A digital certificate can be used for a variety of different purposes and reasons. You can use this type of certificate as a method of two factor authentication. This type of authentication contains encrypted data within the certificate. When users attempt to log into different systems, resources or applications, they are challenged for the appropriate certificate. Once the correct certificate has been supplied, the user is then allowed to enter their user ID and password.
A Digital Signature Is One Application for a Digital Certificate
Another common application for a digital certificate is to create a digital signature. This type of signature is more secure than your normal electronic signature. Whenever the signature is attached to a document, form, or other type of file, it is encrypted. In order for recipients to decrypt the signature and access the file, they will need a public key, contained in the appropriate certificate and issued by the owner of the digital signature.