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SSL Certificates are used to verify the identity of websites and encrypt the traffic between the server and client. Certificates fall into two main categories: External (Public) and Internal (Private).
Depending on your use case, you may request an External or Internal certificate from ACC IT. You may use the chart below to help you determine which type to request.
SSL Certificate Comparison
| |
External (Public) SSL Certificate |
Internal (Private) SSL Certificate |
| Issuance |
Issued by a Public Certificate Authority (CA) (e.g., DigiCert, Let's Encrypt, Sectigo). |
Issued by a Private CA or Internal PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) run by your organization. |
| Trust |
Globally trusted by all major web browsers and operating systems (because the Public CA's root certificate is already built into their trust stores). |
Not trusted publicly. Only trusted by devices explicitly configured to trust your organization's internal Root CA (typically done through Group Policy or MDM). |
| Cost |
Typically involves an annual fee, costs vary based on features. |
Free. |
| Use Case |
External-facing services like public websites, customer-facing portals, and email servers. |
Internal-facing services such as intranets, internal APIs, internal web apps, load balancers, and network devices. |