to customize and adjust to fit the needs of end-users structured and simplified navigation through logical groupings Most recently selected & searched list Sync all activity types to Outlook (phone, letter, tasks...) Bulk email selection & tracking in CRM Smart Email Matching (eliminates dependency on token) Smart Search Auto-completes if one match is found Displays options if multiple matches are found Available on all look-up Fields Financial transactions in two currency types: Base currency Transaction Currency Pricelists in multiple currencies Exchange Rates Web-based access to Mail Merge capability Export for Import Export to Excel on any view Data available for re-import by including required columns (referential data hidden) Data can be updated and created in Excel spreadsheet Re-Import updates Entity Relationship Modelling Multiple Relationships Many to many Relationships System to System Relationships Self-Referential Relationships Windows Workflow Foundation embedded Workflow Wizard For Easy Creation Build from Workflow Template Multiple Entities (including Custom) Improved Reporting Cross-entity Views for reporting Report creation Wizard Scheduled & Recurring reports Provides report snap shots Report scheduling wizard - On demand or on a schedule Reporting available Offline Reports now entities within Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Managed & administered with the same security roles and rules as other entities in CRM. No need for additional authentication mechanisms to access reports. Non-LAN users and internet users no longer have to subscribe to exterior security measures in order to be able to access reports. Data Maps No programming required to create maps Save/Export & Import maps for reuse Enforces entity's required fields Data De- Duplication Customizable rules Covers data entry, bulk import & promotion from Office Outlook System Job Monitoring
Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 takes Microsoft Office beyond the desktop application and brings it online so you can share and collaborate more effectively with other people in your company, group or organisation. Windows SharePoint Services is a web site that can be displayed in a browser such as Internet Explorer, and includes an interface for displaying lists and libraries in a secure database. Windows SharePoint Services also contains various web-parts that can display sorted or filtered information in various ways, or can display some kind of custom functionality. Windows SharePoint Services can be used for something as simple as a list of contacts, or for something as complex as a project management dashboard for a new store opening. With tools for collaboration that help people stay connected across organisational and geographic boundaries, Windows SharePoint Services gives people access to documents and information they need. With a familiar, Web-based interface and close integration with everyday tools including the Microsoft Office system of productivity programs, Windows SharePoint Services is easy to use and can be deployed rapidly. Users can create workspaces and then publish, store, share, and keep track of information, workflow, and documents.
Windows SharePoint Services is a technology that enables people to collaborate in browser-based workspaces while providing a manageable infrastructure and extensible application platform for improving the efficiency of business processes. A variety of audiences benefit from the enhanced collaboration and productivity provided by Windows SharePoint Services: Organisations, business units, and teams seeking increased productivity and access to the people, documents, and information they need. Organisations of any size that want to start tactical implementation of collaboration tools, standardise existing infrastructure, or invest in strategic use of collaboration systems that integrate well with existing line-of-business applications. IT departments seeking better control over and security of company data, while adding value and efficiency to lines of business. Developers creating rich and scalable Web-based applications.
Windows SharePoint Services offers you benefits in four primary areas: Efficient collaboration: Help your employees and teams to stay connected and productive by providing access to the people, documents, and information they need. Rapid deployment, ease of use: Deploy collaboration applications quickly that are easy to use through integration with familiar productivity tools such as the Microsoft Office system. Manageable infrastructure: Manage the security of your organisation’s information resources by deploying a scalable storage infrastructure with powerful administration services and controls. Robust foundation platform for Web-based applications: Increase business process efficiency by creating Web applications and workflow scenarios on a cost-effective, extensible platform.
Windows SharePoint Services is a Web portal used for collaboration within a business or organisation. It is easily accessible through an Internet browser such as Internet Explorer. Azurance Windows SharePoint Services is a hosted application - which means in order to use it to full potential, it must be hosted on a Windows server.
Hosted solutions provide small and medium sized businesses with services that were only available to large organisations until recently. Now small & medium sized businesses have access to the Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services collaboration system through a hosted solution, offering lower up-front cost, greater stability and typically faster implementation without requiring an in-house IT staff. Or if you are a larger organisation which already has an IT staff, hosted Windows SharePoint Services can reduce the dependency of your business units for site provisioning, implementation, backup, and support. Key benefits of a hosted solution include: Low initial cost Predictable monthly fees Greater system stability Less down-time Knowledgeable support Faster Implementation Typical
Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services can be used for a wide range of collaboration needs within an organisation, including: Intranets - Hosted Windows SharePoint Services sites provide places to capture and share ideas, information, communication and documents. Manage group schedules, events, appointments, and meetings with Windows SharePoint Services Hosting intranets. Virtual Office - Collaborate in one central space to share ideas, documents, take notes and make scheduling and planning a breeze with a Virtual Office as part of Hosted Windows SharePoint Services. Set schedules, manage your employees’ benefits, and resolve project issues in a snap. Project Management - With hosted Windows SharePoint Services project management, you can schedule, assign and track project deliverables with your team. Store critical documents and manage bugs and issues in one spot. And custom lists allow you to track tasks, issues and anything you can think of. Team/Group Web Sites - Easily upload team photos online, view slideshows, create team sites for leagues, manage and backup all of your league paperwork and guidelines with Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services. No technical skills are needed to set up your own hosted Windows SharePoint Sports League Web Site. Document Management - Never lose an important document again, especially when you need them most. With Document Management features of Azurance Hosted Windows SharePoint Services, your team or business can exchange files from anywhere at anytime. Upload and share documents easily and work together on one version. Find files and images quickly and reduce e-mail overload
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 offers many new and enhanced features that help business organisations of all sizes further improve individual and team productivity, and the efficiency of their business processes. These new and improved features help employees to implement and manage workspaces and team sites more easily without help from IT, simplify and improve the management and maintenance of documents stored on SharePoint sites, and provides more robust and easy-to-use collaboration tools that encourage information sharing within the organisation. Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 also provides IT departments with enhanced control of company resources and a more flexible and robust foundation for building new, Web-based applications and services that can connect to and capitalise on existing line-of-business applications.
