What are the key benefits and justifications for the cost associated with Cloudflare's Wildcard SSL implementation?

The primary 'cost' associated with more advanced Wildcard SSL on Cloudflare typically comes from upgrading to a Business/Enterprise plan or purchasing a third-party certificate. The benefits justifying this cost include: 1. **Global Performance:** SSL termination occurs at Cloudflare's vast edge network, reducing latency and improving speed for users worldwide. 2. **Enhanced Security:** Beyond SSL, Cloudflare provides a suite of security features like DDoS protection, Web Application Firewall (WAF), and bot management, securing all encrypted traffic. 3. **Simplified Management:** Cloudflare handles certificate deployment and often renewal alerts, reducing administrative overhead. 4. **Flexibility:** Business/Enterprise plans allow you to use any preferred third-party Wildcard SSL, offering choice in CA and validation level. 5. **Reliability:** Cloudflare's infrastructure ensures high availability and resilience for your SSL services. The value is in the entire integrated platform, not just the certificate itself.