DigiCert Exchange Certificate for Microsoft Exchange Server – Is It the Right Match?

Exploring DigiCert Exchange certificates & their relationship to the Microsoft Exchange server

Are you confused regarding Microsoft Exchange SSL certificates? Do you really need an Exchange SSL certificate? Are you wondering whether DigiCert Exchange SSL certificates are the best fit? If you’re wondering any of the above questions, then you’ve landed at the right place. That’s because, in this article, we’ll be discussing everything you need to know about Microsoft Exchange SSL certificates and whether DigiCert Exchange certificates will help you or not. Let’s get started!

Why You Need an Exchange Server SSL Certificate

If your business has Microsoft Exchange as your email hosting service provider, then you’re one of thousands and thousands of companies. Microsoft Exchange holds around 28% market share, thanks to its pioneering initiatives in the industry and seamless integration it offers with Microsoft’s other services. Therefore, it’s safe to say that a significant share of the world’s business communication happens through MS Exchange servers.

Now, as all of us know, our communication involves sensitive organizational information that none of us would like to get compromised. That’s where the need to protect its privacy and integrity comes in.

When an email is sent from one person to another, information is transmitted between the email servers of both parties. During the time when information is getting transmitted, or it’s “in the air,” there’s a risk of the information getting intercepted and tampered by ill-intended entities. In technical terms, this is called a “man in the middle” (MiTM) attack. If an attacker gets hold of your information in plain text, then your privacy is obviously compromised. Not only that, but they can also alter the data without you or the receiver noticing. We know that’s a scary proposition, and that’s why Microsoft has made it compulsory to install an exchange server SSL certificate on the Exchange server. Starting from Exchange server 2007, Microsoft made it mandatory to install SSL certificates on Exchange web servers.

Here’s What an SSL/TLS Certificate Does

An SSL (secure socket layer) or TLS (transport layer security) certificate is a digital certificate that facilitates a secure connection between two end-points (server and client) using cryptography. Here, the word “secure connection” means two services: encryption and authentication.

• Encryption: An SSL certificate turns the plain text data-in-transit into an incomprehensible format so that no unintended 3rd-party could steal or tamper with the data.
• Authentication: SSL/TLS certificates ensure that their holders (people, websites, and even network devices such as routers) are who or what they claim to be. Although this verification is usually done in one-way (the sender verifies the recipient), it can also be modified in such a way that both parties do mutual authentication. This way, both parties can know who they’re communicating with.

SAN/UCC Certificates: SSL Certificates Recommended by Microsoft

Microsoft offers many host services like ActiveSync, AutoDiscover, Outlook Anywhere app/web, POP3, SMTP, etc. You need SSL protection for all these services when connecting internally or with external partners. However, it’d become incredibly costly and exhausting to manage separate SSL certificates for each of these services.

That’s where SAN (Subject Alternative Name) /UC (Unified Communications) SSL certificates come in. A SAN/UC SSL certificate is a tailor-made solution for Microsoft Exchange as it enables you to secure multiple domain names and multiple hostnames within a domain name.

With a SAN/UC certificate, you can establish SSL security for multiple domains, as shown below:

• mail.yourserver.com
• owa.yourserver.com
• autodiscover.yourserver.com
• outlook.yourserver.com

Having a single certificate to manage makes your job much easier as you don’t have to worry about managing multiple SSL certificates. In fact, Microsoft recommends using SAN/UC SSL certificates for exchange environment, and that’s why these certificates are also known as “exchange server SSL certificates.”

Self-Signed SSL Certificates or Certificates from Commercial CA: Here’s What Microsoft Says

When it comes to getting SSL certificates, there are two ways to do it. Either you can generate SSL self-signed SSL certificates by signing by yourself, or you could get a certificate from a globally recognized SSL certificate authority (CA).

Microsoft recommends you to get an SSL certificate from a trusted SSL certificate authority. That’s because SSL certificates signed by recognized CA are automatically trusted by your clients, without requiring any configuration. This makes your job much easier. Another reason why Microsoft recommends you to go with a commercial certificate is that many certificate authorities offer certificates that are explicitly configured for the Exchange server environment. As a result, you can use the EAC or the Exchange Management Shell to generate certificate requests that work with most commercial CAs.

Microsoft Recommends DigiCert Exchange Certificates

If you go to the digital certificate guide provided by Microsoft, it has outlined specific guidelines for you to choose the right SSL CA for your server security. It has many criteria such as trustworthiness, certificate configuration offered by the CA, convenience, etc. Based on all those criteria, Microsoft recommends DigiCert Exchange certificates for Exchange Server as well as Skype for Business or Lync Server.

DigiCert Exchange certificates and exchange servers fit with each other like bread and butter. That’s because, for years, DigiCert has partnered with Microsoft to help meet the SSL security needs of the Exchange server platform. This has enabled DigiCert to develop the expertise needed to help you and your organization with your Exchange SSL certificate needs.

DigiCert Exchange Certificate Options:

Final Word

Trusted by the fortune-500 companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Apple, Amazon, Tesla, and many more, DigiCert has set the benchmark when it comes to its highly refined authentication procedures and robust security infrastructure. If you’re in search of the right SSL certificates for the Exchange server, then you aren’t going to get an any better option than DigiCert Exchange Certificates. As they say, it’s a match made in heaven!