Through a set of Web services and documented application interfaces, Windows SharePoint Services can be easily integrated with smart client tools. Users easily adopt these new tools because of their similarity to other familiar environments, such as the Microsoft Office system. For example, Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office PowerPoint, Microsoft Office InfoPath, Microsoft Office Project, and Microsoft Office OneNote can use information in SharePoint sites natively. Users can create workspaces, post and edit documents, and assign tasks, all while working on documents stored in SharePoint sites. With Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, users can view calendars and contact lists stored on SharePoint sites and can create and manage sites for editing documents and organising meetings.
Azurance offers different Windows SharePoint Services packages that you can choose from. We also offer complete assistance through the installation process. We will take detailed needs analysis of your business and advise you on how best to proceed. We will also offer a personal demonstration of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 to show you how your business can benefit from it. Azurance will help your business adopt the new processes and work practices needed to maximise the value of your Windows SharePoint Services implementation.
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 is the latest version.
Key improvements to Windows SharePoint Services in Version 3.0 include: Improvements to collaboration workspaces: SharePoint sites now offer e-mail and directory integration, alerts, RSS publishing, templates for building blogs (also known as weblogs) and wikis (Web sites that can be quickly edited by team members—no special technical knowledge required), event and task tracking, improved usability, enhanced site navigation, and more. Enhancements to content storage: SharePoint lists and libraries now provide per-item security for better data control and integrity, a recycle bin, and enhanced flexibility for storing more types of content. Row and column capacity has also been increased, as has retrieval speed. Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 can be easily integrated with smart client tools. In particular, close integration with Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 provides offline access to events, contacts, discussions, tasks, and documents. Easier provisioning of workspaces: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 provides more sophisticated and flexible security, as well as greater control over security settings and permissions. A more robust foundation for Web applications: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 provides greater flexibility for customisation and development of Web-based services and applications built on the Windows SharePoint Services platform. Application Templates
All Application Templates for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 are available in English. A subset of twenty scenarios, the server admin templates, is also available in 13 additional languages: French, Italian, German, Swedish, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese (BR), Portuguese (PT), Japanese, Korean, Hebrew, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Russian, and Norwegian.
Each template will have a companion set of technical decision maker and business decision maker datasheets. The technical datasheet describes the scenario, web parts, relevant workflows, lists and document libraries that are part of the template. The business datasheet highlights the functionality and details of the scenario which a business decision maker can use to consider deployment.
The new application templates were designed to highlight improvements in the Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 platform and should be installed on a Version 3.0 deployment. The new templates will not install correctly on a Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 site and as such, this scenario is neither supported nor recommended.
Microsoft heard feedback from customers and partners, making available a rich set of business processes and workgroup tasks relevant for multiple departments, industries, and sizes of companies. The complete list of scenarios can be found on the application template page (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/sharepoint/bb407286.aspx).
The Application Templates for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 are separated into two groups, “site admin templates” and “server admin templates”, providing the right combination of integration with the platform and ease-of-deployment within an organisation. Site Admin Templates are custom templates that have an *.stp extension and are easy for site administrators to install in a template gallery without requiring server administration access. Server Admin Templates have a *.wsp extension and are created as site definitions, providing tighter integration and enhanced functionality within the Windows SharePoint Services platform. They require a server administrator to install. In Windows SharePoint Services, site definitions and custom templates define how to instantiate a Web site when an end user selects a template to create a site through the user interface. For example, they determine the lists, files, Web parts, features or settings with which to provision a new SharePoint site. Where they differ is how each type is structured and deployed on a SharePoint site. Site definitions consist of multiple files on a front-end Web server that are located within folders under the template directory. Custom templates are created through the user interface or through the object model and are stored in the database, providing a means for reusing customised lists and sites.
Yes. To help jump start your custom design work, Microsoft has created a package of four pre-designed sample master page sets, each with its own unique style: Clarity, Horizon, Reversal, and Block. Each master page set also comes in five color variations: blue, orange, red, purple and green. The sample master pages can be used with the application templates to create a variety of combinations of function and design. They should work with all forty Application Templates for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and can be used as-is, or customised to match your company’s look and feel. The sample master pages are available for download (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointdesigner/HA102223711033.aspx) now.
Many of the application templates come pre-configured with common lists and document libraries relative to the business process or sets of tasks represented by the template in an effort to help save time and resources for the IT professional or user that would normally need to do those configurations for each site deployment. There are also a variety of event handlers, pre-built workflows, and additional features that function “behind the scenes” and act on those pre-configured lists and libraries that you don’t necessarily see upfront. While they can be used out-of-the-box, the templates are intended to provide a starting point from which advanced business applications can be built, helping to save time on development and deployment and enabling you to create customised solutions that meet your organisation’s unique needs. You can learn more about some of the more in-depth features and functionality of each template by reading through the datasheets (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/sharepoint/bb848090.aspx) or, once deployed, by viewing “Site Settings”.
While these two templates cover the use scenario of collaborating to track activities and light projects, when users need richer functionality they can migrate their work to Office Project Server 2007, which offers the Project Web Access client built on the Windows SharePoint Services platform. This provides deeper and broader functionality, including load balancing, configuration flexibility, reporting, dependencies for critical path analysis, managing resources’ skills and schedules and more.
Yes, Microsoft is supporting the new Application Templates for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 like any other product.
Yes. This is one of the main goals of the application templates, as a demonstration of the application building power in Windows SharePoint Services and as a potential starting point for larger applications. While the new templates are fully functional and usable out-of-the-box, Microsoft expects that people will tailor them to suit their own needs. And those looking for support on their customisations will find an appropriate channel when contacting Microsoft Customer Service and Support. Simpler modifications such as changing a master page, adding a new view or integrating new lists into the template are well within the scope of existing product support.
