Public Key Infrastructure Consulting
We design PKI architectures that secure IT/OT environments and enable automated certificate management. Turn manual processes into scalable infrastructure.
Your Certificate Infrastructure Was not Built for Modern IT/OT Convergence
Your organization has accumulated certificate authorities, enrollment processes, and management workflows over two decades. IT has one PKI approach. OT has another. Cloud services bring their own. The result: fragmented infrastructure that cannot support automated certificate management, compliance requirements, or the scale modern environments demand.
Manual Certificate Management Cannot Scale to IT/OT Convergence
Most industrial organizations have PKI infrastructure, but not PKI architecture. Certificates were added as needed – one CA for web servers, another for VPN, maybe a third for self-signed OT equipment. Each with different enrollment processes, renewal workflows, and management tools. This works until scale, automation, and compliance requirements expose the cracks.
Certificate outages from manual renewal processes. Your certificates expire because no one remembered to renew them. Or renewal failed because the process wasn't documented. Or the person who knew how to renew them left the company. Every expired certificate is a potential outage – web services, VPN access, production controllers. The business impact ranges from minor inconvenience to production shutdown.
Fragmented CA infrastructure without consistent governance. You have multiple root CAs, inconsistent subordinate hierarchies, different certificate policies, and no unified trust model. In OT environments, engineers often create self-signed certificates for quick deployments – bypassing PKI entirely and creating trust management nightmares.
Compliance requirements demanding documented PKI governance. IEC 62443 requires machine identity management. NIS2 mandates cryptographic protection. Zero Trust initiatives need certificate-based authentication. But compliance isn't just "having certificates" – it's documented certificate policies, practice statements, key management procedures, and audit trails.
The result: PKI becomes the blocker for security initiatives rather than the enabler. You cannot implement automated certificate management without consistent enrollment infrastructure. You cannot support Zero Trust without unified identity architecture. You cannot demonstrate compliance without documented governance.
Strategic PKI Consulting That Transforms Certificate Chaos into Governed Infrastructure
BxC provides PKI consulting services specifically designed for organizations navigating IT/OT convergence. We design PKI architectures that support both modern IT requirements and operational technology constraints – then help you implement them without disrupting existing systems.
Strategic PKI architecture design
We design certificate authority hierarchies, trust models, and governance structures that work for your specific environment. Not textbook PKI theory, but practical architectures that account for your existing infrastructure, organizational structure, compliance requirements, and operational constraints.
Hybrid IT/OT PKI expertise
Industrial organizations need PKI that spans IT and OT environments. We design unified PKI architectures that support web servers and PLCs, domain controllers and SCADA systems, cloud services and industrial IoT – different security requirements, different enrollment capabilities, same trust foundation.
Brownfield PKI migration and modernization
You cannot simply replace your existing PKI – too many dependencies, too much disruption risk. We design migration strategies that move from legacy to modern PKI incrementally: establishing new subordinate CAs while legacy CAs remain operational, maintaining trust during transition.
Implementation planning and coordination
PKI implementation involves multiple teams: IT operations, OT engineering, security, application owners, network teams. We provide the project coordination, technical guidance, and implementation support that keeps complex PKI deployments on track.
BxC offers three complementary PKI services
- PKI Consulting (this service): Strategic PKI design, architecture, implementation planning. You own and operate the PKI, we design and help build it.
- PKI Managed Service: We operate your PKI lifecycle operation as a service – certificate issuance, CA operations, monitoring, compliance reporting.
Most clients start with PKI Consulting to establish strategy and architecture, then choose either in-house operations or PKI Lifecycle Service, and implement CERIAL/IDIAL for automation.
Three Phases from Assessment to Operational PKI
1. PKI Assessment and Strategy
We evaluate your existing certificate infrastructure: CA inventory and hierarchy analysis, certificate usage and distribution patterns, enrollment processes and lifecycle management, key management and HSM infrastructure, trust relationships and dependencies, compliance gaps against IEC 62443 / NIS2 requirements.
2. PKI Architecture Design and Migration Planning
Based on assessment findings, we develop comprehensive PKI architecture: CA hierarchy for your use cases, certificate policy (CP) and certificate practice statement (CPS), trust model spanning IT/OT boundaries, enrollment protocol integration, certificate lifecycle management procedures, and migration strategy from legacy to modern PKI.
3. Implementation and Transition
We coordinate your PKI implementation and migration: project management and stakeholder coordination, working with your IT/OT teams and PKI vendors, phased deployment minimizing disruption, migration execution from legacy to modern PKI with cross-signing and parallel operation, testing and validation procedures, documentation and knowledge transfer.
For clients requiring operational PKI management after implementation, we offer PKI Lifecycle Service as a seamless continuation.
Modernizing PKI Infrastructure for Global Manufacturing
A global manufacturing organization operated fragmented PKI infrastructure across multiple business units: three separate root CAs established over 15 years, inconsistent subordinate architectures, no unified governance, and growing compliance pressure from IEC 62443 requirements.
