Digital security is undergoing a major transformation. Starting in March 2026, the lifespan of SSL/TLS certificates—these essential building blocks of trust on the internet—will be drastically reduced. This change, mandated by international standards, will transform how organizations manage their security. And a key player like Sectigo is playing a central role in this transition. This article explains what a certificate is, why its management is becoming critical, what the new rules will change, and how to prepare effectively.
What is a digital certificate?
A digital certificate is the equivalent of an electronic identity card. It allows you to:
What happens when a certificate is not managed correctly?
Why are the rules changing in March 2026?
The CA/Browser Forum, which governs the standards for public certificates, imposes a progressive reduction in their lifespan.
The challenges for businesses
The reduction in certificate lifespan is causing an explosion in the volume of renewals, forcing teams to manage twice as many operations, making automation essential and signaling the end of manual processes such as Excel spreadsheets, calendars, or internal tickets, which have become obsolete; in this context, the need for complete visibility is paramount, as many organizations still do not know the exact number of certificates they possess, making inventory a top priority, especially since these shorter cycles facilitate preparation for post-quantum cryptography and accelerate the transition to new algorithms, while the modernization of PKI infrastructures is becoming essential as certificate authorities, such as Sectigo, renew their roots and chains of trust, forcing companies to adapt.
What role does Sectigo play in this transition?
Sectigo is one of the world leaders in digital certification and, faced with the reduction in certificate lifespan, the company is adopting a clear and proactive approach, notably through Sectigo Certificate Manager (SCM), an automation platform that allows for the discovery of all certificates (Sectigo or third-party), the automation of renewals, the management of deployments, integration with ACME, DevOps, cloud, web server and network appliance environments, and the reduction of expiration risk to zero;
at the same time, Sectigo is modernizing its PKI infrastructure by migrating its root authorities to improve resilience, strengthen compatibility and prepare for future cryptographic standards, while offering comprehensive support including guides, impact analyses, audit tools and best practices to successfully navigate the transition from 398 to 200 days, thus positioning Sectigo not only as a provider, but as a true strategic partner to navigate this change.
Tags:
Share:
