SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. It is a standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a server and a client, for example a web server (website) and a browser(Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, etc); or a mail server and a mail client (e.g., Outlook). An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate on the other hand is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a website and encrypts information sent to the server using SSL technology. Encryption is the process