Loading...It can get heavy on your wallet to individually purchase SSL/TLS certificates for each of your domains. Leaving the websites unencrypted is no longer a viable choice partly due to the loss of trust and reputational damage that comes with insecure browsing but majorly due to the security risks that come into play.
Standard UCC SSL certificates are used to host multiple domains on a single certificate. They are also referred to as multi-domain SAN or Exchange certificates. UCCs are ideal for server environments such as Microsoft Exchange but can be used with any other server environment as well. Standard UCC SSLs are available to us in all three levels of validation, namely DV, OV, and EV but all the domains listed on the certificate will receive the same validation level.
What Is a Standard UCC SSL Certificate?
A unified communication certificate (UCC) SSL certificate is an SSL certificate capable of securing multiple domains and their registered first-level subdomains under a single certificate. UCC SSL certificates are also called SAN or multi-domain certificates.
By now, you already know that a standard UCC SSL certificate allows users to secure multiple domains and multiple hostnames with a single certificate on a single IP. The additional domains get listed as subject alternative names or SANs while the base domain gets registered as the common name. You can add or modify the SANs, but the common name cannot be edited. There is an upper limit to the number of domains that can be included in a single certificate. It varies depending on the CA (Certificate Authority) you choose.
How Does a Standard UCC SSL Work?
If you are still unsure about Standard UCC SSL, let’s consider an example!
Presume Alice is a business owner with multiple lines of business. It has recently been brought to her attention that some of her websites are losing customers because they do not have HTTPS enabled, and Google flags the sites as “Not Secure.” She decides to secure the websites mentioned below but wishes to do so without the hassles of managing multiple SSL/TLS certificates.
- www.site1.com
- www.site2.org
- www.site3.net
- blog.site3.net
With standard UCC SSL certificates, she can secure all the sites by citing them as subject alternative names in a single certificate.
Secure Up to 250 Multiple Domains with One UCC SSL – Save 50%
Save 50% on Sectigo OV UCC SSL Certificates. It includes unlimited server licenses, reissuances, 256-bit encryption, and more.
| UCC/Multi-Domain/SAN SSL Certificate |
|---|
| One certificate for securing up to 250 domains and subdomains. |
| The upper cap on the number of domains covered is defined by the issuing Certificate Authority. |
| Example: www.website.com, dev.website.com, www.site.org, www.example.com, etc. can all be secured using one certificate. |
| The different domain names to be secured must be added at the time of purchase. Additional SANs can be acquired later, but for modification of existing SANs, the certificate will need to be reissued. |
| Available for all three validation levels– DV and OV. |
How to Get a Standard UCC SSL Certificate?
It is the same as getting any other SSL/TLS certificates. You will need to generate a certificate signing request (CSR) and list your primary domain as the FQDN. Additional domains, depending on how many you purchased (most come bundled with 2-4 SANs for free), are listed as SANs. Once the CA completes the validation process, the certificate will be issued. The certificate can then be installed and used concurrently on multiple web servers.