University IT

What is the difference between getting a certificate through the University’s Sectigo contract and buying directly from Sectigo (or any other certificate vendor)?

In order to obtain or renew a certificate directly from a commercial Certificate Authority, you must follow these steps, which can cause a significant delay in turn around:

• Visit a vendor web page to provide your personal identification and server information to their automated system.
• Issue a Purchase Order to the vendor.
• Wait for the vendor to call HR to verify your identity, employment, etc.
• Then go through the technical steps of generating a certificate signing request, downloading the signed certificate, etc.

By taking advantage of the University’s Sectigo Service, the University provides the approval for Sectigo to generate your certificate. The process can go much more quickly, as most of the paper handoffs and manual interventions are gone.

Compared to a direct vendor purchase, the cost to you is nothing.

Where can I learn more about Sectigo Certificates?

See the Sectigo Certificate Service page. More details can be provided by certificate authority administrators.

How long are certificates valid?

In April 2025, the Browser CA/B Forum approved enforcing maximum validity standards for SSL/TLS certificates, requiring more frequent renewals. Information on this can be found on Sectigo’s notification page.

How much does a certificate cost?

The University has purchased the certificate service. The certificates are provided to departments at no cost. We do however have limits to how many public certificates we can issue, and monitor that centrally.

How long does it take to receive a certificate?

Generally, you should have your certificate within 24 hours if you request it Monday – Thursday between the hours of 8:00am – 5:00pm. You need to request your certificate before noon on Fridays to have it approved prior to Monday.