Entrust
Identity, payments, and data security vendor
Entrust is an identity, payments, and data security company that provides certificate authority services, public key infrastructure, hardware security modules, and identity verification products used by governments, financial institutions,…
Definition
Entrust is an identity, payments, and data security company that provides certificate authority services, public key infrastructure, hardware security modules, and identity verification products used by governments, financial institutions, and enterprises. Beyond issuing SSL/TLS certificates, it is a major supplier of physical and digital identity technology, including secure card issuance systems and cryptographic hardware used to protect keys and sensitive data.
Overview
Entrust addresses a broader set of trust problems than a typical certificate authority, spanning digital identity verification, secure transaction processing, and the protection of cryptographic keys, in addition to the standard function of issuing certificates that let browsers trust websites. Its business grew from decades of work in government and financial-sector identity systems, which shapes a product portfolio that extends well past web TLS certificates into physical identity documents, payment card issuance, and dedicated cryptographic hardware. Mechanically, Entrust operates a certificate authority following the same public key infrastructure model as other CAs: validating domain control or organizational identity and issuing signed certificates trusted through roots embedded in browser and OS trust stores. Alongside this, Entrust manufactures and sells hardware security modules, dedicated devices that generate, store, and use cryptographic keys inside tamper-resistant hardware so private keys never exist in plaintext outside the device, a component many organizations require for compliance with financial and government security standards. Its identity business also includes systems for issuing physical credentials, such as national ID cards, driver's licenses, and payment cards, embedding chips and cryptographic elements that tie a physical document to a verifiable digital identity. As a certificate authority, Entrust competes with DigiCert, Sectigo, and GlobalSign for standard TLS certificate business, but its hardware security module and government identity lines put it in a different competitive set entirely, alongside vendors like Thales, with which it overlaps significantly in the HSM and payment card issuance markets rather than in web certificates alone. In practice, financial institutions use Entrust hardware security modules to protect payment processing keys and comply with industry cryptographic standards, government agencies use its identity issuance systems for national ID and passport programs, and enterprises purchase its TLS certificates and PKI services for standard website and application security needs. Entrust's breadth means a single large customer, such as a national government or major bank, may use several of its product lines simultaneously rather than just certificates. The main consideration for a prospective customer is that Entrust's strength is proportional to how specialized the need is: for a straightforward website certificate, it is one of several comparable commercial CA choices, but for organizations needing hardware-backed key protection or government-grade identity issuance, its longer track record in those specific domains is a more significant differentiator than certificate pricing alone. Buyers should map their actual need, whether it is a website certificate, hardware key protection, or identity document issuance, before assuming Entrust's breadth translates into an advantage for every one of those use cases equally.
Key Features
- Certificate authority services issuing SSL/TLS certificates across validation tiers
- Hardware security modules for tamper-resistant cryptographic key protection
- Government identity issuance systems for national ID and passport programs
- Secure payment card issuance and personalization systems
- Public key infrastructure services for enterprise and government deployments
- Digital identity verification products for onboarding and authentication
- Long-standing presence in financial-sector cryptographic compliance
- Root certificates trusted across major browsers and operating systems