Azurance is an Authorised Thawte Partner and one of the fastest growing SSL Hong Kong partners today. We take pride in offering our customers and partner the lowest possible pricing for Thawte SSL certificates and excellent customer service.
A Thawte certificate is a way to ensure safe transmission of sensitive information (such as personal data or credit card numbers) between client and server by providing identity authentication and data encryption. Thawte SSL Certificates Web server certificates are compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 and higher and Netscape/AOL Web browsers version 6.x and higher, Netscape Navigator 4.51 and 6.x, and Opera 7 comprising an estimated 99% or more of all Web browsers in use on the Internet.
The Certificate Authority (CA) is the organisation that creates and regulates the policy and procedure for authenticating, issuing, renewing, and suspending digital certificates. Working with the Registration Authority (RA), the CA authorises certificates and ensures the legitimacy of participating parties.
As long as you don’t live in the countries mentioned below, we accept customers outside the Hong Kong. According to Thawte Repository they cannot issue to these countries: Angola, Ascension, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, Syria, and Yugoslavia.
All Thawte certificates are single root certificates. Unlike other companies which issue certificates off chained roots or license roots from third parties like Go Daddy, Comodo or Network Solutions, Thawte owns the root and is not dependent on another root provider. Chained certificates tend to be seen on the low end of the SSL market and require more installation assistance than a single root cert. Plus not all browsers today support chained SSL certificates so the ubiquity is lower.
Our certificates are 100% the exact same certificates you would buy if you went directly to Thawte. The only difference will be the cost you pay.
X.509 is a standard for public key infrastructure. All Thawte certificates are X.509 compliant.
After authenticating identity, the CA issues digital certificates, which also contain a matched pair of electronic keys, the public key and the private key. When the customer contacts a website, the public key is sent to the customer, and attaches itself and encrypts data that is transmitted back to the website (such as personal information). Upon receipt, the private key recognises the public key, and then decrypts the information. A similar exchange of public and private keys occurs to confirm the identity of the parties, thus, ensuring that only the intended recipient has access to the information, so privacy and security is maintained. All Thawte SSL certificates support up to 256-bit encryption. This of course is all dependent on your browser supporting 256 bit encryption from your browser to the web server.
Yes, all Thawte certificates come with a site seal you can display.
Thawte offers a wildcard certificate. It is used to secure unlimited sub domains that share a common domain name that reside on 1 physical server.
If any illegal characters are in one of the domain name fields. The following characters may cause problems: < > ~ ! @ # $ % ^ / \ ( ) ?&. This includes commas. - Generally it would be best to use alphabetic and numeric characters for all your input fields, including the passwords. Characters like "/", "#", and sometimes even the period "." and comma "," may cause problems.
Originally developed by Netscape, SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. It is the leading security protocol on the Internet. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a protocol developed by Netscape in 1996 which quickly became the method of choice for securing data transmissions across the Internet. SSL is an integral part of most web browsers and web servers and makes use of the public and private key encryption algorithm developed in 1977 by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Leonard Adelman (RSA).
One of the major obstacles to communicating via the Internet is the lack of certainty about who is actually on the other side. There have been many instances of fraud whereby individuals/groups have posed as others on the Web. Thawte's stringent verification and authentication procedures when issuing digital certificates ensure that you are in fact dealing with exactly who you think you are when doing business on the Web. In this manner, Thawte promotes trust between companies and consumers on the Internet.
128-bit encryption is the minimum standard recommended to protect any financial transaction performed via the internet. According to Yankee Group estimates that the time it would take to break the encryption by brute force was: Estimates using high-end desktop computers. Source: Building Blocks of Transparent Web Security: Server-Gated Cryptography, Yankee Group, September 25, 2005
Phishing and similar malicious web activities have made the issue of validating the identity of a web site a critical one in today’s web environment. In response to this problem the CA/Browser Forum created the "Extended Validation” SSL standard for high assurance identity certification. This industry standard requires a more sophisticated process of identity authentication than performed for most traditional SSL Certificates, resulting in a higher level of identity assurance for a site secured with an Extended Validation SSL Certificate. Extended Validation SSL Certificates both validate the identity of a web site and provide the protection of data encryption. The Extended Validation level of identity assurance is demonstrated to the web site visitor through a few highly visible interface attributes in newer, high-security browsers. These new features include a browser address bar that automatically turns green and displays the security status bar with both the organisation name listed in the EV Certificate and the name of the Certification Authority without the user needing to "click the padlock.”
New high-security browsers visually represent Extended Validation SSL Certificates and their contents in new, more visible manner. The new interface attributes immediately differentiate these new certificates from existing SSL web server certificates to a web site visitor. Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) is the first browser to support Extended Validation SSL. The green address bar interface automatically functions with IE7 running on Windows Vista. IE7 on Windows XP requires a root update to recognise Extended Validation SSL. Thawte provides customers EV Upgrader (a $2,400.00 value) at no additional charge to enable the Extended Validation functionality for all site visitors running IE7 on Windows XP. Without this tool, Windows XP users may not see the new interface features. Firefox and Opera have announced they will implement Extended Validation SSL functionality in upcoming versions. All older versions of Internet browsers will treat Extended Validation SSL Certificates the same way they would existing SSL Certificates.
