With more IoT devices popping up and the widespread adoption of zero trust, organizations are stacking up certificates like never before. While this boosts digital security, it also raises the stakes – breaches become costlier and are more destructive.
The biggest culprit behind certificate-related disruptions is outages. This is why many choose to implement a certificate manager. A certificate manager is a tool that automates all the processes in a certificate’s lifecycle.
The function of a certificate manager can be categorized into four activities:
- Deployment: a certificate manager orders certificates from a trusted Certificate Authority and ensures they are correctly installed to avoid any outages caused by configuration issues.
- Certificate discovery: it tracks and manages all certificates’ locations and statuses to identify non-compliant certificates and any related security risks.
- Revocation and replacement: it quickly revokes certificates that have been compromised and replaces them when needed.
- Renewal: it renews certificates before they expire.
Let’s discuss the key security advantages of a certificate manager.
#1: Enhanced Visibility and Control
Managing digital certificates can feel like a headache, especially when you’re stuck with certificate managers from CA vendors that only cover their own certificates. This is a big problem because the average organization juggles certificates from about nine different CAs. That’s a lot of moving parts, making everything more complicated and less efficient.
To make matters worse, 38% of organizations still rely on manual processes – think checklists and spreadsheets – to manage certificates, according to Keyfactor’s 2024 PKI and Digital Trust report. This means double the work and double the chance for mistakes.
A certificate manager cuts through this chaos by providing a centralized hub where you can see all your digital certificates in one place. With better visibility, admins can easily track expiration dates, usage, and other critical info. This prevents security risks like outages from expired certificates.
Plus, the manager generates reports on certificate usage, types, and potential issues, helping you make smart, data-driven decisions and stay ahead of risks.
#2: Reduced Risk of Outages
Even with the rise of certificate management solutions, companies of all sizes still face certificate-related outages. This includes small startups and major enterprises – many of which have faced disruptions due to expired certificates.
According to the 2024 PKI & Digital Trust report, 81% of organizations dealt with two or more certificate-related outages in the last two years. These outages aren’t just minor inconveniences—they can cause major disruptions in customer service, damage brand reputation, and cost companies over $300,000 per hour.
By using a centralized certificate manager, companies can manage certificates proactively and drastically lower the chances of outages caused by unexpected expirations.
A certificate manager monitors and manages all certificates, no matter which CA issued them, from one place. It simplifies the process and removes the silos that often lead to mistakes and missed renewal deadlines.
#3: Certificate Management for Rapid Incident Response
Imagine your worst nightmare has come true: a breach due to a certificate issue. It’ll take even the most experienced IT security teams days to figure out that a certificate is the cause of the breach. Then comes the headache of tracking down that certificate and replacing it everywhere it’s used across the company – good luck if you’re using an Excel sheet to track them.
The real-time visibility that comes with a certificate manager helps teams quickly spot and isolate certificates causing security issues. It also automates the revocation and reissuance process, so when a certificate gets compromised, downtime is minimized.
The tool sends instant alerts about anomalies like unauthorized certificate changes or expired certificates. That gives administrators a heads up so they can act fast and avoid a breach. A certificate manager also integrates with security tools, ensuring smooth coordination during incident response. Plus, the detailed audit logs they provide allow teams to trace issues, figure out what went wrong, and strengthen security policies to avoid future problems.
#4: Consistent Policy Implementation
Most organizations don’t have a team dedicated solely to managing PKI and certificates. Instead, security, IT, or infrastructure teams pick up the slack, often focused on immediate tasks rather than strategic planning. So, the certificate management process in most organizations usually develops ad hoc.
Since there’s no centralized management, PKI administration often takes a back seat.
Teams within the organization tend to buy their own certificates, which creates redundancy and increases risk. These teams rarely keep track of certificates, so they’re easy to overlook until they expire and cause outages.
But with a certificate manager, the whole process becomes automated. It ensures all certificates follow your organization’s policies, like key length, validity periods, and approved Certificate Authorities (CAs). It standardizes workflows for certificate deployment, reduces human error, and ensures policies are followed.
#5: Improved Crypto-Agility
Improving your crypto agility is urgent. Take quantum computing: with its ability to break current cryptographic algorithms, organizations must be ready to shift to quantum-resistant cryptographic methods quickly.
In the past, transitioning cryptographic processes was slow, but organizations can’t afford to drag their feet. As explained during an engaging workshop on crypto-agility at Keyfactor Tech Days, adopting crypto-agile practices improves your security and compliance. (You can watch all of the post-quantum cryptography video sessions on demand!)
Quantum computing isn’t the only reason crypto-agility matters. With time, technology will evolve and your ability to pivot quickly will be key. To make that happen, organizations need frameworks that support crypto agility; processes that will allow them to update cryptographic algorithms and processes without a hitch to stay ahead of emerging threats and regulatory changes.
A certificate manager can help with this. It automates the certificate lifecycle by enabling organizations to update encryption algorithms and key lengths quickly and easily without disrupting operations. This gives organizations the flexibility to adapt to new cryptographic standards and security challenges fast. It also supports hybrid cryptographic models, thereby, allowing businesses to run both classical and quantum-resistant encryption in parallel.
#6: Better Compliance
Due to its certificate automation capabilities, a certificate manager reduces the risk of non-compliance from expired or misconfigured certificates.
Not only that, with its centralized logging and reporting features, it gives organizations full visibility for audits that help them meet compliance requirements like HIPAA, GDPR, and more. A certificate manager also ensures compliance with other security best practices by enforcing key lengths, encryption algorithms, and certificate validity periods.
The Road Ahead: It’s More Than Automation
As you can see, the right certificate manager does more than just automate – it simplifies, secures, and scales with your organization.
Remember, here’s a few things you’ll want to look for:
- Centralized management: Ensure it offers a unified interface to capture, log, track, and manage every certificate and certificate type – no exceptions.
- Flexibility: Choose a solution that fits your infrastructure, whether cloud, on-premises, self-managed, or as-a-service. Keyfactor Command adapts to your security and operational needs.
- Expert support: A top-tier certificate manager should provide access to PKI specialists who can help design and deploy PKI solutions, structure CAs, and strengthen your security strategy.
