Managing public-key infrastructure (PKI) internally is challenging without the right resources. You face obstacles such as the volume of certificates, certificate authority (CA) sprawl, and a lack of PKI knowledge. Finding the best provider for your needs is crucial for your organization’s security.
The right PKI solutions provider can manage your PKI at scale and address the growing need for certificate automation. The provider will offer features to simplify PKI management so you can focus on your core business.
Why your organization needs a PKI solutions provider
As organizations grow, so too do the number of users, devices, and services requiring certificates. All those certificates need management, which creates complexity for IT teams. Without the right tools, knowledge, and resources, that complexity can quickly create headaches.
However, managing PKI isn’t just about the burden on IT teams. It’s about compliance. Stricter regulations have come into force such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, GLBA, and GDPR. Those regulations require encrypted communications and secure authentication mechanisms.
Unless you’ve automated PKI management, you’re most likely relying on manual processes, which increases the likelihood of expired certificates and broken certificate chains.
PKI requires specialized knowledge that many IT teams lack. Team members can burn out trying to fulfill their day-to-day responsibilities in addition to PKI management. If you see that becoming an issue, it might be time for a solutions provider to manage your PKI.
When to consider a PKI provider
Here are some factors to consider when thinking about using a PKI solutions provider:
- Expansion and scalability
- Security breach
- Compliance and third-party mandates
- Cost-effectiveness
Expansion and scalability
Has your organization grown recently? Are you expanding globally? Has the number of devices or users on your network surged? Those are all indications that your PKI has become more complex and will require more resources.
Security breach
After experiencing a security breach, many organizations reevaluate their PKI and turn to a solutions provider for help. Even if you haven’t gone through a breach, growing security threats are another reason to consider a PKI solutions provider.
Compliance pressures
Even if you’re not in a highly regulated industry, your clients might be. And they need you to comply with stringent regulations so you don’t present a security risk to them.
Certain industries are subject to higher risk and thus are subject to more stringent standards. Regulatory authorities can levy fines against organizations for failure to comply.
In today’s hyper-connected business environment, relationships with third parties such as suppliers pose a major risk for security and compliance. Research from the Cyentia Institute found the average firm had ten third-party relationships and hundreds of fourth-party relationships. A typical firm has relationships with 60 to 90 times more fourth parties than third parties. Ninety-eight percent of firms participating in the survey had at least one third-party partner who had experienced a breach.
Those numbers are the reason why almost every major framework suggests organizations develop third-party access policies. Some of your clients might have third-party access policies in place requiring your organization to adopt stricter PKI standards.
Cost-effectiveness
You can’t afford not to do anything about PKI. A breach could affect your company, or one of your customers could be in a highly-regulated industry that requires its suppliers to put stringent PKI standards in place. A data breach costs, at the very least, thousands of dollars to remediate, and if your PKI standards aren’t up to snuff, you could lose business.
After running the numbers, you might discover it’s more cost-effective to find a solutions provider. Not only does it lower the burden on your IT team, it also lowers operational costs through automation and centralized management.
What to look for in a PKI solutions provider
If you’re considering a solutions provider for PKI management, here’s what you should consider:
- Automation and certificate lifecycle management
- Scalability and flexibility
- Integration with existing infrastructure
- Security expertise and strong encryption standards
- A managed services option
- Support for multiple use cases
- Governance and compliance
Automation and certificate lifecycle management
A provider who can automate the entire certificate lifecycle, from issuance to revocation, will save you time and effort. Automation eliminates human error, reduces the risk of downtime, and helps you ensure certificates are up to date.
When you’re considering a solutions provider for PKI management, look for a vendor that offers automated alerts for expiring certificates, seamless renewal processes, and the ability to quickly revoke compromised certificates.
Scalability and flexibility
Your PKI management provider should offer solutions that grow with your organization, whether you need to add more devices or more users. Requirements may change as your organization scales, and you must be flexible and adapt to new standards as new devices and users are added.
Another thing to consider is flexibility in deployment. You might need on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid solutions, and your PKI management solutions should fit your needs for compatibility with your infrastructure.
Integration with existing infrastructure
The right PKI solutions provider will seamlessly integrate with your existing systems. Compatibility with popular platforms means operations run more smoothly and IT teams jump through fewer hoops to integrate solutions. Plus, it reduces the need for disruptive infrastructure changes.
Keyfactor solutions offer dozens of integrations for a wide variety of applications in several different categories, including cloud computing, cryptography, load balancers, microservices, security information and event management (SIEM), and web servers. These integrations demonstrate the depth and breadth of Keyfactor’s compatibility with existing IT infrastructure, specifically Command and EJBCA. Command and EJBCA also support a variety of functions, including DevOps, cloud, enterprise IT, IoT, and PKI. That means they will work seamlessly with your existing workflows such as code signing, and it can handle the intricacies of IoT management.
Security expertise and strong encryption standards
When you’re looking at a solutions provider for PKI management, choose one with a strong security reputation. Your vendor should adhere to the latest encryption standards and offer robust encryption methods.
Additionally, the solution should also support multi-factor authentication (MFA) and secure key storage.
A managed services option
If your organization lacks PKI expertise, consider a provider that offers managed PKI services, such as Keyfactor. Your provider handles the day-to-day management of your PKI, including setup, maintenance, and monitoring.
Using managed services also boosts regulatory compliance, monitors your infrastructure for vulnerabilities, and quickly addresses issues when they arise.
Support for multiple use cases
The right solutions provider for your PKI management needs should support a wide variety of use cases, including securing internal and external communications, device authentication, digital signatures, and code signing.
This versatility is important because it means your PKI infrastructure is comprehensive and can secure all aspects of your organization’s operations.
Governance and compliance
Your solutions provider should offer centralized control over your PKI environment, including strong governance features that allow you to enforce security policies across departments and teams.
Centralized control over your PKI environment means every certificate follows a standard approval process. You prevent issues like unauthorized or improperly configured certificates.
As regulations become stricter, you want a provider who can help you maintain compliance with industry standards. The provider should also stay current with evolving regulations so you can avoid penalties and security risks.
Reporting is another crucial component of governance and compliance. By producing a report indicating all systems are visible and secured, you can satisfy audit requirements. The right solutions provider allows you to easily produce such reports, saving you time and effort.
Choose a managed services option for PKI
PKI is a crucial link in your security chain, yet it can be challenging to manage on your own. The good news is you can turn to a trusted solution provider to manage your PKI needs.
Keyfactor offers the experience and expertise to effectively manage PKI. Our one-stack solution offers flexible deployment models, effective automation, and integration with a wide variety of applications in your ecosystem. We can support your evolving needs for automation and scalability as you grow. To learn more about our managed PKI services, visit us here.
