Digital certificates and the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) are a set of technologies that can support secure access to a large number of web services and applications.

CREN is an important part of the higher education PKI infrastructure. CREN's services, such as the web server certificates and institutional certificates, make it possible for institutions to test, explore, and deploy digital certificates at a reasonable cost and effort.

Getting ready for digital certificates and security based on public key technology can be intimidating. This web site provides a knowledge base and a technology guide to getting started.

Is your campus ready? Are you ready?

Learn about CREN's top-level certificate authority service at our Institutional Certificates area.

Learn more about digital certificates at the PKI Resources page.

Read about the experiences of Institutional certificate pilot institutions at the Pilot Resources page.

For a project plan to assist you in getting your campus ready, you may want to use the "Getting Started with Digital Certificates" Guide.

For specific questions about PKI or directories, check out the FAQs.