Last night we rolled out an update that may not make short-term financial sense for us, but it's the right thing to do. Now all Basecamp plans — including the free plan — include SSL secure encryption (what's SSL?). Prior to this update only Plus-and-higher plans included SSL.
How to enable SSL
Existing customers on Basic, Personal, and Free accounts can turn on SSL by clicking on the "Settings" tab on the Dashboard and scrolling down to the "SSL 128-bit encryption" section. SSL will be off by default for you. If you choose to turn it on just click the "On" button. Note: SSL is a bit slower than non-SSL so if you value speed over security you are free to keep it off. It's your call.
A new position
SSL was initially positioned as an upgrade driver to higher plans. And while we don't know what percentage of people considered SSL a key reason for upgrading, we believe everyone is entitled the best security we can offer. There shouldn't be first class or second class customers when it comes to security. It doesn't matter if Customer A is paying us $149 and Customer B is not paying us at all — they are all customers and their data is equally important.
Step one
This is the first step in our renewed focus on being a better corporate citizen. We plan on rolling out similar SSL upgrades across our entire product line (Highrise, Backpack, and Campfire). We're also examining additional good citizen initiatives beyond security. Profit will be considered (we are a business, after all), but it won't always come first.
We hope you enjoy the added security and thanks again for being our customer.
-The crew at 37signals
