Entrust unveils PKI Hub for cryptographic asset management

Entrust has announced the launch of PKI Hub, a new suite for enterprise visibility, management, and automation of cryptographic assets.

The PKI Hub is designed as a container-based virtual appliance that can be deployed both in the cloud and on-premises, integrating all necessary components to manage a secure, post-quantum-ready Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). This new solution aims to assist enterprises in streamlining their PKI and Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM), allowing them to expand their operations as needed.

Michael Klieman, Global Vice President of Digital Security Product Management at Entrust, explained the evolving role of PKI across various applications. "Over the past 25 years, PKI has evolved to play a critical role across a wide range of applications – from the cloud and edge networks to IoT, modern citizen identities, and digital signatures," he said. Klieman highlighted the challenges organisations face as PKI use becomes more complex, particularly in assigning clear ownership for managing cryptographic assets. He underlined that without proper management, there can be vulnerabilities, unplanned outages, and compliance risks.

Entrust's PKI Hub is equipped with various features intended to provide comprehensive management. These include a high throughput certificate authority, which is geared towards issuing digital certificates to ensure trusted identities across organisations. It also features certificate lifecycle management, capable of discovering and automating the management of digital identities from multiple certificate authorities, with an intuitive "single pane of glass" view for users.

Enrollment services are provided through a registration authority module to automate certificate enrollments and renewals, supporting all major industry protocols. Additionally, the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) component facilitates real-time certificate validation, allowing status checking for third-party certificate authorities.

Further security measures include timestamping, which enhances the security and trustworthiness of digital identities through verifiable timestamping of digital transactions and documents, compliant with RFC3161 standards. For management and integration, a RESTful API, known as the Entrust CA Gateway, delivers functionalities such as full certificate lifecycle management, reporting, and operational management not only for the PKI Hub but also for third-party certificate authorities.

The management console offers a centralized interface for the deployment, configuration, and monitoring of all components within the PKI Hub, simplifying management tasks for IT teams.