A public key certificate is a digital document that binds a public key to the identity of its principal. The certificate is digitally signed by an entity, called a Certificate Authority, which has confirmed the identity of the holder (the principal) of the corresponding private key. The public key is used to authenticate or decrypt the data sent using the associated private key.
You may specify a public key certificate when creating import profiles, export profiles, or customizing base reports. This certificate specifies the appropriate keys needed to encrypt/decrypt the data associated with that profile.