Rackspace Hosting, provider of hosting and cloud computing, is extending the protection it offers to its customers by offering the full line of Secure Sockets Layer, or “SSL,” Certificates from VeriSign (News - Alert) Inc., provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world.

According to the agreement with VeriSign, Rackspace can directly sell, install and renew VeriSign SSL Certificates to its customers. Also, the VeriSign SSL Certificates are now available as a self-service option via the MyRackspace.com customer portal.

Other than the standard SSL protection, Rackspace also offers VeriSign Extended Validation SSL Certificates. EV SSL Certificates provide a safeguard against phishing scams from sites that can appear almost identical to genuine Web pages. Identity thieves use these fraudulent pages to capture credit card numbers, passwords and other valuable personal information. 

Sites protected by VeriSign EV SSL, users using browsers that support EV see a green address bar. Over 70 percent of browsers used can show a green bar, like Internet Explorer 7/8, Firefox 3.0/3.5, Opera 9.X and higher, Google (News - Alert) Chrome, Safari 3.2, Safari 4, Flock and the iPhone. 

The green bar tells users they have reached a Web site whose authenticity has been certified by VeriSign. An EV SSL Certificate triggers visual cues beyond the green address bar, including a new field that contains the name of the organization that owns the site and in some cases the name of the security provider that issued the certificate.

VeriSign SSL Certificates come backed by Rackspace's Fanatical Support. Rackspace sells VeriSign SSL Certificates and manages the entire process of ordering, installing and renewing certificates.

“Rackspace has long been known as a one-stop shop for organizations looking to launch Web sites and online applications that offer flexibility, scalability, reliability, and security,” John Engates, chief technology officer at Rackspace Hosting, said. “Our relationship with VeriSign helps us bring one of the most trusted brands on the Web to thousands of customers.”

“Trust is the most valuable currency on the Internet today, and trust is what VeriSign SSL and EV SSL protection delivers for Web site operators the world over,” Michael Lin, vice president and general manager of SSL at VeriSign, said. 

By building strong and lasting bonds of trust between consumers and the sites they visit, VeriSign SSL and EV SSL protection helps maximize revenues for Rackspace's hosting customers, Lin added.

The Extended Validation triggers the display of the green address bar in the latest high-security browsers, and True 128-bit SSL Certificates enable every site visitor to experience the strongest SSL encryption available to them.