How to pick a CLM provider that meets your business

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) / Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificates form the foundation for trust and security — both essential in the contemporary digital landscape. Managing these certificates can be challenging, as the processes of issuance, deployment, and renewal are complex—especially for enterprises handling hundreds or thousands of digital certificates within their environments. Automated solutions are available which limits the likelihood for certificate outages, failed authentication and other problems.

With the industry shifting towards shorter SSL certificate validity periods, adopting an automated approach to certificate lifecycle management (CLM) has become increasingly important—even essential. However, the more complex challenge lies in determining which CLM provider is ideal for your needs. To help you navigate numerous options, we've provided a detailed breakdown to help you choose a CLM provider.

Understanding automated certificate lifecycle management

Certificate lifecycle management refers to the process of overseeing every stage of a digital certificate's lifespan—from issuance to deployment to renewal and the other steps in between.

Automated certificate lifecycle management platforms add a streamlined (and more reliable) approach to managing the core phases of the certificate lifecycle. While many businesses once used manual strategies to cover these key management steps, this approach is less reliable and far less efficient than today's automated CLM solutions.

Automated systems use predefined criteria to request, issue, deploy, and monitor certificates, while also offering real-time insights and policy enforcement. Embracing automated CLM enables organizations to streamline their processes, achieve greater efficiency and scalability, and fully capitalize on the security advantages of digital certificates.

Identifying your business needs

The first step to choosing the right certificate lifecycle management solution involves assessing individualized business needs and the use cases that will need to be kept top of mind. What are the top goals you’re looking to accomplish by implementing a CLM solution, and what are the strengths and vulnerabilities of your current solution (if you already use an automated platform)? A lot depends on the size of the business in question and the specific industry — some sectors call for especially robust solutions due to compliance concerns, while others present unique integration challenges.

Assessing the size and scope of your organization

The number of digital certificates in use is paramount when choosing a CLM. Organizations should focus on the total number of digital certificates in use on both their public websites and internally for authenticating users and systems. The number of locations can also be influential, especially if they span multiple geographic regions—this can significantly impact regulatory compliance.

Regulatory compliance

Compliance should be a critical component of CLM provider selection. Some of these may be sector-specific; for example, healthcare organizations must be mindful of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), while eCommerce may call for a greater emphasis on the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). The security of regulated systems matters, so it is important to verify that the new CLM platform will work seamlessly with current regulatory compliance frameworks.

Integration protocols and automation standards

A CLM provider should support many industry standards and protocols, which ensure that these solutions abide by established best practices. REST API for example, allows for CLM vendors to utilize custom integrations and automation, while the Automated Certificate Management Environment (ACME) protocol promotes interoperability by providing a standardized approach to automating the issuance and renewal of certificates. The Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) is also essential for enterprise certificate management, securely automating the enrollment, issuance, and renewal of digital certificates across diverse devices.

Features to look for in a CLM provider

Every CLM provider offers unique features, designed to meet the needs of different types of users or enterprises. It is important to understand which features are available and whether they are relevant to your organization. Features worth examining include:

Cloud-based solution

While some CLM vendors offer on-premise solutions, cloud-based solutions provide greater scalability, flexibility, and ease of management. Cloud-based CLM platforms enable organizations to efficiently manage digital certificates across diverse devices and platforms without the need for significant on-premises infrastructure.

Automation capabilities

Automation is vital to CLM success. This is what allows the CLM platforms to boost efficiency, providing dramatic improvements as compared to traditional manual processes. When assessing CLM providers, however, it is important to determine which functions are automated and how automated systems work.

Integration with existing infrastructure

Ideally, robust integrations will boost digital trust across the board and enable end-to-end automations, eliminating the need for manual intervention. These integrations are best achieved by working with a CA-agnostic (Certificate Authority agnostic) platform, with which certificates from multiple CA sources are easily managed. Also look for integrations involving cloud platforms, DevOps tools, key vaults, and more, based on what your business needs.

Scalability

While it's crucial that your CLM system meets your organization's current needs, it is also important to think about the future: if your business continues to expand, will your system be able to keep up? As companies expand and see a growing number of certificates due to new devices, systems, users, and applications, it's important to have a CLM solution that can scale accordingly. Whether growth is organic or through acquisitions, the ideal CLM solution will seamlessly handle this increase by efficiently managing processes such as certificate renewal, certificate deployment and the many different types of digital certificates that exist.

