What does the use of SSL certificates help to secure in Dynatrace installations?

The use of SSL certificates in Dynatrace installations primarily secures network communications for agents and clusters. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates encrypt the data transmitted between the components of the Dynatrace environment, which includes the communication between the Dynatrace agents installed on monitored hosts and the Dynatrace server or cluster. This encryption is crucial for protecting sensitive data during transmission, ensuring that information such as performance metrics and user interactions cannot be intercepted or tampered with by unauthorized entities.

Furthermore, SSL helps establish a trust relationship by verifying the identities of the parties involved in the communication, thereby preventing man-in-the-middle attacks. In a Dynatrace setup, where multiple components interact over potentially insecure networks, having secure communication channels is vital for maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of monitoring data.

The other options focus on specific areas that are not primarily covered by SSL. Database connections can use SSL but are not the main focus of Dynatrace's SSL implementation. User authentication processes may employ other security measures beyond SSL, and while application data storage is important, SSL is not related to how data is stored but rather to how data is transmitted securely during operation.