Cloud Certificate Authority Selection via Policy Evaluation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In cloud-based environments, users face challenges in selecting the appropriate certificate authority (CA) for certificate-related requests, leading to inefficiencies, errors, and increased administrative burdens due to the presence of multiple CAs offering different services.
Innovation Solution
A Certificate Management Service (CMS) is implemented to streamline CA selection by configuring policies based on request parameters, identifying applicable policies, and evaluating them to determine the correct CA for certificate creation, renewal, and deletion requests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple certificate authorities are offered to provide different services, then service versatility and coverage are improved, but user selection complexity and administrative burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a certificate management service as an intermediary between users and multiple certificate authorities. This service automatically evaluates certificate requests against configured policies and selects the appropriate CA, eliminating the need for users to manually choose from multiple CAs while maintaining comprehensive service coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the certificate issuance process into distinct components: policy configuration, request evaluation, and CA selection. By separating these functions, the system can handle multiple CAs through structured policy rules without exposing complexity to users, who only need to submit requests without specifying CA choices.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple certificate authorities are offered to provide different services, then service versatility and coverage are improved, but error rates in certificate issuance increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by configuring certificate authority selection policies in advance based on service types and organizational requirements. These pre-configured policies automatically guide the selection process, ensuring that certificates are issued by the correct CA for the intended purpose, thereby reducing errors while maintaining versatile service coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where certificate requests are automatically evaluated against stored policies, and the outcome feeds into the selection process. This closed-loop approach ensures that the correct CA is selected based on the request characteristics, reducing issuance errors while supporting multiple CAs for different services.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual CA selection processes are used, then flexibility in handling different certificate requests is maintained, but time consumption and administrative burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the certificate management service to automatically evaluate requests and select appropriate CAs without human intervention. The system serves itself by using pre-configured policies to make selection decisions, thereby reducing administrative burden and time consumption while maintaining the flexibility to handle diverse certificate requests through programmable policy rules.
4Productivity
If automated policy-based CA selection is implemented, then efficiency and accuracy of certificate management are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single certificate management service that handles multiple functions: policy configuration, request evaluation, CA selection, and certificate issuance coordination. This multi-functional approach improves efficiency by consolidating operations into one system while managing complexity through a unified architecture rather than separate specialized components.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for certificate authority (CA) selection are described. A certificate management service of a cloud provider network receives a first request to generate a certificate from an electronic device, the first request including an indication of an identity of a user and an identification of a domain name to associate with the certificate. A CA selection policy applicable to the first request is identified, the CA selection policy including a CA selection rule. A CA to generate the certificate is identified by evaluating the CA selection rule, the CA selection rule associates at least a portion of the domain name with the CA. A second request to generate the certificate is sent to the identified CA. The certificate or an identification of the certificate from the CA is returned to the electronic device.