Introduction
A Public Key Infrastructure might look uninteresting, but it’s a crucial part of every business. Selecting the right PKI is essential for the management of digital certificates and identities. Fortunately, several tools are available for managing the secure exchange of data between devices, apps, and servers.
Using a PKI tool not only secures your digital information, but it also gives early warnings before any mishaps like the expiration of certificates. However, businesses struggle with choosing the right Public Key Infrastructure management tool for their security requirements. Here you will know what to ask and look for before you select a PKI vendor.
Things to Consider Before Choosing the Right PKI
There are many factors that you can ask before choosing a PKI vendor. However, you shouldn’t forget to look for the following five things.
Check the Tech Requirements
First of all, you should check all the technical requirements. You can ask several questions about the tech. Which operating system does the PKI system support? Look for whether the vendor is participating in the Certificate Transparency Program offered by Google. Next, you need to check which security feature applies to VPN or a public IP.
You must check all the tech requirements and ensure that the PKI is compatible with your needs. Again, you should ensure that the vendor provides all the essential tools and techniques for troubleshooting.
Does the PKI Vendor Support Multiple CAs?
Second, you need to confirm whether they support multiple Certificate Authorities. A typical in-house KPI uses several CAs for managing digital certificates. Managing multiple CAs is a time-consuming process and can also lead to error.
How Will It Integrate With Your Infrastructure?
Next, you should ask how the PKI system will integrate with your existing infrastructure. What are the changes that will occur after implementing the new system? More importantly, how will it affect your existing configuration and network traffics. You should ask everything in detail and how the whole system will be implemented across your CAs.
Ask About the Automation Capabilities
Automation can vary from one vendor to the other. Each vendor supports different types of automation facilities. An effective KPI tool offers the automation features that can integrate with all your target systems.
How Fast Can the System Provide the Solution?
One of the crucial things to ask the vendor is how quickly the system can meet your objectives. If you find that the vendor offers a system that includes intermediaries between CAs and the end devices, break the deal. It takes a lot of time to re-issue all the certificates before managing them.
Is There Any Scalability Issue?
Another important thing is the scalability factor. Many businesses grow significantly faster and have thousands of certificates. So you should ask whether the PKI software can keep up with the scalability of the company. Don’t take the words for granted; test the solution.
What Kind of Support do They Offer?
One of the key factors while selecting a PKI vendor is to know about the support system. Ask what kind of support they offer when you face an issue. How quickly they respond to your queries, and are they able to provide effective solutions? You can also check the customer reviews for this purpose.
Ask About the Pricing of the Solution?
You should not forget to clarify the pricing structure of the solution. Ask about the pricing of installation and maintenance costs and how they will charge for their support. Understand the detailed pricing model of the solution they offer.
Ask for Any Other Requirements?
When you evaluate everything from cost to infrastructure, you should also finally ask for any other additional requirement. The requirements must not affect your business operation by any means.
The Final Words
Asking these questions, you will get some insights into the solution that the vendor offers. However, if you are not sure even after asking these things, you can ask all the questions you have in your mind. Lastly, try to compare with other vendors’ services before you settle for a vendor. Please share your opinion and queries on this post in the comments section.