Experian division cuts its certification costs

Cost and service concerns lead to unit's move to a new SSL provider

A division of business information provider Experian has cut the cost of its online security certification process by 64 per cent after signing up to a new supplier.

The Business Strategies unit switched its Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certification to vendor GeoTrust because of concerns over cost and the time taken to issue certificates.

Steve Palmer, operational service manager at Experian, said: ‘The key drivers were cost and delivery timescales. GeoTrust’s system is wholly automated, so once the authorisation emails have been approved, the certificates are issued immediately.

‘I wasn’t here at the time the decision was made to change supplier, but given the difference in cost and reported delays in issuing certificates – sometimes up to several days – I assume that our previous provider had huge teams of people processing all these requests manually,’ he said.

Experian’s Business Strategies division runs online services and applications providing customers with strategic data on individuals, markets and economies, via brands such as eMarket, Motor.net and Goad.net.

GeoTrust’s SSL certificates provide 128-bit encryption and real-time authentication for online transactions. Currently, 14 of Experian’s sites are using GeoTrust, with a further six due to switch by next March.

‘Users won’t see any difference, but I’ve found it refreshing to see how accessible GeoTrust’s people are,’ said Palmer.

He adds that switching supplier has also made it quick and easy for Experian to establish secure sites.

‘We know we’ll never get caught short by a last-minute customer request,’ he said.
Experian has more than 50,000 clients globally and annual sales of about £1.4bn. Its consumer information covers more than a billion people worldwide.