When I look back on 2018, a simple statement comes to mind: innovation is everything. It was a breakthrough year for Sectigo — a year in which we achieved record growth while transforming the organization to become the global leader in digital identity and web security solutions. But innovation is not everything…unless you deliver on your vision; in 2018 that is exactly what we did. Here are some of our most notable accomplishments for 2018.
So, what’s ahead in 2019?
While there is value in reflecting on a successful year, it’s equally important to look ahead to what 2019 may have in store. Our expansion into new areas of web security has been grounded in addressing important security challenges our customers face, including compliance, email phishing, and Private CA operations — coupled with our recognition of the shifting threat landscape.
Regrettably, we anticipate that ransomware, data breaches, and email impersonation will continue to grow this year. These are unfortunate facts in today’s world, but we do hope that consumer education will grow in step with the measures businesses are taking to protect their organizations, as well as their customers. The existing threats will increase in severity and reach. In particular, phishing will continue into its third decade as a profitable criminal activity. The need for authenticated certificates, including the Extended Validation (EV) company-branded address bar, will continue to grow along with it.
It’s already clear that 2019 will be a huge year for email certificates. Regulations such as GDPR and the Department of Defense’s DFARS have clearly identified the need for email to have both encryption and authenticated identity. The addition of S/MIME email certificates is just one more factor in what already is an ultra-complicated certificate environment for most enterprises. Multiple CAs, both public and private, must serve an increasingly virtualized, containerized, DevOps-fueled enterprise architecture in which the goal of “Software-Defined Everything” suggests the coming need for “Certificate-Protected Everything.”
All this complexity means that enterprises will look for simplicity in managing the lifecycles of their full set of public and private certificates regardless of the CA, all from a single pane of glass, and that the industry must work to quickly identify and remove from service certificates used for nefarious purposes. Although there is not a silver bullet, digital certificates are — and will continue to be — an important layer in any security solution for small, medium, and enterprise businesses.
As we move deeper into 2019, Sectigo’s focus on web security will only expand. We look forward to meeting new challenges, delivering innovative new solutions, and making the internet a safer place for everyone.