The CA/Browser Forum defines the Extended Validation SSL standard, the processes that make up the standard and the method by which new browsers will display an Extended Validation SSL Certificate. Thawte, along with several other Certification Authorities, and the leading Internet browser providers are members of the CA/Browser Forum. Certain members of the American Bar Association Information Security Committee have participated in the development of this standard as well. Any CA offering Extended Validation SSL Certificates must use the CA Browser Forum’s defined extended validation identity assurance process and pass an annual WebTrust audit. To issue an Extended Validation SSL Certificate, Thawte requires confirmation of the legal existence of the organisation, the organisation’s legal name and that any assumed names are properly registered with an official incorporating entity. Thawte will obtain and verify the applicant organisation’s registration number, and registered agent’s identity and address. Thawte will also verify the applicant organisation’s right to use the Domain Name and that the application organisation has authorised the issuance of an Extended Validation certificate.
Malicious and suspicious activity on the web has gradually been eroding user confidence in digital security, especially for online shopping and banking. The best way to combat online fraud is through consumer awareness of how to recognise and avoid fraudulent activities on the web. Improved online identity assurance and improved browser representation of online identities will empower web site visitors to better protect themselves. Thawte's commitment to help establish and implement Extended Validation SSL standards, and to being one of the first to offer compliant product lines, underscores our commitment to enabling a secure digital environment for all.
"High assurance” certificates are not necessarily the same as Extended Validation SSL Certificates. Only certificates defined specifically as Extended Validation SSL Certificates meet the high standards required by the CA/Browser Forum.
The identity assurance process for Extended Validation Certificates is standardised and more comprehensive than for many traditional SSL Certificates. Up until now, identity verification processes varied from CA to CA and from certificate to certificate with some being far less stringent than others. The new standards, published by the CA/Browser Forum, must be adhered to by any CA who wishes to offer Extended Validation SSL Certificates and the unique user interface features associated with them. Thawte's commitment to establishing and implementing Extended Validation SSL standards, and to being one of the first to offer a compliant product, underscores our commitment to enabling a secure digital environment for all.
Corporations, general partnerships, unincorporated associations, government agencies and sole proprietorships are eligible to receive EV SSL Certificates. The requesting organisation may not be located in a country or be part of an industry identified on a government prohibited list. Individuals and unregistered organisations are currently not eligible for EV SSL Certificates.
Thawte offers SSL Web Server Certificates with EV with the high assurance of Extended Validation identity authentication. These certificates also provide 40-, 56-, 128-, or 256-bit encryption depending on the browser and operating system used by your visitors and the server on which the certificate is installed.
If you have an SSL Web Server Certificate you may upgrade your current certificate through the renewal process. Because the Extended Validation authentication procedure is more complex than the standard certificate authentication procedure, it may take a bit longer than previously to confirm your certificate renewal.
Internationalised Domain Names (IDNs) contain characters from character sets other than ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange), providing a convenient mechanism for users to access Websites in their preferred language. Thawte is the first Certification Authority to have all its SSL certificates support IDNs character sets.
Your choice of digital certificate depends mainly on whether identity assurance to your customers is vital, and that your company details are added to the certificate contents. This facility comes standard with both the SSL Web Server Certificate and the SGC SuperCert after a stringent verification process. For absolute peace of mind that you are getting highest protection possible, a SGC SuperCert is always recommended.
It inspires trust in those who are considering communicating/transacting with you, by verifying that you are who you say you are. It guarantees information privacy and protects information in transmission between your web server and your clients' web browsers using 256, 128, 56 or 40-bit encryption, depending on your client's browser capability.
If you wish to ensure that the information exchanged between you and your users remains private and confidential while in transit, Thawte's SSL Web Server Certificate is the proven way to assure customers that they are not exposed to the risks associated with sending data over the Internet.
The beauty of a Thawte SSL Web Server Certificate is that your customers are automatically protected when they access your secure server, which means that they do not need to install any additional software to ensure safe information transmission.
Yes. Thawte has invested enhancing its systems to ensure that you can get a certificate issued with local language characters included in the certificate details.
Discover how Thawte's SGC SuperCert certificates allow every site visitor to enjoy the strongest SSL encryption available to them, regardless of their browser version or operating system. Unlike normal SSL certificates that are only capable of negotiating with an internet browser to establish the strongest possible encryption that both the server and the browser can agree upon, SGC-enabled SSL certificates can, in very specific instances, automatically step up a browser to 128-bit. With the proper cipher suite installed on the server it would be possible to provide 256-bit encryption. Essentially, unlike most other SSL certificates, SGC-enabled SSL certificates can help older browsers overcome prescribed limitations that have been programmed into them, which would otherwise restrict these browsers to connect at weaker 40 and 56-bit encryption levels. For your business this means that with an SGC-enabled SSL certificate installed on your server, your customers will be able to connect at 128-bit encryption level even if they use certain older versions of Windows and Internet Explorer browser. 256-bit encryption can be achieved if the user's browser capability and the cipher suite installed on the web server are both 256-bit compatible.
Thawte's SGC SuperCert certificates enable more Windows 2000 users (without Service Pack 4 or the high-encryption pack installed) and others to connect with 128-bit encryption. The difference means tens of millions more users worldwide would get 128-bit encryption, if all e-commerce businesses used SGC. SGC was created as an extension to SSL for consumers with export versions of web browser software to use strong cryptography for financial transactions. With SGC, browser and operating system versions - whether exports or domestic - that would otherwise connect with weak encryption are afforded much stronger security. Until older versions of browser and operating systems disappear completely, SGC certificates can protect this portion of the user population.
With the widespread global adoption of broadband internet, many e-commerce businesses are considering expanding their services into new territories. However, before you rush into opening your cyber doors to these new revenue opportunities, consider the many new challenges these new customers could pose to your business. Many of these new customers could pose a security risk to your business. Many millions of PC users still rely on older software like Windows 2000 systems that have not been updated with the latest service packs. These users may only be able to connect to your secure e-commerce website using weak 40 and 56-bit encryption, exposing not only themselves but also your business to unnecessary security risks. To protect internet financial transactions, experts recommend that a minimum of 128-bit encryption be used. SGC-enabled SSL certificates, like our SGC SuperCerts, are the only SSL certificates that have the unique ability to step up encryption strength from the weak encryption to the much stronger 128-bit encryption.
