The Benefits of the thawte ISP Program Earn additional revenue by reselling thawte digital certificate products... 1. Overview 2. Who Should Join? 3. The ISP Program what are the Benefits? 4. How can you Generate Revenue through the Program? 5. Useful URLs 6. What Role Does thawte Play? 7. The Value of Authentication 8. Contact thawte Appendix: Digital Certificates if you need to know A. Securing Internet transactions with SSL certificates B. What do SSL certificates and SuperCerts do? C. SLL certificates and SuperCerts what are the benefits? D. Why are Developer certificates important?
1 1. Overview How often do you wish there was someone you could trust to help you deal with all the hassles of managing your customers Digital Certificates? Well, thawte, the trusted third party when it comes to SSL-security has a tailor-made security solution for all ISPs and web hosting companies. The thawte ISP Program is the world's largest and most successful SSL reseller program, with more than 10 000 member ISPs worldwide. It is free, open and non-exclusive. This guide lists the benefits of joining the program and also explains the need for SSL security and how thawte SSL-certificates can be used to give customers confidence about website authentication and secure web transactions. 2. Who Should Join? The program is designed for ISPs or web hosting companies of all sizes that want to offer our digital certificate products as part of their product solution to their client base. It will be your one-stop base for easily purchasing and managing SSL Web Server and Code Signing Certificates for customer websites. This Program is a good way to open a new revenue stream for your business, however, in order for this program to work to your advantage, you should have a need for at least 5 thawte Certificates per year.
2 3. The ISP Program what are the Benefits? As a member of the ISP Program you will receive all thawte Certificates at substantially discounted prices, thereby creating a revenue opportunity for your company. ISPs or web hosting companies of any size are eligible all members enjoy the same benefits. You will be responsible for working with thawte to manage the Certificate process on behalf of your customers. With this program, you could: become part of an established, internationally recognized program with over 10,000 members sign-up for free get discounts on the base price of all certificates generate revenue on the re-selling of all certificates user friendly web based management interface to manage all your customer certificates SSL Web Server Certificates and SGC SuperCerts are now available in a 2-year option, which offers greater discounts online technical support, 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, at http://www.thawte.com/support/index.html support of dedicated account managers sales and marketing support full technical and customer service support
3 4. How can you Generate Revenue through the Program? Revenue opportunities are twofold: Firstly, as a member of the ISP Program, you receive discounts on all certificates purchased through the program, and you are then entitled to charge your customers a fee for managing the certification process on their behalf; and Secondly, most ISPs find that getting their customers onto a secure server opens the door for consulting and engineering work on on-line ordering and buying systems for the customer s website. This is where the program s real profit opportunities lie. In other words, once you get your customers onto a secure server, they will be more willing to pay for the design and implementation of electronic commerce for their website. Saving with discounts The greater the volume of certificates the greater the discount. You can view details on this when you purchase certificate tokens online through the manager console. Recouping the cost of certification A recent thawte survey showed that the majority of our ISP members recover the cost of certification by charging their customers The thawte retail prices. Whilst some ISP s include the cost of certification in a general "secure server set-up fee", and thereafter charge a monthly fee for hosting the secure server. Managing the certification process on a customer s behalf involves generating the CSR (Certificate Signing Request), going through the thawte enrolment process, installing the certificate and managing the private key once everything is up and running.
4 5. Useful URLs? ISP Program Info: http://www.thawte.com/isp/index.html Read the thawte faqs - all the most frequent user problems and questions, with their answers. Go to http://www.thawte.com/support/index.html 6. What Role Does thawte Play? thawte Technologies is a Certification Authority (CA) which issues SSL Web Server Certificates and 128-bit SuperCerts to organizations and individuals worldwide. thawte verifies that the Organization ordering the certificate is a registered organization and that the person in the organization who ordered the certificate is authorized to do so. thawte also checks that the organization in question owns the relevant domain. thawte digital certificates interoperate smoothly with the latest software from Microsoft and Netscape, so you can rest assured that your purchase of a thawte Web Server Certificate will give your customers confidence in your system's integrity - they will feel secure about transacting online.
