Picture this: It's 3 AM, and your entire e-commerce platform goes dark. Customer transactions halt. Revenue stops flowing. The culprit? An expired SSL certificate that nobody knew existed until it was too late.
This nightmare scenario plays out more often than you'd think. The average enterprise manages 255,000 certificates and keys, often spread across several business units, and manual management simply can't keep pace. When LinkedIn's certificate expired in 2016, it cost them millions in lost revenue and damaged reputation. When Microsoft Teams went down due to an expired certificate in 2020, it affected millions of users worldwide.
Machine identities—the digital certificates that authenticate every device, application, and service in your infrastructure—are multiplying exponentially. With cloud-first architectures, microservices, and IoT deployments, what used to be hundreds of certificates is now hundreds of thousands. Yet most organizations are still managing them with spreadsheets, email reminders, and manual processes that guarantee failure at scale.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Certificate-related outages don't just cause downtime—they expose your organization to security breaches, compliance violations, and customer trust erosion. The solution isn't just better processes; it's purpose-built machine identity management platforms that can automate the entire certificate lifecycle before problems occur.
Tool Comparison at a Glance
| Tool | Best For | Key Strength | Deployment Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keyfactor | Enterprise PKI at scale | Reduce manual work by up to 90% with automated workflows | Medium |
| CyberArk (formerly Venafi) | Machine-to-machine security | Control your TLS/SSL certificates and eliminate outages | Medium |
| AppViewX | Cloud-native environments | Multi-cloud certificate automation | Easy |
| Sectigo Certificate Manager | Cost-effective SSL management | Among the more budget-friendly options | Easy |
| DigiCert CertCentral | Web security and trust | Premium certificate authority with global recognition | Easy |
| Entrust | Complex hybrid environments | Enterprise PKI with legacy system support | Medium |
| GlobalSign | Developer-friendly automation | API-first certificate management | Medium |
Keyfactor — The Enterprise PKI Powerhouse
Best for: Large enterprises requiring comprehensive PKI infrastructure
Keyfactor is the machine and IoT identity platform for modern enterprises, helping security teams manage cryptography as critical infrastructure by simplifying PKI, automating certificate lifecycle management, and enabling crypto-agility at scale. Their Command platform provides centralized visibility across all certificate authorities, making it ideal for organizations with complex, multi-vendor environments.
What sets it apart:
- Single control plane for any private, public or cloud-based certificate authority (CA)
- Post-quantum cryptography readiness
- End-to-end visibility and certificate lifecycle automation
- Robust API ecosystem for DevOps integration
Deployment reality: Moderate complexity, typically 2-3 months for full enterprise deployment
Trade-offs: Requires dedicated security team resources; premium pricing model
CyberArk Machine Identity Security (formerly Venafi)
Best for: Organizations prioritizing machine-to-machine communication security
Important Update: Venafi was acquired by CyberArk and is now part of their identity security portfolio. Their cloud-native tools manage, monitor, and issue certificates, protecting critical infrastructure from outages and securing machine identities.
What sets it apart:
- Industry-leading SSL/TLS certificate discovery
- High performing, lightweight micro-service to issue machine identities quickly
- Strong focus on preventing certificate-related outages
- Advanced threat intelligence for certificate abuse detection
Deployment reality: Can be complex in hybrid environments; typically 1-2 months
Trade-offs: Enterprise-focused pricing; may be overkill for smaller organizations
AppViewX — Cloud-First Certificate Automation
Best for: Organizations with cloud-native or hybrid cloud architectures
AppViewX has positioned itself as the go-to solution for cloud-centric certificate management, offering native integrations with AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. Their platform excels at automating certificate provisioning in containerized environments.
What sets it apart:
- Native Kubernetes and container support
- Multi-cloud certificate orchestration
- DevOps-friendly automation workflows
- Strong focus on cloud security compliance
Deployment reality: Quick deployment in cloud environments (2-4 weeks)
Trade-offs: Less comprehensive for on-premises legacy systems
Sectigo Certificate Manager — The Cost-Effective Choice
Best for: Small to medium businesses seeking affordable certificate management
Sectigo is among the more budget-friendly options while still providing enterprise-grade certificate management capabilities. Their IoT Manager specifically targets device identity management for connected devices.
