How to Manage Digital Certificates Management of digital certificates is one of the most important responsibilities for any administrator at any organization. While startups can be managed with simple spreadsheet methods, security experts should simplify their approach using a dedicated certificate management system. It would include driving down cost savings and minimizing the time spent managing digital certificates. Security experts need to apply the right management strategy to achieve the desired results. Let' startups at some of the basic features that must be part of the right certificate administration system.    The most basic feature is the ability to create and manage digital certificates. All certificates must have a unique public-key component and a private-key component. Creating and managing digital certificates usually involves two or more servers. A single server would be too vulnerable to attacks while multiple servers could cause silos of certificates which are not easily controlled. In addition to a single server, it is also possible to associate multiple domains with a single certificate.    Lifecycle Management Another important feature for digital certificates is proper lifecycle management. startups should be preserved and secured for the longest possible lifecycle. They should not be changed for shorter periods and renewal dates should be based on accurate assumptions about the value and risks associated with the certificate. This would help in proper renewal and new purchase processes.    Service Level Agreements (SLAs) can also be used for managing digital certificates. Every company that generates its own SSL certificate needs to invest in its own self-service portal that offers a comprehensive range of solutions including SSL certificate lifecycle management. This will help them to avoid out-of-date maintenance and improve customer service. A well-chosen SLA will also prevent unauthorized access to customers' private keys or data.    Expirions Digital certificates may expire after some duration. An expiry date should be chosen wisely based on its importance. If an expiry date is important for an enterprise, it should be set high enough so that users will still be able to use the certificate. There is no point in having one when only a fraction of the users have access to it anymore. Likewise, if a large percentage of a business' clients use a particular web portal, it is advisable to create another version of the portal that will replace the old one. This is also applicable for expirations.    Different Types of Expirations One of the most common reasons for expirations is failure to maintain the authenticity of the digital certificates. When this happens, users are usually given a choice to renew or to remove the certificate. If startups automated certificate validates are not used, then certificate expirations should be avoided. This is because certificate expiration dates cannot be predicted with much accuracy and even experts cannot make the determination.    Certificate Revocation This is the most severe scenario that can occur due to failure of maintaining a website's credibility. Users may lose access to their own certificates if they fail to follow established procedure for renewing them. Once this happens, the web portal will be inaccessible for the users. Users are not advised to submit new key pairs unless they have verified that the websites have no issues with the issuance of public keys.    Removal of Certificates Users may request the certificate authority to remove their certificates, especially when they think that they will not need them anymore. The process of removing certificates requires the authorization of the CA. However, if the CA fails to comply, then the administrator of the CA certificate is allowed to revoke the certificate. startups of the certificates is only allowed to do this when the owner of the web portal complies with the requirements stated by him. He is then given the authority by the CA to remove the public-key certificate of his site.

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