SSL/TSL versus XML Encryption
Before we conclude, it is good to understand why we need exclusive standards and methodology for XML encryption when we already have established technologies like Secure Socket Layers (SSL) and Transport Security Layer (TSL), which also use cryptographic concepts to secure communications.
Although SSL and TSL are good for securing communications across two parties, they are not suitable for multiparty interactions, which is a typical characteristic of XML/Web service interactions. Also, SSL and TSL do not have the capacity to encrypt only specific parts of the document or to encrypt different portions of the document using different keyswhich are critical to XML encryption.