Webinar Description
Key Takeaways
- Automated certificate lifecycle management addresses scalability challenges in modern distributed environments
- Post-quantum cryptography preparation requires organisations to audit existing cryptographic assets
- Cryptographic bill of materials (CBOM) enables identification of quantum-vulnerable algorithms
- Integration between certificate management and application delivery platforms streamlines security operations
- Relevant for security architects, infrastructure teams, and compliance professionals managing enterprise applications
Introduction
This joint webinar from DigiCert and F5 examines how automated certificate lifecycle management can simplify application security while preparing organisations for the transition to post-quantum cryptography. The session is designed for security professionals, infrastructure architects, and operations teams responsible for managing certificates and cryptographic protocols across enterprise environments. With quantum computing advancing and certificate validity periods shortening, the timing reflects growing urgency around cryptographic agility and operational efficiency.
The Challenge of Certificate Management at Scale
Modern enterprise applications rarely exist in a single location. Deployments now span cloud platforms, hybrid infrastructures, and edge computing environments, each introducing additional points where certificates and cryptographic protocols must be managed. Load balancers, security gateways, and web servers all require valid certificates, creating a fragmented landscape that becomes increasingly difficult to oversee manually.
This fragmentation coincides with industry-wide moves toward shorter certificate lifetimes. While reduced validity periods improve security by limiting the window of exposure if a certificate is compromised, they also multiply the operational burden on teams already stretched thin. The combination of distributed infrastructure and accelerated renewal cycles creates significant compliance risk when certificates expire unexpectedly or renewal processes fail.
Post-Quantum Cryptography and the Need for Cryptographic Visibility
Beyond immediate operational concerns, organisations face a longer-term challenge: preparing for post-quantum cryptography. Current encryption algorithms that protect sensitive data will eventually become vulnerable to quantum computers capable of breaking them. While large-scale quantum computers remain years away, the threat model has already shifted. Adversaries can harvest encrypted data today with the intention of decrypting it once quantum capabilities mature.
Preparing for this transition requires organisations to understand what cryptographic algorithms they currently use and where those algorithms are deployed. This is where the concept of a cryptographic bill of materials becomes essential. A CBOM provides a comprehensive inventory of cryptographic assets across an organisation, identifying which systems rely on algorithms that will need to be replaced. Without this visibility, planning a migration to quantum-resistant cryptography becomes guesswork.
Integrated Automation for Certificate Lifecycle Management
The webinar demonstrates how DigiCert Trust Lifecycle Manager integrates with the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform to address these challenges through automation. The integration covers the complete certificate lifecycle: issuance, renewal, deployment, and policy enforcement. By automating these processes, organisations can reduce the manual effort required to maintain certificate hygiene while minimising the risk of outages caused by expired certificates.
The platform combination also supports cryptographic discovery, enabling organisations to identify certificates and cryptographic protocols across their F5 infrastructure. This discovery capability feeds directly into CBOM construction, providing the foundation for post-quantum readiness assessments.
Who Should Attend
This session is particularly relevant for security architects evaluating cryptographic agility strategies, infrastructure teams managing certificates across distributed environments, and compliance professionals concerned with maintaining continuous security posture. Organisations already using F5 for application delivery will find the integration details especially applicable to their existing deployments.