Concerns surrounding post-quantum cryptography and the trend towards shorter certificate lifecycles are significantly increasing the demand for specialised Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) offerings.
According to a new report from ABI Research, combined PKI and Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions are expected to become a prerequisite for success in the PKI market by 2030 [1].
The PKI market is rapidly evolving to address increasingly complex enterprise environments and the transition towards quantum-resistant cryptography.
This evolution is pushing vendors to accommodate both traditional PKI use cases, such as enterprise communications and digital signatures, and emerging applications like secure container-to-container communications and authentication of IoT devices.
“There is a parallel push in both the public and private PKI marketspaces towards shortened certificate lifecycles, mandated in the former case by the CAB forum and in the latter by a growing impetus to prioritize data freshness as part of the transition towards quantum resilient systems,” said Aisling Dawson, ABI Research industry analyst.
This push is creating pressure on organisations to maintain clear visibility and management of their internal assets. However, dwindling in-house PKI expertise and tightening resources are complicating asset management.
As a result, demand for managed PKI offerings is at an all-time high, boosting PKI revenue and creating market opportunities across various emerging use cases and applications.
The convergence of PKI and Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions is accelerating due to the need for cryptoagility and enhanced asset visibility. PKI leaders like Entrust, GlobalSign, Keyfactor, AppViewX, Digicert, and Sectigo are responding by offering comprehensive PKI-CLM offerings.
Simultaneously, newer companies like Garantir, Ascertia, and Evertrust are building combined PKI-CLM offerings from the ground up, prioritising flexibility and modularity.
While the enterprise, financial, retail, and cloud computing sectors currently lead in market share, the manufacturing and government segments are rapidly catching up.
Partners with IoT expertise, like SEALSQ, and experience in the identity space, including Veridos and IN Groupe, are well-positioned for success in these growing markets.
“Building practical use cases and narratives around PKI that are aligned with the business needs of diverse organizations across various verticals is crucial for vendors looking to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the PKI market over the next five years,” said Dawson.
She added that vendors must integrate quantum-resilient features into their offerings now to differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive market.
