Certificate Authority (CA)

A certification authority (CA) is the entity that actually creates, signs, and manages digital certificates—serving as the root of trust in a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). In contrast, a certificate reseller or registrar is an intermediary that facilitates certificate orders but does not perform the underlying cryptographic operations or maintain the trust anchors.

2. Business Impacts

• True Root of Trust
  eMudhra’s CA maintains its own trust anchors—root and intermediates—that are cross‑signed into major browser and OS root programs. Resellers merely pass through certificates from these trusted roots; they cannot independently anchor trust.
• End‑to‑End Control
  With eMudhra as your CA, you gain visibility and governance over every step: from CSR submission through automated renewals to instant revocation. Registrars can only initiate orders or relay revocation requests to the actual CA.
• Operational Efficiency
  eMudhra’s integrated Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM) automates discovery, issuance, deployment, and renewal—eliminating manual ticketing and portal juggling typical of reseller workflows.
• Enhanced Security Posture
  Direct HSM integration and policy‑driven issuance ensure private keys never leave secure hardware, and certificate templates prevent mis‑configuration. Resellers cannot guarantee key‑management standards.
• Auditability & Compliance
  Immutable audit trails, compliance reporting, and in‑built governance dashboards let you demonstrate adherence to PCI‑DSS, eIDAS, HIPAA, and other frameworks. Resellers lack the infrastructure to produce these artifacts.

3. Why eMudhra’s CA Model Matters

1. Full PKI Ownership: Operate your own CA hierarchy, with offline roots and scoped intermediates, for maximum security and flexibility.
2. Seamless Automation: Leverage APIs and CLM-driven workflows to provision certificates programmatically, reducing manual errors and lead times.
3. Robust Revocation: Instant CRL/OCSP updates safeguard against compromised certificates at machine speed.
4. Future‑Proof Trust: Crypto‑agile architecture and post‑quantum algorithm support ensure your PKI evolves with emerging threats.

By choosing eMudhra’s certification authority over a simple reseller, businesses obtain a complete, auditable, and highly secure PKI platform—empowering them to manage digital trust with enterprise-grade rigor rather than depending on downstream proxies.