As the complexity of your website infrastructure grows with multiple web servers and applications, managing SSL web certificates manually can become an overwhelming task for your organization. You need an automated certificate management system to help scale your SSL web certificate deployment securely and efficiently.

When integrated with a PKI (public key infrastructure), an automated certificate management system provides a centralized hub to configure, monitor and control all SSL certificates deployed across your networks and digital platforms. PKI integration offers automated workflows to streamline SSL web certificate issuance, renewal, and replacement, allowing your IT teams to focus on higher-value tasks rather than manual routine certificate management tasks.

By unlocking the power of PKI management for your SSL web certificates, you can shift from a reactive tactical stance to a proactive strategic approach for your web security. Your SSL web certificates can be systematically rolled out and administered organization-wide through an intuitive, policy-driven interface. This results in an ecosystem where your SSL web certificates are consistently and reliably deployed and managed, enabling a seamless encrypted web experience for all your end users.

This article looks at some benefits of SSL certificates in website security and how efficient PKI management can maximize this potential.

Benefits of SSL Certificates to IT Security

SSL certificates play two leading roles in website security; they enable data encryption between a website and its users’ browsers. This encrypted HTTPS connection protects sensitive data like credit card numbers, login credentials, personal information, and more from being viewed or intercepted by malicious actors.

And they authenticate a website to visitors by verifying its identity and establishing a cryptographic link of trust. This helps prevent phishing and other fraud attempts that impersonate legitimate websites.

Together, encryption and authentication help:

• Protect data confidentiality – so that data in transit cannot be read or altered by unauthorized parties
• Ensure data integrity – so users can be confident the data they receive hasn’t been tampered with in transit
• Prevent spoofing – to verify that the website is who it claims to be and not an imposter
• Establish user trust – so visitors feel secure providing sensitive information to the website

5 Ways to Maximize the Potential of SSL Certificates With PKI Management

1. Centralized Control

With a PKI solution, you can centrally manage all your SSL certificates from a single platform. This includes issuance, renewal, revocation, and deployment of certificates. This makes SSL certificate management more efficient and scalable.

2. Automated Lifecycle Management

PKI can automate the entire SSL certificate lifecycle, including issuance, renewal, and revocation. It can handle tasks like monitoring expirations, validating domain ownership, and revoking compromised certificates.

3. Simplified Compliance

PKI automation ensures certificates comply with industry best practices and regulatory requirements through tools like expiration alerts, usage reports, and automated renewal workflows, simplifying compliance.

4. Increased Security

PKI integration provides additional security features like certificate revocation lists and real-time monitoring to detect and respond to compromised certificates quickly, increasing your organization’s security.

5. Monitoring and Reporting

A PKI solution provides monitoring and reporting capabilities that give you complete visibility of your SSL certificates. You can track expirations, see what certificates are in use, monitor for vulnerabilities, and generate audit reports. This helps improve your PKI security posture.

Exploring the Full Potential of Your SSL Certificates With a PKI Manager

PKI managers are vital for you to manage digital certificates and transactions securely. They automate issuing, revoking, and renewing certificates; monitor inventories; and integrate with your systems. This reduces risks from manual errors while freeing up your IT teams for higher tasks.

Sectigo’s certificate management solutions provide real-time visibility, automate certificate lifecycles, and easily integrate with other systems. PKI management with automated certificate lifecycle management empowers your security teams to maximize the benefits of SSL/TLS via enhanced visibility, control, and trusted connections.