What sets it apart:
- Competitive pricing without sacrificing security
- Simplified certificate lifecycle management
- Strong IoT device identity focus
- User-friendly interface for non-PKI experts
Deployment reality: Quick setup (1-2 weeks)
Trade-offs: Limited advanced PKI features compared to enterprise solutions
DigiCert CertCentral — The Trust Leader
Best for: Organizations where brand trust and global recognition matter
DigiCert has built its reputation on being one of the most trusted certificate authorities globally. DigiCert CertCentral is considered the best overall alternative in the certificate management space, offering comprehensive certificate lifecycle management with exceptional customer support.
What sets it apart:
- Premium certificate authority with 99.9% browser compatibility
- Comprehensive certificate lifecycle automation
- Industry-leading customer support
- Strong compliance and audit capabilities
Deployment reality: Quick deployment (1-2 weeks)
Trade-offs: Premium pricing; primarily web-focused (less comprehensive for other certificate types)
Entrust — The Hybrid Environment Specialist
Best for: Complex environments mixing legacy systems with modern infrastructure
Entrust has decades of experience in PKI and has evolved to support modern certificate management needs while maintaining compatibility with legacy systems. They excel in environments where regulatory compliance is critical.
What sets it apart:
- Strong legacy system integration
- Comprehensive compliance support (FIPS, Common Criteria)
- Robust on-premises PKI capabilities
- Government and high-security industry focus
Deployment reality: Moderate complexity (1-3 months depending on environment)
Trade-offs: Can be complex to configure; less cloud-native than newer solutions
GlobalSign — The Developer's Choice
Best for: Development teams needing programmatic certificate management
GlobalSign has invested heavily in API-first certificate management, making it particularly attractive to development teams and organizations practicing DevOps. Their automation capabilities are designed with modern software development workflows in mind.
What sets it apart:
- Comprehensive REST API for all certificate operations
- Strong DevOps tool integrations
- Automated certificate enrollment workflows
- Competitive pricing for development environments
Deployment reality: Moderate setup (2-4 weeks)
Trade-offs: May lack some enterprise governance features
Decision Framework: Which Tool Fits Your Reality?
| Your Situation | Recommended Tool | Why This Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Managing 50,000+ certificates across multiple CAs | Keyfactor | Single control plane for any private, public or cloud-based certificate authority |
| Cloud-native architecture with Kubernetes | AppViewX | Native container and multi-cloud support |
| Limited budget but need solid certificate management | Sectigo | Budget-friendly options without sacrificing core functionality |
| High-trust public-facing applications | DigiCert | Premium CA with maximum browser trust |
| Legacy systems mixed with modern infrastructure | Entrust | Proven compatibility with diverse environments |
| Development-heavy organization | GlobalSign | API-first approach matches DevOps workflows |
The Real Cost of Getting This Wrong
Before diving into features and pricing, understand what's at stake:
- Downtime costs: Certificate outages can be prevented with proactive visibility and automation
- Security breaches: Expired certificates create attack vectors
- Compliance violations: Many regulations require proper certificate management
- Operational overhead: Manual management doesn't scale with digital transformation
Making the Final Decision
Your choice should align with three critical factors:
- Scale: How many certificates will you manage in 2-3 years, not just today
- Environment: Cloud-native, hybrid, or primarily on-premises
- Team expertise: Do you have dedicated PKI resources or need user-friendly tools
The tools in this guide represent the current leaders in machine identity management. According to ABI Research's competitive ranking, companies like Entrust, GlobalSign, and DigiCert consistently rank among the top providers for IoT device identity lifecycle management.
Don't let certificate management be the weak link in your security chain. The cost of implementing proper machine identity management is always less than the cost of the outage you'll eventually experience without it.
Pro tip: Start with a pilot project covering your most critical certificates. This allows you to evaluate the tool's fit with your environment before full deployment, reducing risk while building internal expertise.
Ready to dive deeper into specific implementation strategies? Each vendor offers proof-of-concept programs that let you test their solution in your environment before making a commitment.