Thawte SGC SuperCert enables "SGC" or "Step-Up" functionality in Netscape and Microsoft browsers and turns 40-bit and 56-bit browsers into 128-bit strong browsers while users are visiting your site. There are only a limited number of Certification Authorities that have been awarded the trusted status and license to use this SGC technology. Thawte is one of them.
Thawte's SGC SuperCert certificates have a unique ability that enables these certificates to step up connectivity from weak 40 and 56-bit encryption to 128-bit encryption. The significance of server-gated cryptography was evaluated and proven during an independent study conducted in September 2005 by the Yankee Group. During some 368 tests that examined 23 client configurations and four web servers, they documented the success of SGC in successfully stepping up older browsers to enable stronger encryption.
Thawte's SGC SuperCert offers the widest possible software compatibility for 128-bit step-up technology in web browsers and servers. Thawte's SGC SuperCert also automatically steps up to 128-bit encryption for certain end-users with the Windows 2000 operating system who, in the past, would not receive 128-bit encryption irrespective of the version of Internet Explorer used. The systems affected are those that shipped prior to about March of 2001 and did not subsequently have Microsoft's High Encryption pack or Service Pack 2 installed. Thawte's SGC SuperCert ensures that all these site visitors enjoy the protection of the strongest SSL encryption available to them. Thawte's SGC SuperCert certification practices are of the highest standard. Stringent authentication and verification procedures are absolutely essential in order to ensure trust on the Internet. Thawte is the Certification Authority of choice for a significant portion of the world market - a direct result of superior products, value for money, and unequalled levels of customer service.
Yes. Thawte has invested in enhancing its systems to ensure that you can get a certificate issued with local language characters included in the certificate details.
If you want to differentiate your web site as more trustworthy than your competition and increase the number of transactions completed by your customers, Thawte SSL Web Server Certificates with EV may be the right choice for you. The pervasiveness of fraudulent web schemes, such as phishing and pharming, greatly increases the importance of web site identity authentication. If your web site visitors are sharing sensitive personal information with you, increasing their level of trust in your authenticity may increase their willingness to complete transactions. Extended Validation SSL is the industry’s highest standard for verifying a website’s identity. Nervous consumers need reassurance that they are on your genuine website and Thawte SSL Web Server Certificates with EV are proven and very visible solutions for assuring your visitors that your web site is authentic. A more rigorous standard for identity verification Highly visible security interfaceNew high-security browsers, such as Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer 7, display this advanced level of web site identity authentication through the display of a highly visible green address bar and a field displaying your organization’s name and the name of thawte as your Certificate Authority. The green address bar interface feature functions with IE7 running on Windows Vista. thawte will provide EV Upgrader™ (US $300.00 value) as part of your SSL Web Server Certificate with EV purchase in order to enable the green address bar functionality for all site visitors running IE7 on Windows XP. Without EV Upgrader™, Windows XP users will not see the green address bar unless they were to manually install the new Extended Validation root. Older browsers will display Extended Validation SSL Certificates in the same manner as standard SSL Certificates. In December 2005 Forrester Research reported that 24% of Internet users surveyed would not be doing any holiday shopping online because they didn’t think it was safe and 61% claimed they had reduced their online shopping activities for the same reason. Seeing the Extended Validation SSL green address bar may motivate your web site visitors to complete more online transactions because they feel certain they are sharing their information with your legitimate business. SSL Web Server Certificates with EV offer consumers this peace of mind because getting the green address bar depends on a rigorous, standards-based verification process. Competitive advantageAn Extended Validation SSL Certificate may provide a web site a competitive advantage over web sites without the same strong authentication assurance. Over time consumers, especially anyone sensitive to the risk of phishing or pharming activities, will look for the green address bar before being willing to complete an online transaction. Strong encryption protection SSL Web Server Certificates with EV will match the strongest level of encryption supported by your client’s browser capabilities and the cipher suite installed on your web server (up to 256-bit). This could be 40-, 56-, 128-, or 256-bit encryption depending on each case. Higher level of consumer trust Greater security and authentication draws a higher level of trust from users. According to a survey conducted by Questus, as many as 17% of Internet users leave e-commerce web sites simply because they perceive them as being untrustworthy or not secure. So, ask yourself, are you doing enough to build confidence and trust in your users? When you need an even more powerful SSL Certificate If you accept online payments, share confidential information such as financial or healthcare data, or are required by law to meet certain privacy and security standards, an SSL Certificate with both Extended Validation identity assurance and maximum strength SGC encryption technology may be a better choice for your web site. VeriSign® Secure Site Pro with EV combines both technologies for the most secure SSL Certificate available today. Traditional SSL Certificates Many sites will opt for the high level of assurance offered through Extended Validation SSL, however, traditional SSL Certificates are appropriate for individuals and unregistered organisations. Traditional SSL Certificates also offer enough assurance for other purposes. Securing traffic between internal servers is one instance where a traditional SSL Certificate is adequate. Websites without e-commerce or sensitive information transactions or sites with very light volume are also candidates for traditional SSL Certificates.
