Require the best SSL Certificate for your Microsoft Exchange Server? here is the best guide each user should learn about SSL Certificate & Exchange Server.

1. A Comprehensive Guide to Encryption for Microsoft Exchange Server
Microsoft Exchange Server
&
SSL Certificates:
Everything you need to
know

2. ▪ Microsoft Exchange Server’s versions preceding Exchange Server 2007 didn’t require an SSL
certificate or an HTTPS connection.
▪ Because of the lack of end-to-end encryption, attackers found it easy to creep into ongoing data
transportation.
▪ This meant that they could access super sensitive information. It needed to be stopped and that
is exactly what Microsoft did by making SSL necessary for Exchange Server 2007.
▪ Since then, every version of Exchange Server launched requires an SSL certificate and HTTPS for
encryption.

3.  Microsoft Exchange Server SSL Certificate Encryption

4.  Microsoft Exchange Server: A Brief Introduction
▪ Microsoft Exchange Server is one of the most extensively
acknowledged mail servers globally.
▪ Developed by Microsoft, Exchange Server was released a long way
back in 1993.
▪ You would be surprised to know that the first version of Exchange
Server was launched to manage mail communications within Microsoft
itself. Launched in 1996, Exchange Server 4.0 was the first version to
be sold to the general public.

5.  Seven versions of Exchange Server have been launched
▪ Exchange Server 4.0
▪ Exchange Server 5.5
▪ Exchange Server 2000
▪ Exchange Server 2003
▪ Exchange Server 2007
▪ Exchange Server 2010
▪ Exchange Server 2013
Only systems running on Windows operating systems can operate Microsoft Exchange Server.
Microsoft Exchange Server is available in the form of on-premise software as well as Software
as a Service(SaaS).

6.  Is it mandatory to employ encryption on Exchange Server?
▪ It would have been a straight NO, had this question been asked 10-15
years back. Not anymore. In fact, it is a straightforward YES, these days.
▪ Gone are the days when you needed to rush to the office to see an
important email. In the age of cut-throat competition, never-ending
communication has an astounding impact as far as the efficiency of an
organization is concerned.
▪ But as Richelle Mead says, “Most good things come with the risk of
something bad.” Here, the risk comes in the form of man-in-the–middle
(MITM) attacks.

7. ▪ Here, MITM refers to the interception and tampering of information being
transmitted between two parties.
▪ The emails being transferred in an organization may include profoundly
confidential information, leaking of which can have a glaring negative
impact on the organization.
▪ To counter this possible menace, SSL certificates play a major role.
Having an SSL certificate installed on the Exchange Server thwarts any
possible attempt of data interference and data-tampering.

8.  UCC SSL: An absolute solution for Exchange server security
▪ Microsoft provides a bunch of host services such as Outlook App/Web, Auto-Discover,
ActiveSync, Pop3, SMTP etc.
▪ Anytime sensitive information is being transferred the risk of that information being
intercepted and leaked rises.
▪ As a result, SSL certificates are required to defend all the sensitive information against
any potential cyber-attack.
▪ Managing several SSL certificates for each service proves to be an exhausting and
certainly an expensive option.
▪ To counteract these disadvantages, UCC (Unified Communication Certificate) or SAN
(Subject Alternative Name) SSL certificates make an exceptional choice.

9. ▪ Having a UCC SSL certificate installed on your server, means you don’t
need to install individual SSL certificates for every single domain.
▪ It results in a much more simplified process as you can easily manage
numerous host services as well as domains with a single SSL certificate
without making a large dent in your pocket.

10.  UCC SSL certificate authorities suggested by Microsoft
▪ To secure communication between an Exchange Server and the Internet,
Microsoft has endorsed several certificate authorities (CA’s) as its
partners.
▪ Several certificate authorities (CA’s) have established special websites
only for the Exchange Server. These sites help the users by providing
documentation for the services under Exchange Server.

11.  Here are some of the certificate authorities (CA’s) suggested by Microsoft.
▪ Comodo
▪ Symantec
▪ GeoTrust
▪ Thawte

12.  Recommended UCC/SAN Certificates for Exchange Server
▪ By now, you know why UCC/SAN SSL certificates represent a great option for the
Exchange Server.
▪ The next question is, “Which UCC/SAN certificate should I purchase?” Well, we
have tried to make this crucial choice easy for you. Based on our expertise, we
have come up with a list to help you make the best choice.
1. Comodo Unified Communication UCC SSL
2. Thawte SSL Web Server Certificate
3. GeoTrust True BusinessID Multi Domain SSL
4. Symantec Secure Site SSL Certificate
5. Comodo DV UCC SSL Certificate

13.  SSL Installation Guide for Exchange Server
▪ The next crucial step in line after making a purchase is to install the
certificate on the Exchange Server.
▪ Here is our step-by-step guide for SSL installation on Exchange Server.

14.  SSL tools for Exchange Server SSL management
▪ The SSL installation process can cause you a headache if you don’t have proper SSL
tools. On our site, you can find the SSL tools which will make the SSL installation and
management as easy as pie.
 SSL Checker Tool: This tool helps you verify if an SSL certificate has been installed correctly or
not. The SSL Checker displays the certificate chaining, server type, Common Name, issuer, along
with additional certificate details.
 CSR Generation Tool: Easily generate a CSR using this tool.
 CSR Decoder Tool: This tool assists you to check CSRs. You can view the information contained
within them.

15.  SSL tools for Exchange Server SSL management
 SSL Converter Tool: Some of the servers require the SSL certificate to be in a
format different to its original format. This tool allows you to convert the format of
any SSL Certificate.
 Certificate Decoder Tool: You can quickly decode an SSL certificate using this tool.
This tool can decode PFX, DER, or PEM files.
 Certificate Key Matcher: This tool verifies whether a private key or CSR file matches
an SSL certificate. The certificate will stop working in case of any mismatch.

16.  Final words
 In any organization, most of the communication is carried out via emails. Those
emails may include highly discreet data.
 Hence, having an SSL certificate is now obligatory. As far as the Microsoft
Exchange Servers are concerned, installing UCC/SAN SSL certificate is a no-
brainer. With our installation guide and SSL tools by your side, you shouldn’t face
any problems installing and managing your SSL certificate.

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