Por qué las empresas están adoptando la práctica DevOps de usar certificados como código

As modern enterprises embrace the DevOps movement, maintaining Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is increasingly becoming an industry-standard practice. IaC refers to the management and provisioning of technology infrastructure through automated, repeatable processes rather than manual ones. By tracking configuration instructions – such as operating system versions, network settings, and the like – similarly to application source code, organizations can make improvements to their infrastructure in a declarative and deterministic manner. Eliminating repetitive and error-prone steps from software deployment processes allows enterprises that practice IaC to iterate more quickly, efficiently, and effectively.

Aplicación de IaC a PKI

With the benefits of this approach being so stark, a natural question to ask would be “where else can I apply IaC principles?” There remain many places where it can drive value for organizations, with one of the clearest examples being in the automated provisioning and maintenance of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificates.

Aunque es necesario contar con una PKI moderna y un sistema de gestión de certificados capaz para considerar siquiera esta vía, dicha plataforma también necesita interfaces de programación de aplicaciones (API) ricas para facilitar la interacción con las herramientas de IaC existentes. Mediante el desarrollo de secuencias de comandos y flujos de trabajo con Ansible, Puppet u otras ofertas similares, las organizaciones pueden orquestar procesos complejos, incluida la implantación y sustitución de certificados PKI.

Aunque tienen algunas características únicas, los certificados PKI son simplemente otro tipo de infraestructura, lo que hace que el uso de "Certificados como código" sea una opción viable. Esta gestión de certificados con prácticas de IaC puede aportar ventajas sustanciales en términos de seguridad, fiabilidad y facilidad de mantenimiento.

Aumentar la seguridad

PKI certificates are a bedrock layer for protecting global internet communications. By facilitating encrypted communications with Transport Layer Security (TLS), they ensure the confidentiality and integrity of emails, financial transactions, and other network traffic. Furthermore, they facilitate the identification and authentication of individual users and machines, preventing malicious actors from impersonating others.

Their inherent utility, however, has made them a ubiquitous feature of every network and organization. The explosion in the number of connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices, as well as the solidification of Zero Trust architectures as a cybersecurity best practice, have both led to a massive increase in the number of PKI certificates required. As a result, organizations can find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer volume of certificates they need to manage.

Maintaining appropriate security requires periodic rotation of certificates, and manual processes are almost certain to break down under this burden. This is an even more common issue today due to recent decisions by many browsers to stop accepting certificates with expiration periods longer than thirteen months. Finally, attempting to mitigate the problems caused by certificate proliferation through techniques such as deploying “wildcard” certificates can itself create security gaps.

Given these cybersecurity challenges, the best solution is to automate the lifecycle of your PKI infrastructure using IaC practices. Being able to generate certificates on demand, especially via an integrated Certificate Authority (CA), is critical to facilitating this. Fortunately, EJBCA Enterprise allows just this. Additionally, on top of securing your enterprise, IaC-capable solutions can also improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs.

Prevención de cortes

The majority of organizations face outages costing millions of dollars due to their certificates expiring, a trend that is likely to continue due to the aforementioned reduction in TLS certificate lifespans. Home-grown solutions, however, whether spreadsheet-driven or applications developed in house, have a poor track record when it comes to avoiding these types of mishaps. Only with a fully automated system can you have confidence in your infrastructure’s reliability. In addition to accessible APIs and current enrollment protocols, appropriate solutions must be capable of real-time certificate discovery and end-to-end machine identity management to ensure your infrastructure is secure and up-to-date. By implementing Certificate-as-Code practices using a dedicated certificate lifecycle management, enterprises can minimize costly downtime that results from certificate expiration and rotation requirements.

Eliminar el "trabajo"

Finally, even without the risk of an outage, applying IaC practices to your PKI and certificates can provide major benefits by reducing maintenance costs. IaC practices support maintainability in general, due to the fact that time-consuming manual workflows can be tracked, modified, and triggered at scale rather than one-by-one. As the saying goes, “treat servers and software like cattle, not pets.” By applying this mindset to certificate management, organizations can treat them as interchangeable commodities instead of unique snowflakes requiring laborious upkeep, saving time and effort. By minimizing “toil,” industry leaders can free their teams to work on higher-value activities. 

Especially since it takes approximately one full-time employee to manage 100 PKI certificates manually, these cost savings can add up rapidly. Furthermore, by being able to rotate and manage your PKI infrastructure more rapidly, you can focus on delivering products and services to your customers rather than on tedious IT tasks. To facilitate this level of seamless automation, however, you will need software with ready-to-deploy integrations. A CA like EJBCA Enterprise facilitates the automated generation of certificates, allowing your organization to manage PKI operations at scale. When connected with Keyfactor Command, these tools deliver centralized visibility, policy control, and automation for all certificates, regardless of where they live or where they are issued from.

Aprovechar las ventajas de la AIc

Los tecnólogos modernos han adoptado plenamente la IaC como solución óptima para desplegar y operar software, lo que permite a las empresas ofrecer valor de forma más rápida y eficiente. Al almacenar las configuraciones de infraestructura en repositorios controlados por versiones, programar operaciones complejas mediante un enfoque declarativo y orquestar el mantenimiento y las actualizaciones de la red a través de integraciones basadas en API, las empresas pueden prescindir de enormes cantidades de trabajo manual que antes era necesario. Utilizando un sistema de gestión de certificados equipado con API, las empresas también pueden aplicar este enfoque a su infraestructura PKI, desplegando Certificados como Código. Estos enfoques avanzados ofrecen grandes ventajas en términos de seguridad, fiabilidad y facilidad de mantenimiento que amortizan rápidamente cualquier inversión inicial necesaria para su implantación.

Ready to learn more? Contact us to discover how Keyfactor Command, EJBCA Enterprise, and other offerings can help you start saving time and money by implementing IaC practices for full-spectrum PKI management.