HTTP, HTTPS, Chrome and You 14th February 2018
What a difference a letter can make!
As you might have guessed, the S in HTTPS stands for secure. Specifically a Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption is applied to the HTTP protocol.
It’s becoming more and more difficult to overlook security in all digital applications and the latest push from Google themselves, in conjunction with their very popular Chrome browser, is yet another nudge towards a more secure web.
So what exactly are they doing?
From approximately July 2018, Chrome will release version 68. This update will cause all HTTP sites to display as “Not Secure” as a warning to users that their credentials aren’t secure and what they’re seeing, or interacting with, may not be legitimate.
How will this affect me?
For businesses with HTTPS already in place, this won’t affect you a great deal. You’ll continue to enjoy the benefits of having HTTPS, such as a higher page rank in search engines and more confident customers – you may even pick up some extra traffic and customers from competitors who don’t have HTTPS in place!
For business without HTTPS, moving towards that more secure protocol will become even more urgent than it already is. As your website will be displayed as “Not Secure” regardless of whether you’re a store-front or not, you’ll be turning away potential new business and causing unease among any customers that do stick with you.
Surely this won’t have much of an impact? After all, it’s just one type of browser.
Google have been leading the way on numerous security improvements for our use of the web and where they lead, others tend to follow. We’re certain to see other updates for browsers which will follow suit.
The Chrome browser also has a significant market share over competition; the potential to lose more than 50% of your web traffic, or ecommerce due to lax security standards is a real threat. Not to mention the increased risk you take of a malicious party stealing your customers sensitive information, on your watch.
How do I obtain HTTPS for my website?
Just give us a call, or contact us now.
Our experts can ensure you’re taking full advantage of HTTPS and in most cases, even with the most complex sites, we can ensure HTTPS is implemented within a few days.
Our experts can also advise or implement other procedures with which you can reduce risk to yourself and customers; keeping your sensitive information secure and your company trusted.
