The clock is ticking on digital certificate renewals: why automation is becoming essential

Digital certificates are the foundation of trust on the internet. They are used to secure websites, email services, applications and other online systems by proving that a service is genuine and encrypting data exchanged between users and servers.

When a user visits a website, the certificate allows their browser to verify that they are connecting to the legitimate service and not an imposter. At the same time, it enables encrypted communications, helping to protect sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, personal data and financial information.

Certificates have a limited lifespan and must be renewed before they expire. Historically, organisations have often managed certificate renewals manually because renewals only needed to happen once a year or less. However, many organisations now have hundreds, even thousands of certificates spread across websites, applications, cloud services and email systems.

Why certificates matter

When certificates are not renewed on time, the consequences can be significant:

• Services may become unavailable
• Users may receive security warnings
• Emails may be rejected
• Critical business systems can be disrupted

In some cases, expired certificates have caused high-profile outages that affected customers, staff and business operations.

As digital estates grow, maintaining visibility of every certificate and ensuring timely renewal becomes increasingly challenging. What was once a straightforward administrative task is now a key part of maintaining organisational security and service availability.

New rules, new risks

New rules mean tighter deadlines and greater security, but higher risks for you

In April 2025, the CA/Browser Forum approved plans to gradually shorten the lifespan of public certificates. Since March 2026, the maximum period a certificate can be valid has started to reduce. It is currently 200 days, will drop to 100 days in March 2027, and then to 47 days in March 2029.

These changes are being introduced to improve internet security. Shorter certificate lifetimes are a good thing, they will mean:

• Reduced risk associated with compromised certificates and private keys
• Organisations are encouraged to adopt automation
• An improved ability to respond quickly to emerging threats and new cryptographic standards.

But while these security benefits are widely recognised, the operational impact is significant. Certificates that were previously renewed once a year will need renewing several times per year. For organisations managing dozens or hundreds of certificates, manual processes quickly become unsustainable.

Without an effective certificate management strategy, organisations face increased risks of expired certificates, service outages, security warnings and unplanned staff effort. Teams may find themselves spending more time tracking renewal dates, coordinating approvals and responding to avoidable incidents.

For many organisations across education and research, the challenge is not simply renewing certificates more often: It is maintaining visibility and control across an increasingly complex environment while ensuring services remain secure and available.

How to automate – and how we can help

The most effective way to prepare for shorter certificate lifecycles is through automation.

Instead of relying on spreadsheets, calendar reminders and manual intervention, automated systems can discover certificates, track expiry dates, complete renewals and deploy replacement certificates before services are affected.

The benefits extend beyond simply avoiding outages.

Automation enables organisations to introduce change in a controlled and predictable way, reducing the risk of human error.

It strengthens security by ensuring certificates are renewed consistently and in line with current best practices and reduces operational costs by freeing technical teams from repetitive administrative tasks.

Perhaps most importantly, automation helps future-proof your organisation. As certificate lifetimes continue to shorten and digital environments become more complex, automated certificate lifecycle management will become essential rather than optional.

A good first step is to understand your current estate. Identify where certificates are deployed, who manages them and which renewal processes are currently manual. From there, you can assess automation options and develop a roadmap that aligns with your organisation's technical and operational requirements.

The organisations that start preparing now will be best placed to navigate the upcoming changes confidently and securely.

Be prepared

Before getting started, it helps to have a basic understanding of your certificate environment:

• Approximately how many certificates do you manage, and how many domains or services do they support?
• Where are your certificates deployed (eg, servers, cloud platforms, firewalls, load balancers, or applications)?
• How are certificates currently monitored, renewed, and managed within your organisation?
• What challenges are you experiencing today, and what would you like to achieve through automation?

Get started

• Join a certificate automation drop-in clinic to learn more about the upcoming certificate lifecycle changes, ask questions and explore automation options
• Email our trust and identity consultancy team to book a scoping call if you’re ready to discuss your current certificate estate, and identify the best path towards automation