For many years, SSL certificate management has been relatively straightforward. Organisations renewed certificates once a year, completed validation, installed the certificate, and moved on.
That model is about to disappear.
The industry is rapidly moving towards significantly shorter SSL certificate lifetimes. What was once a yearly administrative task will soon become an operational process that requires continuous management. By 2029, certificate validity is expected to reduce to just 47 days.
For organisations managing dozens, or even thousands, of certificates, this change presents a significant operational challenge.
Why are certificate lifetimes getting shorter?
The primary objective is security.
Shorter certificate lifetimes reduce the window of exposure if a certificate or private key is compromised. They also encourage organisations to maintain stronger validation practices and keep certificate information current.
While this improves the overall security of the internet, it also increases the administrative burden on IT and security teams.
The hidden risks of manual certificate management
Many organisations still manage certificates using spreadsheets, calendar reminders or manual renewal processes.
This approach creates several risks:
Expired certificates causing website or application outages
Service disruptions from missed renewals
Limited visibility into certificate inventories
Time-consuming validation processes
Difficulty managing certificates across multiple environments
As certificate lifetimes continue to shrink, these challenges become more frequent and increasingly difficult to manage.
Automation is no longer optional
The answer isn’t hiring more administrators, it’s automating certificate lifecycle management.
Automation enables organisations to:
Automatically request new certificates
Complete DNS validation without manual intervention
Renew certificates before expiry
Reissue certificates when required
Revoke compromised certificates
Monitor certificate health across the organisation
Rather than relying on manual processes, certificates become part of your existing operational workflows.
Built for modern infrastructure
Brandsec‘s SSL API is designed to integrate directly with existing systems, allowing organisations to automate certificate management without changing the way they work.
Key capabilities include:
Automated certificate ordering and issuance
DNS-based validation
Certificate renewals and reissuance
Certificate revocation
Certificate status and lifecycle visibility
For organisations already using automation tools, the API also supports the ACME protocol, making it compatible with solutions including:
Certbot
acme.sh
lego
win-acme
Traefik
Caddy
Other RFC 8555-compliant ACME clients
Why choose Brandsec?
Unlike providers that only issue certificates, Brandsec provides a complete certificate management solution.
Our services include:
Certificate procurement across trusted Certificate Authorities
Complete lifecycle management
API-driven automation
Certificate monitoring and visibility
Integration with your broader domain and DNS strategy
Because Brandsec already manages domains, DNS and SSL certificates for many organisations, clients benefit from working with a single trusted partner for their entire digital infrastructure.
Prepare before shorter lifetimes arrive
The move to shorter SSL certificate lifetimes is no longer a future consideration – it is already underway.
Organisations that continue relying on manual renewal processes will face increasing operational effort and a higher risk of service disruption.
Now is the ideal time to review your certificate management strategy and implement automation before these industry changes become mandatory.
If you’d like to learn how Brandsec’s SSL API can help automate your certificate lifecycle, contact our team to discuss your environment and automation requirements.
About brandsec
brandsec is a team of highly experienced domain name management and online brand protection experts. We provide corporate domain name management and brand enforcement services, helping brands eliminate phishing platforms across the internet. Supporting some of the largest brands in the region, we offer innovative solutions to combat threats across multiple industries.