The challenge: design unified PKI architecture that consolidates trust infrastructure without disrupting thousands of dependent systems across production facilities worldwide.
BxC conducted comprehensive PKI assessment, designed consolidated CA hierarchy with clear IT/OT separation, developed certificate policies aligned with IEC 62443, and created phased 18-month migration plan.
The result: unified root of trust replacing fragmented infrastructure, dedicated subordinate CAs for IT, OT, and IIoT devices, documented governance enabling compliance validation, and foundation for CERIAL-based certificate automation.
This is the complexity we navigate: multiple legacy root CAs, global coordination, compliance pressure, and zero-tolerance for operational disruption. Strategic PKI architecture that transforms constraint into capability.
PKI Architecture That Delivers Security, Scalability, and Governance
Modern security architectures depend on PKI: certificate-based authentication, mutual TLS, device identity. Without properly designed PKI infrastructure, these capabilities remain theoretical. BxC's PKI consulting establishes the trust foundation that enables advanced security controls.
Manual certificate management doesn't scale. CERIAL and IDIAL provide the automation, but they need proper PKI infrastructure to operate effectively. Our PKI consulting designs the enrollment protocols, CA integration points, and governance structures that enable automated certificate management across thousands of devices.
Your PKI must support web servers and PLCs, domain controllers and SCADA systems, cloud services and industrial IoT. We design hybrid PKI architectures that bridge IT and OT security requirements – enabling convergence without compromising either environment's needs.
IEC 62443 requires machine identity management. NIS2 mandates cryptographic protection. Auditors want documented certificate policies and practice statements. BxC's PKI consulting delivers the documented architecture, policies, and procedures that satisfy regulatory requirements and audit validation.
Our PKI consulting establishes the architectural foundation for comprehensive certificate management – the infrastructure that security initiatives depend on.
PKI Consulting establishes infrastructure and governance. Complement with:
- CERIAL for automated certificate lifecycle in IT environments
- IDIAL for OT device certificate automation via OPC UA GDS Push
- PKI Managed Service for operational PKI management as-a-service
- Network Architecture Consulting for zone-based certificate deployment
Concrete Deliverables Enable Implementation
PKI Architecture Design Package
Comprehensive PKI architecture documentation with CA hierarchy designed for your specific use cases (TLS server/client authentication, document signing, industrial protocols like MQTT/OPC UA, network access control, firmware updates, etc.), trust model specifications, certificate policy (CP) and certificate practice statement (CPS), key management procedures, and enrollment protocol specifications.
Governance Framework
Certificate lifecycle procedures, approval workflows, key management practices, compliance validation processes, and operational runbooks. Documented governance that transforms PKI from "tribal knowledge" into repeatable, auditable processes.
Migration and Implementation Roadmap
Phased deployment plan with priorities, dependencies, timelines, and resource requirements. For brownfield environments: detailed migration strategy from legacy to modern PKI including cross-signing and parallel operation approach.
Compliance Documentation
Architecture documentation supporting IEC 62443, NIS2, and industry-specific compliance requirements. Certificate policy and practice statements formatted for audit validation.
Industries and Scenarios Where PKI Architecture Delivers Maximum Impact
- Pharmaceutical & Biotech: GMP compliance, 21 CFR Part 11 electronic signatures, batch record integrity, equipment qualification, serialization track-and-trace.
- Chemical Manufacturing: Safety-instrumented systems (SIS), process control integrity, CFATS compliance, distributed control systems (DCS) security.
- Energy & Utilities: SCADA authentication, smart grid security, NERC CIP compliance, renewable energy control systems, substation automation.
- Discrete Manufacturing: Production line automation, robotics certificate management, quality system integrity, Industry 4.0 / IIoT device identity.
You need our PKI consulting if: You have no PKI infrastructure yet and need one built from scratch (greenfield) | Your certificate infrastructure is fragmented across IT and OT | You face IEC 62443 or NIS2 compliance requiring machine identity management | You're planning certificate automation (CERIAL/IDIAL) but lack proper PKI foundation | Your existing PKI uses legacy cryptography (SHA-1) or end-of-life CAs | You're implementing Zero Trust architecture requiring certificate-based authentication | You lack documented certificate policies and governance for compliance validation
From Assessment to Operational PKI Architecture
Understanding what PKI consulting involves helps you plan resources, set expectations, and prepare stakeholders.
- Assessment phase: 1-2 weeks: Current state analysis, CA inventory, certificate usage mapping, stakeholder interviews. You receive detailed assessment report with findings and recommendations.
- Architecture design: 2-4 weeks: PKI architecture design, CA hierarchy, certificate policies, governance framework, migration roadmap. Fixed-price engagement with clear deliverables.
- Implementation and migration: 2 weeks-6 months: Varies by scope and whether existing PKI infrastructure needs migration. Hypercare is planned according to the size of the change. Implementation is phased – starting with highest-priority use cases.
- Investment: PKI consulting engagements are scoped based on environment complexity, number of use cases, and migration requirements. After initial discussion, we provide detailed proposal.