To initiate a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) session across the Internet, a valid SSL Certificate must be installed on the server. All SSL Certificates provide two basic functions. They authenticate the identity of a web site to visitors and they provide data encryption. However, there are significant differences in the quality of the authentication and encryption services offered by different SSL Certificates. Thawte SSL Web Server Certificates with EV provide the highest level of identity authentication in the industry and offer the strongest level of data encryption supported by your web site visitor’s individual browser capability (up to 256-bit). The highest level of identity authentication in the industry Recently a group of industry experts, the CA/Browser Forum, convened to create a new, higher standard for identity assurance - Extended Validation (EV) SSL. EV SSL standardises a strict process for confirming the identity of a website and it adds new browser interface features for demonstrating the authenticity of a website. A more visible interface identifies your secure site Until now browsers typically displayed a small lock icon to identify that this session encrypts data and that the organisation using that web domain has the right to use that domain (as listed in the SSL Certificate securing that web site). With Extended Validation SSL the browser interface display that signifies a secured and authenticated web site will be much more noticeable. New high-security browsers are expected to distinguish web sites secured by Extended Validation SSL Certificates by turning the address bar at the top of the screen to a highly visible green color. To the right of the green address bar a field will scroll between the name of the organisation using that web domain and the CA who issued the SSL Certificate. This new interface will pull this information directly from the Extended Validation Certificate and enable the web site visitor to immediately see that they have accessed a secured and authenticated web site and that it is the web site they meant to visit. Microsoft® Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) is the first browser to support this new green address bar feature. Older browsers will continue to display all certificates with the traditional lock icon at the bottom of the browser window. Free Windows XP EV upgrade tool EV Upgrader (a $2400 value) is embedded within the Thawte site seal and comes with the purchase of a Thawte EV Certificate. When placed on your web site it automatically enables any IE7 user running Windows XP to see the Extended Validation SSL green address bar and security information features. The first time an IE7 user on Windows XP visits a site with EV Upgrader™ from Thawte EV Upgrader™ will automatically prompt the operating system to enable the Extended Validation SSL functionality. So, beginning with the next time the user initiates a web session, every time they visit a site with an EV Certificate from Thawte they will see the green address bar. IE7 users running on Windows Vista will automatically see the green address bar and security information. Strong asymmetrical encryption SSL Web Server Certificates with EV help assure information privacy and protect information transmitted between your web site and your client’s web browser or between servers. Data sent "in the clear” can be intercepted and read or altered. SSL Web Server Certificates with EV utilise asymmetrical cryptography. This more secure method of encryption uses a public and private key pair to encrypt and decrypt information packages. These certificates will initiate a session using the strongest level of encryption supported by your client’s browser capabilities and the cipher suite installed on your web server. This could be 40-, 56-, 128-, or 256-bit encryption depending on the particulars of each session.
Thawte’s SSL Web Server Certificate with EV enables high-security browsers to display the green address bar along with your web site organisation’s name and identifies Thawte as the Certification Authority, so that site visitors can be confident sharing their sensitive personal information with your organisation. Web site visitors are learning to look for the green address bar in their web browsers while shopping online. The green address bar makes it easier than ever for your customers to see that their transactions are secure and you are who you say you are. Because site visitors are alerted to the SSL provider you have chosen to protect their online transactions, it is more important than ever to show your association with an established and reputable SSL provider.
Your choice of digital certificate depends mainly on whether you require your company details added to the certificate contents. If not, then SSL123 is an ideal choice of product as it provides the added benefit of quick issuance. It is important to understand the benefits of having organisational details inserted in a digital certificate. This allows you to prove your company identity online (and not just your domain name) which is of vital importance in a variety of situations, most notably when conducting online commerce. If this is something that is important to your business, you will need to consider SSL Web Server Certificates or SGC SuperCerts. If you need a domain validated SSL certificate issued to you with minimal paperwork within minutes* and at an affordable price, then SSL123 is the right product for you.
You are required to complete a simple enrolment process to purchase a certificate and will need to provide certain contact and company information to complete enrolment.
When you install a Thawte SSL123 Certificate on your server, your customers will be able to view the following information: The Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) for which the certificate was issued. This allows them to check that the certificate was issued for your domain (URL). The validity dates of the certificate. This is extremely important, since it shows users when your SSL123 Certificate was issued as well as when it will expire.
Yes. With an SSL123 Certificate you can request a certificate for an Intranet server if the requested domain is not a Fully Qualified domain name (FQDN), or if the IP address for which the cert is required is within the accepted range of internal IP addresses according to RFC 1597.
If you want an SSL certificate issued to you within minutes* and at an affordable price, then an SSL123 Certificate is the right product for you.
The beauty of a Thawte SSL123 Certificate is that when customers access your web server through an SSL connection, the information transmitted between the secured web server and your customer’s browser is encrypted. This ensures customer’s information is securely transmitted to and from your website.
Yes. Thawte has invested in enhancing its systems to ensure that you can get a certificate issued with local language characters included in the certificate details. * Please note that delays in issuance can be caused if your domain is not registered with an accredited online registrar.
The Certificate allows you to manage multiple sub domains on a single domain on a single server with a single Certificate. Moving this environment from multiple certificates to a single certificate significantly reduces management time and all associated costs.
When you install a Thawte Wildcard Certificate on your server, your customers will be able to view the following information: The domain for which the certificate was issued. This allows them to check that the certificate was issued for your domain (URL). Will not be able to see the sub domain for which the certificate was issued because the certificate has been issued to accommodate all sub domains to a domain. The legal owner of the certificate. This acts as further reassurance, since customers are able to see whom they are doing business with. The physical location of the owner. Once again this reassures customers that they are dealing with an actual entity. The validity dates of the certificate. This is extremely important, since it shows users that your Wildcard Certificate is current.
One of the major obstacles to communicating via the Internet is the lack of certainty about who is actually on the other side. There have been many instances of fraud whereby individuals/groups have posed as others on the Web. Thawte's stringent verification and authentication procedures when issuing digital certificates ensure that you are in fact dealing with exactly who you think you are when doing business on the Web. In this manner, Thawte promotes trust between companies and consumers on the Internet.
The Wildcard Certificate allows you to manage multiple sub domains on a single domain on a single server with a single Certificate. Moving this environment from multiple certificates to a single certificate significantly reduces management time and all associated costs.
