January 29, 2025 – Sectigo, a global leader in digital certificates and certificate lifecycle management (CLM), announced the acquisition of Entrust’s public certificate division. This transaction marks a milestone for both companies, strengthening Sectigo’s position as a key player in the digital security sector while allowing Entrust to focus on developing innovative cryptographic solutions designed for the post-quantum era.
The acquisition doubles the scale of Sectigo’s corporate operations by expanding its customer base to include the banking, e-commerce, and financial segments previously served by Entrust. In addition, Sectigo gains access to Entrust’s technology and infrastructure, bolstering its Sectigo Certificate Manager (SCM) platform—a cloud-native CLM solution with advanced automation and support for post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Following the transaction, Entrust will concentrate on identity solutions and quantum-resistant cryptography, including key lifecycle management (CLM), digital identity verification, and zero-trust strategies. The company will remain active in the areas of private certificates, key management, and hardware security modules (HSMs).
The decision to sell Entrust’s public certificate business segment to Sectigo was driven by several factors. In recent months, Entrust has struggled with compliance issues—particularly violations of CA/Browser Forum standards—that have led major market players such as Google and Mozilla to stop trusting certificates issued by Entrust. This situation forced the company to change its strategy and focus on innovations in digital identity and tools resilient to the threats posed by emerging quantum technologies. For its part, Sectigo, long renowned in the digital certificate industry, saw this move as an opportunity to significantly expand its customer portfolio and strengthen its market position. The acquisition not only increases the company’s scale of operations but also accelerates the rollout of modern CLM solutions that are essential in an era of automation, shortening certificate validity periods, and the growing importance of post-quantum cryptography. For Entrust’s existing customers, ensuring uninterrupted service and continuous access to their solutions is paramount. As part of the acquisition, Sectigo has declared that all existing contracts will be maintained and that currently issued certificates will remain valid for the duration of their term. Contracts, pricing, and processes will remain unchanged for at least 90 days, with Sectigo ensuring a smooth migration to its platform. Moreover, thanks to integration with the existing Entrust Certificate Services (ECS) platform, customers will continue to manage their certificates without having to make significant changes to their operational processes.
The acquisition by Sectigo opens up new opportunities for the development of public certificate infrastructure. The company plans to intensify efforts to automate certificate management processes and invest in post-quantum technologies. These actions are aimed at preparing organizations for future cybersecurity challenges, where more frequent certificate renewals and more advanced verification mechanisms will become the norm. Additionally, customers will benefit from access to over 50 integrations with leading technology providers and centralized certificate management. From a strategic perspective, acquiring Entrust’s public business allows Sectigo to significantly expand its customer base, enabling it to offer more comprehensive solutions that integrate certificate lifecycle management with advanced automation features—a key advantage in an era of increasingly stringent online security requirements. According to forecasts by GI Partners (Sectigo’s main investor), the certificate lifecycle management market will reach over USD 8 billion by 2029, and this transaction further cements Sectigo’s position in the segment. The acquisition also accelerates market consolidation, where major players like Sectigo and DigiCert dominate through their resources and scale, while smaller entities must seek niche markets.
- Kevin Weiss, CEO of Sectigo, stated, “We are ready to support Entrust’s customers in the era of automation and post-quantum challenges. Our CLM platform is the answer to evolving security needs.”
- Todd Wilkinson, CEO of Entrust, added, “Sectigo is a partner that will ensure a smooth transition for our customers while we focus on innovations in digital identity and cryptography.”
The sale of Entrust’s public certificate business to Sectigo is a strategic decision that addresses the growing challenges of digital security and the automation of certificate management processes. This acquisition enables Sectigo to further develop and consolidate its position as a market leader while ensuring that Entrust’s customers continue to receive uninterrupted service alongside the introduction of modern security technologies. In an era of rapid technological change—marked by the advent of post-quantum cryptography and the shortening of certificate validity periods—this decision represents an important step forward for the entire industry. Organizations can look forward to more advanced and automated solutions that will enable them to effectively manage digital trust in the face of new challenges.
Check out our SSL certificate offering from Sectigo: Sectigo SSL Certificates.