On-Premise Certificate Signing for Multi-Service Renewal Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The process of obtaining and renewing signed certificates for on-premise devices is cumbersome, time-consuming, and prone to errors, especially with multiple services requiring different certificates, leading to potential security vulnerabilities and communication disruptions.
Innovation Solution
A certificate management device within a common object model framework processes and manages certificate signing requests for multiple services on-premise devices, eliminating the need for repeated requests to external authorities and enabling centralized certificate issuance and renewal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If each service requests certificates from external certificate authorities individually, then certificate security is maintained, but the process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a certificate management device as an intermediary between on-premise devices and external certificate authorities. This mediator consolidates multiple individual certificate requests into a single centralized process, reducing time consumption while maintaining security through proper certificate validation chains.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple separate certificate requests from different services into a single consolidated request handled by the certificate management device. This combining approach reduces the total number of transactions with external authorities while ensuring each service receives its required certificate.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple services on on-premise devices request certificates separately, then each service gets appropriate certificates, but resource usage increases and complexity grows
Solution Approach 1:
The certificate management device performs multiple functions including receiving certificate requests from various services, validating them against different criteria, and coordinating with external certificate authorities. This multi-functional approach handles diverse certificate needs without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the certificate management function into a dedicated device that is separate from the on-premise devices and services. This segmentation isolates complexity in a specialized component while keeping individual service implementations simple.
3Reliability
If on-premise devices manually manage certificate renewals, then control over certificates is maintained, but missed renewals occur leading to security vulnerabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The certificate management device implements a feedback mechanism that monitors certificate expiration status and automatically initiates renewal processes. This continuous feedback loop ensures timely renewals without requiring manual intervention, eliminating missed renewals while simplifying operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service certificate renewal where the certificate management device automatically handles the renewal process without requiring manual intervention from on-premise devices. The device monitors, validates, and reissues certificates autonomously based on expiration criteria.
4Productivity
If a centralized certificate management device processes all certificate requests, then efficiency improves, but trust and authentication mechanisms must be robust
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized certificate management device acts as a trusted intermediary that validates all certificate requests before issuing them. It maintains secure communication channels and implements proper authentication mechanisms, ensuring that efficiency gains do not compromise trust.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary validation and authentication actions before certificate issuance. The certificate management device verifies device identity, authorizes certificate requests, and ensures security policies are met in advance, preventing any potential trust issues during the certificate processing workflow.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for obtaining signed certificates for on-premise devices are described. A system for obtaining signed certificates for on-premise devices includes an on-premise device and a certificate management device. The on-premise device includes a set of services for establishing communication with the on-premise device. Each service requires a certificate signed by a certificate authority for establishing secure communication with the on-premise device. A request for obtaining the signed certificate corresponding to each of the set of services is received and analyzed by the certificate management device. The request is processed based on the analysis to obtain an output for the request corresponding to each of the set of services. The output includes a signed certificate of a corresponding certificate authority along with an expiration period or a message to reject issuing of a signed certificate. The output for the request is sent to the on-premise device.