There are different purposes for which you can use a digital certificate. You can use this type of certificate when you want to digitally sign documents and files and make sure they are secure. Without the proper certificate, the signed documents and files cannot be accessed. Digital signatures are suited for use on financial documents, proprietary data files and other types of information which need to be kept confidential.
A Digital Certificate Can Be Used as a Second Form of Authentication
You can use a digital certificate to add a second layer of authentication to your computer resources and applications. This second form of authentication can be used both locally on your network, as well as for web-based applications. After a person logs in using their user name and password, they are challenged for the correct certificate. Once they select the right certificate, it is authenticated against the system. As long as it matches, they are granted access. If the picked the wrong certificate or do not have one, they are prevented from signing into the system.