The beauty of a Thawte Wildcard Certificate is that your customers are automatically protected when they access your secure server, which means that they do not need to install any additional software to ensure safe information transmission.
Yes. Thawte has invested enhancing its systems to ensure that you can get a certificate issued with local language characters included in the certificate details
The Secure Sockets Layer protects data transferred over http using encryption enabled by a server's SSL Certificate. An SSL Certificate contains a public key and a private key. A public key is used to encrypt information and a private key is used to decipher it. When a browser points to a secured domain, an SSL handshake authenticates the server and the client and establishes an encryption method and a unique session key. They can begin a secure session that protects message privacy and message integrity.
Best security practices are to install a unique certificate on each server and choose a True 128-bit Certificate by purchasing a Server Gated Cryptography (SGC)-enabled SSL Certificate. A unique certificate keeps your private keys protected, and an SGC-enabled certificate ensures that every site visitor, no matter what browser or operating system they use, connects at the highest level of encryption their system is capable of. You need 128-bit or better encryption if you process payments, share confidential data, or collect personally identifiable information such as Hong Kong Identity Card, mailing address, or date of birth. You need 128-bit or better encryption if your customers are concerned about the privacy of the data they send to you.
Prior to January 2000, U.S. government restrictions on U.S. vendors prevented the export of "strong" cryptography. As a result, many people purchased computers with operating systems and/or used export version browsers that supported only 40- or 56-bit SSL encryption. "Server Gated Cryptography" ("SGC") was developed to enable those restricted computers and export version browsers to "step up" to 128-bit SSL encryption. Without an SGC certificate on the Web server, Web browsers and operating systems that do not support 128-bit strong encryption will receive only 40- or 56-bit encryption. Users with the following browser versions and operating systems will temporarily step-up to 128-bit SSL encryption if they visit a Web site with an SGC-enabled SSL Certificate
Absolutely. When an SSL handshake occurs between a client and server, a level of encryption is determined by the browser, the client computer operating system, and in certain situations the SSL Certificate. Low-level encryption, 40- or 56-bits, is acceptable for sites with low-value information. However, a hacker with the time, tools, and motivation can crack the code in a matter of minutes. High-level encryption, at 128-bits, can calculate 288 times as many combinations as 40-bit encryption. That’s over a trillion times a trillion times stronger. That same hacker with the same tools would require a trillion years to break into a session protected by an SGC-enabled certificate.
VeriSign SSL Certificates work with virtually every Web browser that ever shipped and all popular Web browsers used since 1996. VeriSign SSL Certificates offer the highest browser compatibility achieved by any SSL Certificate.
In 2006, the CA Browser Forum, a group of leading SSL Certificate Authorities (CAs) and browser vendors, approved standard practices for certificate validation and visibility called the Extended Validation (EV) SSL Guidelines. To issue an SSL Certificate that complies with the standard, a CA must adopt the extended certificate validation practices and pass an audit. When shoppers visit a Web site secured with an EV SSL Certificate, high-security browsers will trigger the address bar to turn green and display the name of the organisation listed in the certificate as well as the Certificate Authority. The browser and the Certificate Authority control the display, making it difficult for phishers and counterfeiters to hijack your brand and your customers.
Web browsers that emerged after the development of the Extended Validation (EV) standard established by the CA/Browser forum and that were developed to recognise EV SSL Certificates are considered high-security browsers. They are designed to trigger unique visual cues to indicate the presence of an EV SSL Certificate. For instance, Internet Explorer 7 shows a green address bar and displays the name of the organisation listed in the certificate as well as the certificate’s security vendor. These displays make it easier for Web site visitors to quickly establish trust with the Web sites they visit. Microsoft® Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 3 are examples of high-security browsers.
When VeriSign issues an SSL Certificate, we act as a Certificate Authority (CA). VeriSign digitally signs each certificate we issue. Each browser contains a list of CAs to be trusted. When the SSL handshake occurs, the browser verifies that the server certificate was issued by a trusted CA. If the CA is not trusted, a warning will appear. When high-security browsers recognise an Extended Validation SSL Certificate, they sometimes display the name of the CA as well as the name of the Certificate owner. Because VeriSign is the most trusted and recognised CA on the Internet (see VeriSign Secured Seal Research Review (PDF)), the presence of the VeriSign name can lend an additional level of trust for site visitors. The VeriSign Trial Root CA is for testing purposes only and is not registered in any browser’s trust list.
The VeriSign certificate subscriber agreement prohibits customers from using a certificate on more than one physical server or device at a time, unless the customer has purchased the Licensed Certificate Option. When private keys are moved among servers—by disk or by network—accountability and control decrease, and auditing becomes more complex. By sharing certificates on multiple servers, enterprises increase the risk of exposure and complicate tracing access to a private key in the event of a compromise. VeriSign’s licensing policy allows licensed certificates to be shared in the following configurations: redundant server backups, server load balancing, and SSL accelerators.
Extended Validation SSL Certificates were created in direct response to the rise in Internet fraud, eroding consumer confidence in online transactions. In 2005, 84% of respondents to a Forrester Research study said they didn’t think retailers were doing enough to protect their customers online and 24 per cent did not make purchases online due to security concerns. (Lauri Giesen, "Hand-holding: Fraud-weary consumers look for the seal of approval," Internet Retailer, March 2006.) Before customers share their confidential data online, they want proof of identification from a trusted source. The Extended Validation SSL Standard raises the bar on verification of SSL Certificates and enables visual displays in high-security browsers.
