The Needs of Your Organization

After you have decided to invest in the peace of mind that comes with SSL certificates, you will need to decide whether one-by-one purchasing or managed PKI for SSL certificates meets the needs of your organization. The following are several factors you should consider:

• The size of your network

• Change within your network

• Cross-departmental coordination

• The needs of your end users^[1]

The Size of Your Network

If your company will be hosting five or more servers within the next year, you are a good candidate for managed PKI for SSL certificates. You can begin with five SSL certificates and the administrator’s kit. This should meet your current needs plus your renewals for later in the year. You will save money through a bulk discount, while increasing efficiency significantly by eliminating the need to enroll and pay separately for each SSL certificate.

Change within Your Network

If you want the ability to expand, reduce, or restructure your network with no hassle, managed PKI for SSL certificates is the answer. With one-by-one purchasing, each addition, renewal, or cancellation of a secure server must go through a service center. Each SSL certificate requires 3–5 business days to be issued and must be paid for with a separate credit card processing or purchase order. When you purchase in bulk through managed PKI for SSL certificates, your managed PKI administrator can issue and cancel SSL certificates instantly, giving you superior control of your operations, especially in critical times.

Cross-Departmental Coordination

If several groups within your organization are likely to work with secure servers, managed PKI for SSL certificates will simplify and enhance your information system management. When server hosts from each department apply separately for SSL certificates, the result can be disorganization, compromising both the efficiency and integrity of your network’s security. A department might “reinvent the wheel” that has already been invented within the company, or, alternatively, a group might assume that a given security issue is being handled elsewhere and thus fail to address it. With one administrator distributing SSL certificates as the need arises, you reduce the possibility for overlap or lapse in the security of your electronic communications.

The Needs of Your End Users

Would your end users benefit from a Web and e-mail interface that is designed for their specific use? With managed PKI for SSL certificates, you have the option of customizing the enrollment forms and support pages your users see. With one-by-one management, each person hosting a secure server interacts with the system for enrollment, renewal, and cancellation. This interface, while straightforward and user-friendly, is designed for general use with any server.

If you purchase your SSL certificates through managed PKI, your package includes enrollment and support screens, but you also have the option of customizing or creating your own pages. You can provide instructions specific to your server software, your organizational structure, or other company specifics. You can design the look and feel to match the interface your users are comfortable with, and even integrate it with your personal digital ID interface, if you use managed PKI to issue digital certificates to individuals.

When your users need technical support, they can immediately access the managed PKI administrator within your organization. If the problem cannot be addressed locally, the managed PKI administrator can always contact a member of the support team.