The difference between a Wildcard SSL certificate and other SSL/TLS certificates is that other certificates, which are issued to a single Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN), (e.g., www example.com), can only be used to secure the exact domain to which it has been issued. A Wildcard SSL certificate is issued to a “Common Name” *.example.com, and a Subject Alternative Name (SAN) allowing the certificate to be used for an unlimited number of subdomains across an unlimited number of servers. A single Wildcard SSL certificate secures one domain *.example.com, and unlimited subdomains www.example.com, buy.example.com, dev.example.com, mail.example.com, etc.

Entrust Wildcard SSL Certificates can also secure multiple Wildcard SANs. The SAN ensures that the Wildcard certificate works with or without a subdomain: *.example.com, *.example.net, *.sample.com, .examplesample.com.

The combination of flexibility and value gives system administrators the ability to easily add subdomains without the costs or tasks involved with deploying new certificates. Plus all Entrust Wildcard SSL certificates come with a website security bundle to find malware on your website and protect it from being blacklisted.