Extended Validation SSL Certificates give high-security Web browsers information to clearly identify a Web site’s organisational identity. For example, if you use Microsoft® Internet Explorer 7 to go to a Web site secured with an SSL Certificate that meets the Extended Validation Standard, IE7 will cause the URL address bar to turn green. A display next to the green bar will toggle between the organisation name listed in the certificate and the Certificate Authority (VeriSign, for example). Firefox 3 and Opera 9.5 also supports Extended Validation SSL. Other browsers are expected to offer Extended Validation visibility in upcoming releases. Older browsers will display Extended Validation SSL Certificates with the same security symbols as existing SSL Certificates.
Web browsers that were developed to recognise EV SSL Certificates are considered high-security browsers. They are designed to trigger unique visual cues to indicate the presence of an EV SSL Certificate. For instance, Internet Explorer 7 shows a green address bar and displays the name of the organisation listed in the certificate as well as the certificate’s security vendor. These displays make it easier for Web site visitors to quickly establish trust with the Web sites they visit. Microsoft® Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 3 are examples of high-security browsers.
In 2006, a group of leading SSL Certificate Authorities (CAs) and browser vendors approved standard practices for certificate validation and display called the Extended Validation Standard. To issue an SSL Certificate that complies with the standard, a CA must adopt the extended certificate validation practice and pass a Webtrust audit. The validation process requires the CA to authenticate the certificate applicant’s domain ownership and organisational identity, as well as the individual approver’s employment with the applicant, and authority to obtain the Extended Validation SSL Certificate.
As people use the Web for commerce, business and social activities, they share personal and confidential information. High profile incidents of fraud and phishing scams have made Internet users very concerned about identity theft. Before they enter sensitive data, they want proof that the Web site can be trusted and their information will be encrypted. Without it, they may abandon their shopping cart/basket or other transaction and do business elsewhere. High-security browsers and Extended Validation SSL Certificates provide third-party verification with a visual display that gives consumers confidence and builds trust in online business.
An Extended Validation SSL Certificate helps your visitors complete secure transactions with confidence and puts your organisation in a leadership position. If your site has the “green bar” and your competitor’s site does not, you appear to be more trustworthy. That’s a competitive advantage in the world of e-commerce. For businesses with a high profile brand, using Extended Validation SSL is the most effective defence against phishing scams. When customers see the green bar and the name of your security vendor, they can interact with you online, with confidence.
The CA/Browser Forum dictates what kinds of entities are eligible to obtain EV Certificates. The following entities are eligible provided they are currently registered with and approved by an official registration agency in their jurisdiction. The resulting charter, certificate, license or equivalent must be verifiable through that registration agency. Government agencies Corporations General partnerships Unincorporated associations Sole proprietorships
A browser identifies an SSL Certificate as authentic by checking to see if the certificate matches a valid SSL root resident on the client machine. VeriSign signs every EV SSL Certificate with two roots: an EV root and a traditional SSL root. With two roots, every browser will identify a valid SSL root, even older browsers that do not yet recognise EV. IE7 is designed to recognise Extended Validation, but may not correctly display in Windows XP because the traditional SSL root is matched rather than the EV root. Internet Windows XP systems do not automatically update the root store. Developed before the EV standard existed, Windows XP systems do not have the EV root locally resident unless it has been manually updated and, because the browser recognises the traditional SSL root, it has no trigger to update the root store. VeriSign EV Upgrader technology, built directly into the VeriSign Secured® Seal, will trigger this manual update. Explorer 7 on Vista is designed to automatically update the root store on a weekly basis and should always recognise an EV Certificate and display it appropriately.
VeriSign EV Upgrader technology is built directly into the VeriSign Secured Seal. The first time an IE7 client on Windows XP visits a Web site with a VeriSign Secured Seal and EV Upgrader the client browser will contact a Microsoft root store service and seamlessly install the VeriSign EV root. Once the EV root is stored, it will verify VeriSign EV SSL Certificates on any Web site and display green bar and organisation name appropriately. The update happens in the background and without prompting from the user.
Over 90,000 domains in 145 countries display the VeriSign Secured Seal. EV Upgrader has helped quickly update root stores for Windows XP IE7 users worldwide. VeriSign recommends that you install the VeriSign Secured Seal on your home page to ensure a prompt update and the display of the green address bar on transactional pages of Windows XP users.
The VeriSign Secured Seal is the number one sign of trust on the Internet. Recognised worldwide, the VeriSign Secured Seal appears on Web pages secured by VeriSign SSL Certificates as a dynamic, animated graphic. A static version is also available. Site visitors click on the seal to verify your site information in real time. Add the seal to your secure site by following the installation instructions after you purchase a VeriSign SSL Certificate.
Displaying the seal on your Web site reassures visitors, leading to increased visitor-to-sales conversions, lower shopping cart abandonment, and a larger average purchase price. As phishing, identity theft, and other online scams increase, the VeriSign Secured Seal is an indispensable tool in your effort to improve your customers' perception of safety and trust when they do business online.
The majority of shoppers expect to see trust marks displayed where personal information is entered and transactions completed. According to the VeriSign Secured Seal Research Review (PDF), 87% of online shoppers in the UK expect to see a trust mark displayed on a Web site’s home page. You can display the seal on any Web page within the domain secured by your VeriSign SSL Certificate. VeriSign recommends that you insert the seal where it will be clearly visible without scrolling on pages where site visitors may look for proof of security and authenticity: Your home page Shopping cart/basket and checkout pages Log-in screens and on secure application pages On pages with security or privacy policy information Next to checkout or submit buttons
VeriSign determined that online shoppers prefer a clean, simple seal design with maximum recognition based on extensive market testing of almost one thousand subjects across four continents. The date, time and SSL customers’ organisation names now appear on the seal’s verification page.
If you encounter a VeriSign Secured Seal that is used incorrectly, please report it to VeriSign via the Report Seal Misuse form. Misuse might include: A site that does not employ an appropriate VeriSign service Mismatched information on the seal’s verification page Missing information pop-up when the seal is clicked A modified seal A seal used in phishing or illegal activities