How the Growth of Digital Business Shapes the Contemporary Crypto Landscape

Published on 18 Aug 2024

In the digital age, businesses are increasingly reliant on digital operations. IDC's Future Enterprise Resiliency and Spending Survey from January 2024 reveals that 47% of organisations are either primarily digital or digital-native. This shift to digital business provides significant benefits, including enhanced data sharing capabilities and improved remote work security. However, it also presents challenges due to the complexity of managing multiple cloud infrastructures, legacy systems, and an exponentially growing volume of data.

Good Encryption Is Essential for Effective Security; Crypto-Agility Is Essential for Effective Encryption

Encryption plays a critical role in safeguarding data across various environments. It ensures data confidentiality and integrity, whether it's on devices, public websites, or during transfer. To maintain effective security, organisations must implement robust encryption strategies and manage cryptographic keys and digital certificates effectively. The need for crypto-agility arises from the evolving landscape of cyber threats and technological advancements, such as quantum computing, which can potentially compromise current encryption methods.

Implementing a Modern Digital Trust Infrastructure

Building digital trust requires a comprehensive approach that includes technology and process improvements. Key steps include:

Security Hygiene: Maintaining an inventory of cryptographic assets, understanding their lifecycle, and adhering to evolving standards.
Defining Success: Setting clear goals for service availability, product security, and secure remote work, and prioritising systems based on risk.
Resource Investment: Allocating budget and staff to manage and modernise cryptographic processes effectively.
Centralised Visibility and Management: Creating a unified view of all cryptographic assets to streamline management and ensure continuous oversight.
Reporting and Justification: Demonstrating success through metrics and ensuring that processes adapt based on results.

Benefits of PKI Modernisation and Crypto-Agility

Modernising Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and adopting crypto-agility offers several benefits:

Cost Savings: Improved visibility and management can reduce unnecessary assets and operational costs.
Time Savings: Automation of certificate management processes can significantly reduce the time spent on manual tasks.
Improved Compliance: Automated processes help maintain compliance with internal and external audits by reducing vulnerabilities and errors.
Workplace Flexibility: Scalable authentication solutions support flexible work environments and advanced passwordless authentication.

Considering DigiCert for Digital Trust Modernisation

DigiCert offers a suite of digital trust solutions designed to support crypto-agility. Their Trust Lifecycle Manager (TLM) provides:

- Discovery: Broad visibility into an organisation’s cryptographic landscape, helping to identify vulnerabilities and manage assets.
- Management: Centralised control over certificate life cycles, ensuring timely updates and compliance with changing standards.
- Automation: Tools for automating certificate workflows and access privileges, facilitating scalability and efficiency.

Challenges and Opportunities

While crypto-agility is essential for managing modern cryptographic demands, including preparing for quantum computing, organisations often face challenges in justifying investments in these technologies. Security and IT teams may prioritise other initiatives with higher executive visibility. However, focusing on crypto-agility offers opportunities to address business needs while preparing for future technological advancements.

The exponential growth of digital assets and connections underscores the importance of modernising cryptographic processes. Crypto-agility is crucial for maintaining a robust security posture and adapting to evolving standards. By implementing agile cryptographic practices and leveraging advanced solutions like DigiCert, businesses can ensure digital trust and readiness for a post-quantum world. Download our comprehensive whitepaper to gain valuable insights!