DigiCert

DigiCert
Name	DigiCert
Type	Private
Industry	Computer security
Founded	2003
Headquarters	Lehi, Utah, United States
Key people	Craig Ellis (CEO)
Products	TLS/SSL certificates, PKI, code signing, device certificates

DigiCert

DigiCert is an American certificate authority and provider of public key infrastructure services known for issuing TLS/SSL certificates and digital authentication solutions. The company operates in the digital security ecosystem that includes certificate authorities, browser vendors, standards bodies, and enterprise IT vendors. DigiCert's offerings intersect with major technology platforms, cloud providers, compliance regimes, and software distribution channels.

History

DigiCert was founded in 2003 in the context of the broader expansion of internet security and the deployment of secure sockets layer (SSL) and transport layer security (TLS) protocols, contemporaneous with entities such as Symantec Corporation, VeriSign, Comodo, GoDaddy, and Thawte. In the 2010s the company grew through acquisitions and strategic moves including purchases of technology and customer portfolios from rivals linked to events involving Symantec Certificate Authority disputes, interactions with Google LLC and Mozilla Foundation browser root program policies, and consolidation trends influenced by Certificate Authority/Browser Forum. In 2015–2017 DigiCert expanded capacity to serve enterprise and government customers, engaging with standards-setting organizations like IETF and interoperating with cloud platforms including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and content distribution networks such as Akamai Technologies. The company further pursued growth via acquisitions of certificate businesses and PKI specialists, integrating technologies from firms that had previously worked with Cisco Systems, IBM, Oracle Corporation, and other major infrastructure vendors.

Products and Services

DigiCert issues TLS/SSL certificates for websites and provides enterprise-grade public key infrastructure (PKI) solutions, code signing certificates for software publishers, and device identity services for Internet of Things deployments. Its product catalog addresses needs spanning web encryption, authentication, and integrity verification used by clients in sectors represented by Salesforce, VMware, SAP SE, Oracle Corporation, and Adobe Systems. DigiCert supplies managed PKI and certificate lifecycle tools that integrate with identity platforms such as Okta, Ping Identity, and Microsoft Active Directory Certificate Services and with orchestration tools like Kubernetes and Docker. For code signing and software distribution, DigiCert works with developer ecosystems involving GitHub, Microsoft Visual Studio, and JetBrains. The company also offers solutions for secure email (S/MIME) interacting with enterprise suites from Google Workspace and Microsoft Exchange Server.

Market Position and Partnerships

DigiCert competes in a market alongside Entrust Corporation, Sectigo, Let's Encrypt, GlobalSign, and GoDaddy. It maintains partnerships and interoperability agreements with browser vendors and platform maintainers including Google LLC, Mozilla Foundation, Apple Inc., and Microsoft Corporation for root program inclusion and trust decisions. Strategic alliances and channel relationships span managed service providers, telecommunications firms, and cloud infrastructure companies such as AT&T, Verizon Communications, Equinix, and Salesforce. DigiCert has been involved in consortiums and trade groups including the CA/Browser Forum, IETF, and industry organizations that include members like Amazon.com, Facebook (Meta Platforms, Inc.), and Netflix. The company's market approach addresses enterprise, government, and service-provider segments often represented by procurement frameworks linked to institutions such as U.S. Department of Defense, European Commission, and multinational financial institutions like JPMorgan Chase and HSBC.

Security and Compliance

DigiCert operates within regulatory and standards environments shaped by authorities and bodies such as IETF, CA/Browser Forum, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and regional data protection regimes involving European Commission directives and national supervisory authorities. Its certificate issuance policies and validation processes adhere to baseline requirements that intersect with browser root programs maintained by Mozilla Foundation, Apple Inc., and Google LLC. DigiCert undertakes audits and conformity assessments aligned with standards like WebTrust and engages third-party auditors used by organizations including KPMG, Deloitte, and PwC for assurance reporting. The company supports cryptographic algorithm transitions mandated by actors such as NIST (including migration to stronger hash functions and key sizes) and works with hardware security modules from vendors like Thales Group and Entrust to protect private keys.

Incidents and Controversies

DigiCert's industry context has included controversies centered on certificate misissuance, browser trust disputes, and remediation following actions involving other certificate authorities, most notably episodes associated with Symantec Corporation and subsequent browser vendor enforcement that reshaped CA ecosystem practices. As part of consolidation and remediation efforts, DigiCert acquired certificate assets and engaged in trust-restoration projects referenced in discussions involving Google Chrome policy enforcement and Mozilla trust decisions. The company has also been involved in public incident responses concerning revoked certificates and coordination with security researchers and interoperability stakeholders such as CERT Coordination Center and national Computer Emergency Response Teams like US-CERT.

Corporate Structure and Leadership

DigiCert is a privately held company headquartered in Lehi, Utah, with corporate governance and executive leadership overseeing operations spanning North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. Leadership includes executives with backgrounds in enterprise security and software industries who engage with investor groups, strategic partners, and boards that have included representatives from firms like Warburg Pincus and other private equity entities. The company maintains engineering, compliance, and channel organizations that liaise with standards bodies and large customers such as Microsoft Corporation, Amazon Web Services, and Google LLC while collaborating with global systems integrators including Accenture, Capgemini, and Deloitte.

Category:Certificate authorities Category:Computer security companies