What is our primary use case?
We use DigiCert CertCentral as a platform where you're a client for DigiCert, consuming their SSL certificates. That's where you manage all the certificates you're able to load on your websites and any applications that use SSL to secure. You can manage various applications and sites on DigiCert CertCentral, whether or not you're running DigiCert.
For my particular use case, I use it to manage the application server, which is Orion ERP. The certificates have been applied to Orion ERP just to check that everything is within the correct parameters with regards to security. It's a way to benchmark best practices versus what I currently have running. It's a really good tool and very convenient. It makes renewing SSL certificates easy, handling the whole account management and subscriptions since they moved from licensing to subscription-based model.
What is most valuable?
The certificate management from DigiCert CertCentral is very useful. It's particularly effective for websites, as DigiCert CertCentral helps get analytics of usage, visits, and security, mostly highlighting security aspects. It helps identify where to correct and fix weaknesses in website implementation.
It's very helpful for SAN certificates, making life easier for anybody that needs it. Unfortunately, it's not suited for my use case, as I'm only running one application and already know which application is using the SSLs installed.
I use the certificate lifecycle automation features extensively. This is helpful because it prevents sections where my application is not protected. It will notify me when my certificate is due for renewal and initiate renewal using the card on account to make payment if necessary. It would also notify me if there are any additional actions required, such as domain verification or additional validation. Because we use the extended validation SSLs, I have to request government confirmation of our registration so DigiCert can issue the SSL certificate. This automation is very useful and is my favorite feature on DigiCert CertCentral.
What needs improvement?
DigiCert has been changing many things frequently, and they could improve communication about those changes. It can be complex, and if you're not using it daily, you might miss changes or not understand them, especially if you interact with it only towards the end of a billing cycle. They could improve how they move clients from the legacy setup to the new setup. Red Hat handles this better by giving options to try new features and communicating a cutoff period for legacy system retirement.
As an NGO, we need extensive documentation around expenditure. It would be useful to get proforma invoices because we need those approved before making any purchase. DigiCert previously offered this when requesting renewal, resulting in an intermediate invoice instead of just a cart purchase system. This feature matched our internal processes and made purchases easier. Currently, they use an e-commerce mode, which can be difficult for bureaucratic organizations.
The pricing for DigiCert CertCentral rates about a three. It has a learning curve, especially considering its evolution to DigiCert CertCentral. It's improving but isn't quite intuitive yet. Making mistakes can be costly if you're not owning the business.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using DigiCert for certificate management since 2020, when they acquired GeoTrust.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability for DigiCert CertCentral rates at a 10; it's very good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If cost is not a barrier, it is very easy to scale.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is somewhat challenging. They've automated many interactions, making it difficult to get technical support. Online chat responses can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, sometimes even an hour. Email responses can take longer for resolution. Cases requiring escalation need account manager intervention, which can be difficult due to time differences. Fortunately, we don't have many technical issues with DigiCert CertCentral, though when support is needed, it typically takes about five days each time. The support team is very knowledgeable about solutions, but reaching the right person can be challenging.
How would you rate customer service and support?
What other advice do I have?
I use DigiCert CertCentral dashboard for tracking certificate expiration. I really appreciate DigiCert CertCentral and what they have to offer. I use it to support banking integration with various banks for our ERP. It works efficiently, but we're locked into DigiCert CertCentral because they purchased the competitors. Compared to GoDaddy and RapidSSL, DigiCert CertCentral is somewhat steep in cost. Regarding quality, they are on par with competitors, although DigiCert is more reputable as they've combined many reputable certificate signing authorities. We purchased the product directly from them.
I rate this solution 8 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
