A general definition of a digital certificate is a special type of electronic certificate used by computer operating systems and applications to perform a desired function or operation. Some certificates come pre-installed with computer operating systems, which were placed there by the manufacturer of your computer or operating system. Other certificates are packaged into software applications for specific purposes, such as being able to access cloud storage environments. Then there are certificates created by businesses and organizations of all sizes, used for other functions and purposes, such as various authentication methods, time stamping, and digitally signing electronic documents, files and forms.
Always Verify the CA System Used to Create a Digital Certificate Is from a Trusted Source
Regardless of who issued a digital certificate found on your computer or portable storage device, it was created using a certificate authority system supplied by a trusted provider. There are only certain organizations allowed to give you access to certificate authority systems, because they have to be trusted to ensure the certificates are genuine and do not pose a risk to the organization. For example, if you used one of our CA system solutions to create your own digital certificates, you know the CA system is being offered by a trusted source. Further, some countries have a list of preferred CA system providers which are acceptable for business organizations to use. Whenever you are in the market for your own CA system, you need to take the time to evaluate the company you are dealing with and to confirm they are a trusted provider.