A couple of days ago the beta for Let's Encrypt was launched. It's a new Certificate Authority that provides free certificates that identify your website as originating from, well, you. Along with ensuring a secure transmission path between the website and your browser.

It has some major, well-recognized backers. With Google now pushing for secure websites under the threat of lower SEO rankings, this service stands to really help in that regard.

What surprised me the most is how many law firm websites don't utilize a certificate authority (my law firm of Novak Druce included). This new Certificate Authority is really helpful on the domain wildcard front as well because it typically costs more for a certificate for a wildcard domain (*.domain.com) that the non-wildcard variant (domain.com).

Let's Encrypt describes itself as:

Internet Security Research Group (ISRG) is a California public benefit corporation, and is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. ISRG’s mission is to reduce financial, technological, and education barriers to secure communication over the Internet.

Worth checking out.