Use-Cases
Your benefits
Concrete improvements for security, availability, and auditability—without unnecessary complexity. We focus on implementable measures, clear responsibilities, and a target state that holds up in day-to-day operations.
Less risk
Reduced outages caused by expiring certificates, misconfigurations, and non-transparent inventories.
More automation
Standardized rollouts and renewals across platforms—fewer tickets, fewer manual interventions.
Better audit readiness
Policies, roles, logging, and evidence that support regulatory requirements (e.g., KRITIS, NIS2, DORA, or TISAX).
Operationally stable certificate operations
Clearly defined responsibilities, lifecycle processes, and monitoring enable operations that remain predictable even in large environments.
Future readiness
Sound crypto strategies, traceable policies, and migration-ready platforms create the foundation for long-term evolution.
Use cases for PKI & CLM
The following use cases show where certificates and PKI typically address security and operational requirements. CLM provides visibility, automation, governance, and a traceable rollout.
Use cases — description
In the workshop, the use cases are refined (current state, target state, technical dependencies, required policies, rollout processes, and evidence). The result is a prioritized use-case catalog as the basis for solution evaluation and the roadmap.
SSL/TLS for web servers
Securing HTTP services (external and internal) via TLS, including mTLS options. Key aspects include certificate inventory, automatic renewal, zero-downtime rollout (reload/restart), central policies (SAN constraints, validity periods, cipher/key profiles), and trust-store governance.
Network Access Control (NAC)
Device and user identities at the network layer (e.g., 802.1X/EAP-TLS). Focus areas: endpoint enrollment, certificate profiles per device type, MDM/endpoint integration, lifecycle (rotation/revocation), and enforcement through switch/Wi-Fi infrastructure.
Remote Access (VPN)
Certificate-based authentication for VPN access (users/devices) and gateways. Critical topics: clean role/group mapping, CRL/OCSP strategy, transition from password/OTP to certificate-grade authentication, and controlled offboarding processes (revocation).
Digital signatures
Signatures for documents, workflows, and identity proofs. The workshop covers signature policies, key storage (HSM key custody), roles/dual control, evidence handling (audit trail), and the distinction from code signing.
Secure email communication
S/MIME for signed and encrypted emails, certificate distribution to clients, address book/directory integration, key recovery (depending on policy), and governance for role/shared mailboxes. The goal is a practical rollout without a high helpdesk burden.
Code Signing
Securing software supply chains through signed artifacts (build pipelines, releases, updates). Relevant aspects: key isolation (HSM), short-lived certificates/keys, approval processes, signing services, and the ability to rotate certificates in a controlled way and quickly contain misuse.
Management & security of mobile devices
Device certificates and profiles for MDM scenarios (Wi-Fi/VPN, email, apps). Topics include enrollment methods, device classes, compliance policies, expiry/renewal logic, and integration into NAC and IAM.
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Certificates as a strong factor for identities and services (e.g., mTLS, client auth). The workshop evaluates integration with directory services/IdPs, roles/claims, lifecycle events (joiner/mover/leaver), and how they map into self-service processes and audits.
User and computer certificates
Standardized certificates for users and endpoints as a basis for EAP-TLS, VPN, S/MIME, or internal authentication. Focus areas: template design, auto-enrollment, device status/compliance, revocation strategy, and transparency regarding usage and ownership.
What would you like to do next?
XELANED specialists are available at any time to support your next steps. Together, we prioritize topics, clarify dependencies, and choose an approach that fits your environment both technically and organizationally.
Knowledge building
In a compact workshop, we clarify goals, the current state, and the next steps.