Security certificate automation

Use it to mitigate risks associated with shorter certificate lifetimes and ensure the trustworthiness of your online presence.

Introduction

We increasingly rely on online platforms for communication, collaboration, and transactions. Security is paramount and safeguarding sensitive data and the integrity of digital assets has become a top priority. SSL (secure sockets layer) certificates are at the heart of this digital security framework.

Google recently announced their intentions to reduce the validity for public TLS (also known as SSL) certificates to 90 days, down from 398 days. This shift highlights the need for efficient certificate management practices to adapt to evolving security requirements.

These shorter certificate lifetimes mean you'll need to embrace automation and streamline the issuance, renewal, and revocation of certificates, ensuring timely updates to maintain security.

Our trust and identity team have developed this toolkit to empower IT stakeholders in UK universities, colleges, and local authorities with the knowledge and tools needed to automate certificate management.

The toolkit can help you:

• Learn about SSL certificates
• Understand the importance of automation in certificate management
• Find practical guidance for implementation using industry-standard protocols and tools
• Enhance the security of your digital infrastructure
• Mitigate risks associated with shorter certificate lifetimes
• Ensure the trustworthiness of your online presence

What are SSL certificates?

TLS/SSL certificates serve as digital passports. They authenticate the identity of websites and establish secure connections between servers and clients.

They also encrypt data transmitted over the internet such as passwords, credit card details, and personal data. This builds trust among users and ensures the confidentiality of online transactions. It also protects data from interception and manipulation by malicious actors.

Our certificate service

Our certificate service helps education, public sector, and not-for-profit organisations keep web and email services secure.

In 2019/20 alone, our certificate service saved the UK research and education sector over £7 million.

It can help you save money and make managing your certificates easier.