CASE STUDY

THE SSL STOREDEDICATED SSL CERTIFICATE PROVIDERJOINS VERISIGN PARTNER PROGRAM ANDINCREASES SALES BY 200%

Now fromPA R T N E R P R O G R A M

CASE STUDY

THE SSL STORE

Launched in 2009, The SSL Store is a leading provider of SSL Certificates that workswith customers in more than 72 countries around the globe. The SSL Store is ownedand operated by Tuncer and Tuncer, a St. Petersburg, Florida-based corporationthat provides a variety of Internet-related products and services, including contentmanagement systems, web-based billing services, and web site development.The SSL Store provides SSL Certificates to a broad range of customers, includingsmall businesses, universities, and large Fortune 500 companies such as IBM, CVSPharmacy, and Panasonic. The company also works with an active base of 400resellers that provide SSL security to almost 20,000 customers worldwide.

BUSINESS CHALLENGE: MEETING CUSTOMER DEMAND WITHINDUSTRY-LEADING SSL CERTIFICATES

When John C. Tuncer founded Tuncer and Tuncer in 1997 he wanted to help,companies create transactional web sites as easily and cost effectively as possible. Toaccomplish this, the company’s team developed a suite of tools that customers coulduse to manage online sales, backend billing, and customer-facing content.As Tuncer and Tuncer’s list of customers grew, John quickly realized that securingweb sites would be critical to the company’s success. “We started off selling a fewSSL Certificates every year, but we discovered that it could become a huge, fast-growing segment of our business. We just weren’t taking full advantage of theopportunity,” he says. “We were offering a fairly small range of SSL products, andwe found it difficult to educate potential buyers about the benefits of SSL security,especially since some of them weren’t very technology-savvy. Those things weredefinitely holding us back.”

T meet demand for SSL security, Tuncer, now the company’s chief executive officer,ocreated The SSL Store, a web site dedicated to providing SSL Certificates. “T makeoThe SSL Store a success, we needed to offer an array of industry-leading productsand provide superior customer education,” he says. “The SSL marketplace can betough, so we turned to the VeriSign Partner Program to help us stand out andsucceed financially.”

SOLUTION SUMMARY

To differentiate itself in a highlycompetitive marketplace, The SSLStore wanted to create an exceptionalonline experience that would guidebuyers in selecting the right SSLCertificates for their needs. TheVeriSign Partner Program, now partof Symantec™, provided educationalmaterials and a powerful API to thathelped The SSL Store create a unique,user-friendly ordering process—and athriving business.

Business Challenge:

� Meet customer demand for certificates by offering a variety of SSL products

� Provide best-of-breed SSL Certificates to differentiate company in competitive marketplace

� Educate non-technically-savvy customers about the value of SSL security

Results:

� Increased sales of SSL Certificates by 200% to date

� Allowed company to achieve a 42% jump in sales in first year, with additional 5 to 7% month-over- month growth

� Enabled company to keep SSL certificate management costs low

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CASE STUDY

THE VERISIGN PARTNER PROGRAM: USING THEVERISIGN RESELLER API TO CREATE A SEAMLESSCUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Initially, Tuncer and Tuncer partnered with GeoTrust to provide RapidSSLCertificates. After the acquisition of GeoTrust in 2006, Tuncer and Tuncerreevaluated its SSL sales strategy, leading it to join the VeriSign Partner Program,now part of Symantec, and launch its new company, The SSL Store. “Consumerconfidence and trust are the most important factors in the ecommerce marketplace,and VeriSign SSL is the most trusted brand,” says Tuncer. “The overwhelmingmajority of people recognize the VeriSign checkmark, so becoming a partner wasessential to helping us realize the full potential of our SSL business.”Along with strong brand recognition, the VeriSign Partner Program supplies avariety of materials that The SSL Store can use to educate potential buyers aboutthe certificates that will best meet their needs. “They offer us a phenomenal libraryof content that we can customize. That way, prospects can learn what they needto know without us having to explain it to them one-on-one,” Tuncer says. “Notonly that, but the VeriSign Partner Program co-sponsored a seminar we recently puton, and even sent two senior executives to St. Petersburg to speak about the latestsecurity issues. Clearly, they know that customer education matters, and they’vedone a great job helping us.”Once The SSL Store’s customers know what they need, the VeriSign ResellerAPI makes it easy for them to buy, manage, and renew all of their VeriSign SSL,GeoTrust, and Thawte SSL Certificates in one place. “With the VeriSign API, wewere able to create a streamlined ordering process that integrates with all of ourbackend systems and offers a user-friendly interface,” Tuncer says. “Our customershave told us they love how easy it is to order and manage certificates on our site.In fact, one client even told us he can easily buy certificates from his boat in themiddle of the ocean. That seamless purchasing experience helps set us apart in acrowded market.”RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN SALES DESPITE ACHALLENGING ECONOMY

After joining the VeriSign Partner Program, The SSL Store experienced an impressiveboost in its SSL sales, followed by strong month-over-month growth. “As soon aswe became a VeriSign partner and launched The SSL Store, our sales jumped 42percent over the course of just one year. Since then, our growth has stayed strong,with increases of five to seven percent every month,” Tuncer says. “That adds upto a growth rate of almost 200 percent to date, despite the challenging economicconditions. While Tuncer and Tuncer’s other web services businesses are holdingsteady, our SSL business continues to improve.”

“As soon as we became a VeriSignpartner and launched The SSL Store,our sales jumped 42 percent over thecourse of just one year. Since then,our growth has stayed strong, withincreases of five to seven percentevery month. That adds up to agrowth rate of almost 200 percentto date, despite the challengingeconomic conditions. While Tuncerand Tuncer’s other web servicesbusiness are holding steady, our SSLbusiness continues to improve.”

—John C. Tuncer, Chief ExecutiveOfficer, The SSL Store

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CASE STUDY

Thanks to the partnership, The SSL Store has been able to expand its portfolio ofSSL products and now offers 17 different certificates from VeriSign SSL, GeoTrust,and Thawte. Even though the company sells more types of certificates, The SSLStore has been able to use the VeriSign Reseller API to keep management costs low.“We’re always there to help people complete a transaction if necessary, but for themost part we don’t need to,” Tuncer says. “The VeriSign API has not only helped uskeep our customers happy, but it enhances our profitability because we don’t haveto hire a lot of customer service representatives. That’s a win-win situation no matterhow you look at it.”FUTURE: WORKING WITH VERISIGN PARTNER PROGRAM TOCREATE MORE GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES

In the future, The SSL Store plans to expand even more by working with additionalresellers and reaching further into the global marketplace for SSL security. “TheVeriSign Partner Program has been key to helping us achieve this level of success,”says Tuncer. “We’re excited to continue working with the VeriSign Partner Programto see how our partnership evolves, and how we can work together to grow and seeeven better results.”ABOUT VERISIGN

VeriSign is the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the digitalworld. Billions of times each day, companies and consumers rely on our Internetinfrastructure to communicate and conduct commerce with confidence.Visit us at www.VeriSign.com for more information.

© 2010 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved. The Checkmark Circle logo is the registered trademark of Symantec Corporation. VeriSign, theVeriSign logo, VeriSign Trust and other related marks are the registered trademarks of VeriSign, Inc. and licensed to Symantec Corporation. All othertrademarks are property of their respective owners.

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