Rising certificate volumes
62%
lack visibility across their certificate landscape
2026 Global PKI Research Report
PKI under pressure:
The tipping point for modernization
PKI is under pressure from growing machine identities, shrinking
certificate lifecycles, and increasing operational complexity.
See why organizations are rethinking visibility, automation, and
operational control in an AI-driven era.
PKI modernization is no longer an isolated technology initiative. It’s a strategic shift to evolve digital trust toward greater visibility, automation, and governance associated with intelligent trust.
The operational pressure on PKI is growing
Shrinking certificate lifecycles
73%
are concerned about outages from expired certificates
Growing machine identities
74%
are concerned about certificate sprawl
Complexity is the real blocker
PKI is no longer a single system but an ecosystem spanning cloud, machine identities, applications, and software supply chains.
Most organizations are managing this in siloes through a mix of tools, workflows, and workarounds, while 51% cite siloed solutions as difficult to manage comprehensively.
The Modernization starts with operational control section the copy under the main header should read as follows;
Centralization helps organizations move beyond fragmented tools and manual processes, but must be done without hampering distributed uses of PKI.
Organizations that modernize first will be better positioned to safely adopt AI, scale machine identities, and adopt cryptographic changes required for quantum readiness.
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Machine identities are reshaping PKI
PKI is expanding far beyond traditional use cases. 64%* of organizations already use PKI to secure machine identities, increasing both scale and operational demand.
Traditional approaches are no longer sustainable at enterprise scale.
*2026 Global PKI Research Report
Get report
Modernization starts with operational control
Centralized visibility and automation help organizations move beyond fragmented tools and manual processes.
Organizations that modernize first will be better positioned to support AI, machine identities, and future cryptographic change.
PKI Under Pressure: Research Reveals Risk-Control Gap
DigiCert and Omdia discuss the operational pressures, visibility gaps, and modernization challenges reshaping PKI.
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Visibility is only the beginning of PKI modernization.
Additional resources
Guide
Building a scalable PKI strategy Learn practical steps to improve visibility, reduce complexity, and scale PKI operations with greater control.
Infographic
PKI Modernization at a Glance: Explore the key findings and trends shaping PKI strategies.
Whitepaper
Explore the practical steps organizations can take to modernize PKI operations.
Report
IDC MarketScape names DigiCert a Leader in Worldwide Certificate Lifecycle Management.
Solutions
PKI modernization solutions: Improve visibility, automate certificate lifecycle management, and reduce PKI complexity.
Start modernizing PKI for greater visibility, automation, and
operational control
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