What types of public certificates does an organization typically need to manage?

Organizations typically manage a mix of certificate types that serve different purposes, and because these often come from different public and internal Certificate Authorities with varying lifetimes, they can be difficult to track consistently without a dedicated inventory.

Common certificate categories:

• TLS/SSL certificates: Secure websites, APIs, and internal services.
• S/MIME certificates: Protect email content and confirm sender identity.
• Code signing certificates: Verify the authenticity of distributed software.
• Client and device certificates: Authenticate individual users or connected devices.

Each category tends to have its own renewal cadence, issuance process, and risk profile, which is why a consolidated inventory across all certificate types, rather than separate tracking per category, is what gives an organization real visibility into its overall certificate exposure.