If your business websites are hosted on AWS (Amazon Web Services) and using AWS Certificate Manager, the thought of changing web hosts can be daunting. How do you switch certificate managers? Is it a rough transition? How do you choose the right service?
Luckily for you, Venafi’s Certificate Manager is completely compatible with AWS (as well as other web hosts). This means you and your team can enjoy a transition that is easy and seamless. How? Let’s discuss what the basics of security certificates (also called SSL certificates) and SSL certificate managers, along with how to make the transition to Venafi.
Why are TLS certificates such a hot commodity on the dark web?
Security Certificates
Security certificates are data files that protect sensitive information from being accessed by unapproved parties while it’s sent over the internet. Each certificate contains information such as:
The issuer of the certificate
- Who the certificate is issued to
- Valid dates, including an expiration date
- A public key, which allows for the encryption and decryption of data
- A digital signature
- Algorithms
- The key sizes used
When a user visits a website, that site’s server sends the web browser a copy of its certificate. Then, the browser verifies the certificate and sends back either acknowledgment or denial of it. One important thing to know is that Google won’t show a domain in its search results if it doesn’t have a reliable certificate.
Security Certificate Managers
A security certificate manager is a tool that helps a business better secure their dozens, hundreds, or thousands of certificates by:
Discovering, tracking, and managing keys and certificates
- Preventing website outages due to certificate expiration
- Providing a security-rich repository for certificates and private keys
- Protecting from unauthorized network intrusion and data theft
- Ensuring visibility and analysis across all machine identities
- Preventing machine-to-machine attacks
- Reducing the risk of a data breach
- Hitting a “kill switch” if a risk is identified
- Automating IT compliance of regulatory, legal, and operational requirements
- Increasing chances of passing audits
- Securing your brand’s good reputation
Each of these actions taken by a certificate manager is vital in the fight for security.
How to Transition from AWS Certificate Manager to Venafi
A lot of businesses start out using Amazon Web Services and AWS Certificate Manager. The problem is that when a business wants to transition away from AWS to another web host, they also need to transition away from AWS Certificate Manager. The same is true when transitioning away from the Windows Certificate Manager.
Since certificates shouldn’t be left unmanaged, a new certificate manager must be implemented immediately. This is where Venafi comes in. Since Venafi is compatible with AWS and Windows, making the transition is easy and seamless, only requiring a few steps. Plus, you’ll appreciate that:
- There is no disruption in service or security.
- Certificates issued from multiple providers won’t be revoked (so old certificates can be active until new certificates are installed).
- Reverting back to old certificates is allowed.
- All certificates don’t need to be replaced at the same time but can wait until closer to their individual expiration date.
Venafi’s Security Solutions
Venafi’s Control Plane for machine identities, including machine identity management, aid in the real-time elimination of blind spots from encrypted traffic. Your business needs to maximize SSL/TLS decryption, inspection, and threat protection. Venafi does just that.
To learn more about our patented and state-of-the-art security technologies, contact Venafi today!
Why Do You Need a Control Plane for Machine Identities?
Related Posts
- Save Time and Eliminate Outages with Automated Provisioning
- Amazon Issues a Certificate Rotation Warning for AWS Users [What You Should Do]
- Why We Recommend Automating Certificate Management on the Mainframe [BMC Viewpoint]