5 7. The Value of Authentication Information is a critical asset to your business. To ensure the integrity and safety of your information, it is important to identify with whom you are dealing, and the data you are receiving is trustworthy. Authentication can help establish trust between parties involved in all types of transactions by addressing a unique set of security issues including: Spoofing: The low cost of website design and the ease with which existing pages can be copied makes it all too easy to create illegitimate websites that appear to be published by established organizations. In fact, con artists have illegally obtained credit card numbers by setting up professional looking storefronts that mimic legitimate businesses. Unauthorized Action: A competitor or disgruntled customer can alter your website so that it malfunctions or refuses to service potential clients. Unauthorized Disclosure: When transaction information is transmitted in the clear, hackers can intercept the transmissions to obtain sensitive information from your customers. Data Alteration: The content of a transaction can be intercepted and altered en route, either maliciously or accidentally. User names, credit card numbers and currency amounts sent in the clear are all vulnerable to alteration. 8. Contact thawte Should you have any further questions regarding the content of this guide or thawte products and services, please contact a Sales Advisor: E-Mail: ispsales@thawte.com Telephone: +27 21 937 8929 Fax: +27 21 937 8967
6 APPENDIX: Digital Certificates - if you Need to Know A. The Importance of Internet Security and SSL Certificates The value of transactions that will take place over the Internet is expected to exceed $1.4 trillion by the year 2003 [Forrester Research]. Almost all secure Internet commerce transactions use SSL, the standard security protocol built into every web browser and commercial web server on the market today. A thawte SSL Server Certificate enables SSL on your web server, giving you the ability to communicate securely with your web customers. SSL protects all communications with your clients, so you can: take credit card orders, protect sensitive personal information, ensure that hackers do not detect your passwords; and prevent eavesdropping on your web traffic. thawte Web Server SSL Certificates are used on more than 80 000 (check on this?) sites worldwide. More than 90% of Fortune 500 companies use SSL security to protect their sensitive information. thawte SSL certificates are compatible with all recent browsers, including Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x and Netscape Communicator 5.x. More than 95% of the web browsers in use today will accept a thawte certificate as proof of a website s identity. thawte certificates are also compatible with all current releases of commercial and freeware web servers supporting SSL. A SSL certificate gives customers the confidence to transact with you online. Having SSL security adds credibility to your online business and demonstrates a willingness to protect customer information and privacy.
7 APPENDIX: Digital Certificates - if you Need to Know (continued) B. What do SSL certificates and SuperCerts do? SSL Web Server Certificates When customers visit a website with the intent of making an online purchase, they want to know whom they ll be paying. They want proof of the identity of the website owner, and they want to know that the personal information they send to the website cannot be intercepted by other Internet users. SSL enables a web browser and a web server to communicate securely; it allows the web browser to authenticate the web server. The SSL protocol requires the web server to have a digital certificate installed in order for an SSL connection to be made. You can read more about SSL certificates and SuperCerts in our guide, Building Customer Confidence through SSL Certificates and SuperCerts, or visit: http://www.thawte.com/ucgi/gothawte.cgi?a=w46840166357049000 SGC SuperCerts SGC SuperCerts are SSL certificates that allow international browsers to step-up to 128-bit encryption. SuperCerts will bump up the encryption level to 128 bits, even when communicating with the latest 40-bit browsers. Historically, the US restricted the export of strong encryption products out of that country. This meant that the browser versions developed for export from the US were not automatically enabled to encrypt communications using 128-bit strong encryption. All secure communications using these international browsers used 40-bit encryption. It is important to notice that a substantial number of browsers in use today in the US are the so-called international browsers which only use 40-bit encryption, so even if your customers are situated within the US, you may still require a SGC SuperCert to provide them with the strongest possible encryption. For more information on SGC SuperCerts please see: http://www.thawte.com/sgc/index.html
8 APPENDIX: Digital Certificates - if you Need to Know (continued) C. Digital certificates what are the benefits? Using SSL ensures that you can offer your customers secure online communications. thawte SSL certificates and SuperCerts provide: Confidence in the integrity and security of your online business and network infrastructure. Customers are becoming increasingly aware of the advantages of SSL security and will often not purchase online from non-secure stores. All major web merchants use SSL security backed by strong warranties to encourage customers to buy online. Interoperability and support for standard applications and browsers, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator. Non-forgeable proof of your website identity. Ease of use. A stand-alone solution: no installation of any extra software on the server or the browser is required. thawte offers efficient personal service and a straightforward certification process. You can be sure of our excellent after sales support.
9 APPENDIX: Digital Certificates - if you Need to Know (continued) D. Why are Code Signing Certificates Important? Any publisher who plans to distribute code or content over the Internet, or over corporate extranets, risks impersonation and tampering. Developer Certificates (also called code signing certificates) protect against these hazards. The certification authority does not certify the code quality or intent. It certifies the identity of the publisher. When customers download software from the Internet, the most they see is a message warning them about the risks of using downloaded software. Without an assurance of the software integrity, and without knowing who published the software, it s difficult for customers to know how much trust to place in that software. This complicates the choice of whether or not to download the software from the Internet. As a solution to these issues, Netscape, Microsoft, Apple and other software vendors have developed strategies for code signing. Code signing allows a developer to sign his/her application digitally; on the strength of that signature, the browser or operating system then decides whether or not to trust the software. When customers download software signed with a certificate from a recognized Certification Authority, they can be assured of: Content source: The software really comes from the publisher who signed it. Content integrity: The software has not been altered or corrupted since it was signed. Thanks to the certificate, user confidence is established. In the event of the software performing malicious or unacceptable activity on their computers, users also have recourse to the publisher. This accountability and possibility of recourse serve as a strong deterrent against the distribution of harmful code. Developers and webmasters benefit from signed code, because it reinforces trust in their reputations and makes their products harder to falsify. By signing code, developers build a relationship of trust with users, who then learn to download signed software from that publisher or web site with confidence.