User interface and user experience

One of the top goals of a CLM is to bring greater oversight and transparency to the certificate lifecycle. This can be difficult to accomplish, however, without a user-friendly management system. Ideally, this will be easy for all types of users to navigate, featuring a well-designed dashboard that offers important insights into certificate status in real time.

Evaluating CLM provider credentials

Credentials provide much-needed proof of a particular CLM platform’s standing, demonstrating how each solution is perceived among experts and target clients. No single source can be trusted alone to provide a nuanced understanding of the CLM in question, but by evaluating several trusted resources, you can gain a better sense of perspective.

Reputation and CA credentials

CLM services can promise a great deal, but without a strong reputation, it can be difficult to trust these big promises. Partnering with a CLM provider that is also a Certificate Authority (CA) enhances trust, as CAs adhere to high standards and strict regulations, ensuring well-designed products and reliable services.

Ideally, CLM providers will command positive feedback, with a wealth of expert insights indicating that their solutions live up to the hype. Market position reveals each provider’s standing within the industry, influenced not only by general brand reputation but also by factors such as being a trusted CA, market share, partnerships, and innovations.

Technical support and customer service

Ideally, a CLM platform will always function seamlessly—but unexpected issues can arise when revoking certificates or responding to cybersecurity attacks or breaches. Partnering with a single vendor that can resolve all of your digital certificate issues promises streamlined resolution of these challenges. CLM solutions should offer excellent technical support with prompt responses, ensuring that concerns are addressed as quickly as possible.

Quality customer service provides further peace of mind, with representatives delivering helpful answers to difficult questions from implementation through the entire use of the platform. Having a single point of contact for all of your certificate needs simplifies communication and coordination, making it easier to manage and resolve any certificate issues efficiently.

Certifications, awards, and partnerships

There are many ways to determine a CLM provider's reputation, but awards, in particular, demonstrate an elite status within the industry and convey that CLMs are recognized by experts for their excellent services. Peer-to-peer review site G2, for example, offers many awards, referencing everything from implementation to usability. The Cybersecurity Excellence Awards and Global InfoSec Awards can also be insightful.

Partnerships with top tech companies like Microsoft also reveal a lot, acting as a vote of confidence for partnered CLM solutions. Strategic alliances encourage deep integrations, which, in turn, enhance security solutions and can help future-proof enterprises as new challenges become evident.

Cost considerations

The right CLM can provide a considerable return on investment (ROI), providing not only significant labor savings through the power of automation, but also, by avoiding potentially costly downtime.

Total cost of ownership

The total cost of ownership (TCO) references the long-term expenses associated with adopting and maintaining CLM solutions. These go beyond implementation costs to licensing and premier services. Ideally, the research process (prior to adopting a CLM) will include a thorough breakdown of these expenses. This will make it easier to understand the financial implications of the CLM solution in question.

Return on investment

It can be challenging to determine the ROI of a CLM, especially as pricing models or cost estimates do not always reflect the previous cost of relying on manual certificate management. When available, however, studies from reputable sources can provide a glimpse at what a CLM might cost — and how much money this approach might save in the long run.

Forrester Consulting, for example, offers a deep dive into the ROI of Sectigo Certificate Manager (SCM) with its Total Economic Impact (TEI) study. This reveals a 243 percent ROI, made possible by significant reductions in labor and other expenses.

Evaluating product performance

How do you know whether your certificate lifecycle management platform will live up to its promises? Reputational signals (such as awards) can help, but depending on your circumstances, additional insights may be required. Thankfully, options such as demos make it easier to understand how specific CLM solutions function and whether they meet your enterprise's unique needs. Some CLM providers even offer free trials, which go above and beyond to reveal how their approach will work specifically for your organization.

Sectigo: your trusted certificate lifecycle management provider

There's a lot to consider as you seek out the ideal CLM solution. Ideally, you'll implement a reliable, easy-to-navigate solution that offers robust integrations and emphasizes compliance.

As you assess your current certificate management needs and examine your options, take a close look at Sectigo's offerings. The highly trusted Sectigo Certificate Manager (SCM) is purpose-built to handle the complexities of the entire certificate lifecycle.

Versatile, yet user-friendly, SCM will help you feel confident about your certificate issuance, deployment, and renewal processes. To learn more about our CLM solution, schedule a demo so you can see our approach in action.

Want to learn more? Get in touch to book a demo of Sectigo Certificate Manager!

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