- Who needs to be involved: IT security, PKI administrators, application owners, OT engineering, compliance organization. BxC provides the PKI expertise while your teams contribute environment knowledge.
Not sure if you need full PKI redesign?
Our Cybersecurity Assessment Service evaluates your overall security posture including certificate management maturity.
PKI Architecture Grounded in Industry Standards and Best Practices
BxC's PKI consulting is based on internationally recognized standards and adapted to IT/OT convergence requirements:
X.509 Certificate Standards – Industry-standard certificate format and extensions for authentication, encryption, and code signing across IT and OT environments.
IETF PKIX (RFC 5280, 6960, 7030) – Standards for certificate and CRL profiles (5280), online certificate status (OCSP, 6960), and enrollment protocols (EST, 7030).
CA/Browser Forum Requirements – Baseline requirements and EV guidelines for publicly-trusted CAs. Applied principles for internal PKI governance.
NIST SP 800-57 – Key management guidelines for cryptographic key generation, distribution, storage, and destruction.
NIST SP 800-32 – Federal PKI architecture guidelines. Framework applied to enterprise and industrial PKI design.
FIPS 140-2/140-3 – Cryptographic module validation for HSM integration and key protection requirements.
Common PKI Profiles – Certificate profiles for web server authentication, client authentication, code signing, device identity, email signing/encryption.
Enrollment Protocols – SCEP (Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol), EST (Enrollment over Secure Transport), CMP (Certificate Management Protocol).
IEC 62443-4-2 – Component security requirements including cryptographic authentication, secure boot, and device identity management. Our PKI architectures support IEC 62443 machine identity requirements.
NIS2 Directive – EU cybersecurity regulation mandating cryptographic protection and authentication for essential and important entities. PKI architecture provides compliance foundation.
Zero Trust Architecture (NIST SP 800-207) – Certificate-based device and user authentication as Zero Trust foundation. PKI architecture enables continuous verification principles.
NERC CIP-005, CIP-007 – North American energy sector requirements for electronic security perimeters and systems security management. PKI enables certificate-based access controls.
FDA 21 CFR Part 11 – Electronic records and signatures in pharmaceutical manufacturing. PKI infrastructure supports compliant digital signatures and audit trails.
OPC UA Security – Certificate-based security for industrial communication protocol. PKI architecture integrated with OPC UA GDS (Global Discovery Server) for OT device certificate management.
Cloud PKI Integration – Architecture considerations for AWS Certificate Manager, Azure Key Vault, Google Certificate Authority Service integration with on-premises PKI infrastructure.
Brownfield PKI migration approach:
We design architectures and migration strategies that work with existing infrastructure constraints. Not every organization can immediately replace root CAs. We identify pragmatic migration paths that improve security incrementally.
PKI Specialists Who Understand Industrial Reality
- Two decades of PKI expertise across IT and OT. BxC specializes in PKI architecture for industrial organizations navigating IT/OT convergence. We understand PKI theory and operational constraints – designing architectures that work in brownfield environments, not just textbook scenarios.
- Vendor-agnostic consulting. Our architectures work with any PKI platform – Microsoft AD CS, open-source solutions, or commercial products. While we maintain partnerships with leading vendors like Nexus and Keyfactor for access to best-in-class technologies, our recommendations remain based solely on your requirements, not vendor commissions.
- Deep OT knowledge combined with enterprise PKI experience. Industrial PKI has unique requirements: legacy devices with limited certificate support, deterministic control requirements, 24/7 availability constraints, safety-critical implications. We bridge IT PKI best practices with OT operational reality.
- From strategy through implementation coordination. We don't just deliver architecture documents and disappear. BxC provides ongoing implementation support, coordinates with your teams and vendors, and ensures successful PKI deployment. Partnership throughout the journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions? We’ve got answers. Here are some common queries about PKI Infrastructure Consulting.
PKI Consulting designs your certificate infrastructure – architecture, governance, implementation planning. You own and operate the PKI. PKI Managed Service operates your PKI as a service – we handle CA operations, certificate issuance, monitoring, compliance reporting. Many clients engage PKI Consulting first to establish architecture, then choose either in-house operations or Managed Service.
Yes. Most engagements involve brownfield environments with existing CAs and dependencies that cannot be disrupted. We design migration strategies that work with your current infrastructure – modernizing incrementally while maintaining operations. Root CA replacement is highly disruptive and rarely necessary. We typically design subordinate CA hierarchies under existing roots or implement cross-signing during migration.
CERIAL and IDIAL are certificate lifecycle automation tools that operate within your PKI infrastructure. They need proper PKI architecture to function effectively. PKI Consulting establishes the infrastructure foundation; CERIAL/IDIAL provide the automation layer. Many clients implement both: PKI Consulting for architecture, then CERIAL/IDIAL for automated certificate management.
Investment depends on engagement scope: assessment depth, architecture complexity, number of use cases, migration requirements. After initial discussion, we provide detailed proposal with scope, deliverables, timeline, and investment type.