Public key certificates may be published to any LDAP directory supporting strong authentication. For environments where the highest levels of business continuity are mandated or where latency must be held to the minimum, the directory may be distributed or replicated. The Certification Authority manages a private and secure database of certificates for environments in which LDAP directories are not used. In addition, root key management supports multiple root keys for simultaneous provision of different levels of assurance or virtual security domains. The Registration Server routes certificate and certificate revocation requests between certificate applicants, certification authorities, registration authorities and other registration servers.
Individual applicants obtain certificates from the Registration Server via a web browser.
Several certificate policies can be active simultaneously and certificate requests may be routed to multiple certification authorities, providing a wide range of security and many levels of assurance. The Registration Server policies support delegation of certificate request processing to subordinate Registration Servers thus providing local policy administration. It also supports delegation of proofing responsibility to one or more Registration Authorities, enabling local administration of proofing policies. To reduce Registration Authority administration costs, the Registration Server can be configured for automated proofing methods or for batch pre-registration of users where policy permits. Comprehensive audit log generation and archive capabilities are also provided.