EV SSLs, also known as Extended Validation or Premium SSL Certificates, offer the highest level of online assurance available. These SSL Certificates not only verify domain ownership, but the identity of the Certificate holder as well.

While basic SSLs have been around since the 1990s, it wasn't until 2005 that anyone saw the need for a more powerful SSL. That's when the CA/Browser Forum, a group made up of Internet browser software firms and Certification Authorities (CA), created guidelines for a new type of SSL Certificate. This new Certificate was specifically designed to combat online fraud by requiring a more rigorous verification process.

Although CAs were already checking business credentials before issuing a Certificate, there was no standard for how to verify this information. As a result, there were discrepancies in the level of authentication from CA to CA - discrepancies that clever criminals took advantage of for their own benefit.

Thanks to phishers and spoofers, the Internet is now awash with fraudulent Web sites that imitate legitimate business sites. Their goal? To trick consumers into revealing their credit card, bank account or social security numbers by convincing them they are being asked to supply them for legitimate business reasons.

Premium SSL Certificates thwart such efforts through the use of simple Ð but very powerful - visual cues. Consumers who see a green background in their address bar, along with the gold lock icon and "https" prefix, can tell instantly they're on a safe, legitimate Web page. There's no guessing, no confusion. Green means "it's safe to proceed."

Color key. Premium SSL Certificates are ONLY awarded to those individuals, businesses and organizations that prove in writing they 1. Own the domain name and 2. Are who they say they are. Anyone unable to substantiate these two things is denied the Premium SSL. Without an SSL, their Web site will display a plain white browser bar with no lock icon or https prefix. Sites with invalid Certificates or those known to be malicious or fraudulent will display in red.

At last, legitimate businesses have a way to protect their names and brand images. Once they have a Premium SSL, the business simply notifies their customers, alerting them to look for the green address bar, lock icon and https prefix before submitting any confidential information to any Web site.

Users who inadvertently land on a fake Web site know to look for the signs of security. When they don't find them, they know they're not on a secure site and should terminate the interaction.

Given the choice between a Web site that displays the "green bar" in the browser and one that does not, the site with the green bar will win every time. With businesses competing for every single customer, a Premium SSL can make the difference between surviving and thriving.