Sectigo extends CLM tools to cover SME customer base

Sectigo has charted a rising demand from small and medium-sized (SME) customers for enterprise tools to keep on top of their certificates.

Changes in the certificate world, with a shift towards shorter terms, means the market is evolving and customers will be paying more attention to the technology, which should spark an increase in opportunities for the channel.

The firm has reacted to increased demand by SME customers for certificate lifecycle management (CLM) tools with the launch of SCM Pro.

SMEs are dealing with the same pressures as large enterprises, with the volume of certificates that expire within 90 days, or in some cases after 10 days, accounting for significant numbers of the overall totals customers are managing.

There are real consequences for customers if certificates become shorter in duration in terms of management and costs. Google is the most high-profile example, with the cloud giant driving those changes, reducing the lifespan of public certificates down from 398 days to 90.

“Automated CLM solutions were traditionally aimed at larger organisations. The proliferation of digital certificates and PKI [public key infrastructure] use cases have led to increasing CLM needs for small and large enterprises alike,” said Özgün Pelit, senior industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

SCM Pro uses automation tools and enables easier deployment that should make things straightforward for SMEs. The firm also includes business continuity with certificates as a service.

Sectigo CEO Kevin Weiss said the launch of SCM Pro underscored its commitment to providing simple, comprehensive tools for users.

“We’ve made strategic investments at all levels of the company – in our people, in our technology, and in our partners – to ensure we can support our customers throughout their digital transformation initiatives. We continue to hire for key roles in all of our global regions as our business and the needs of our customers continue to expand,” he said.

Sectigo has been enhancing its ability to get CLM into the hands of more channel partners. Last autumn, it signed Kite Distribution to widen its UK reseller base.

Speaking at the time of Kite’s appointment, Ottavio Camponeschi, vice-president of EMEA at Sectigo, said there were growing opportunities for partners that got involved with digital certificate management.

The firm shared some responses from partners to the latest release, with Ricardo Resnik, CEO of Multipoint Group, saying the launch would enable it to help SME customers mitigate risk, secure digital assets and free up resources to focus on growth.

“We recognise that customers can no longer manage digital certificates manually, and partners like Sectigo allow us to continue to provide cutting-edge cyber security solutions that make it easier for them to keep their business safe,” he said.