I received an email from GeoTrust last night about one of my customer’s certificates expiring shortly, so I figured this morning was as good a time as any to get it renewed, it being a peaceful, rainy Saturday and so on.

Part of the verification process involves the computers in the US calling me to confirm an on-screen code and to make a recording of my voice. Despite the fact that I know it’s going to take all of forty seconds, and that there’s even a script on the page, this part always makes me incredibly nervous – it’s like an answerphone, but you only get one chance and it (probably) costs you a couple of hundred dollars if you cock it up.

Nevertheless, things went as smoothly as ever, and all that was required was a reboot of the server to get the new certificate to show. I even got a free two months extra into the bargain. All that remains now is for my CC company to convert the $$$’s into £££’s so I can work out how much to charge the customer.