Given that many recent high-profile data breaches can be traced back to compromised credentials, it’s no wonder that passwordless authentication with certificates is now best practice. But deploying certificates to all your devices seems like a slog. How do you get the benefits of passwordless authentication without your IT team having a nervous breakdown? SCEP!
Staying ahead in IT means strengthening cybersecurity—and zero trust architectures now lead the charge. But let’s face it: embracing zero trust can feel daunting. With so many tools and complexities, it’s easy to lose your way.
To understand how organizations navigate zero trust, Portnox teamed up with TechTarget. We surveyed hundreds of IT and cybersecurity professionals across North America. Discover the insights we uncovered in our Trends in Zero Trust report.
SIMPLE CERTIFICATE ENROLLEMENT PROTOCOL (SCEP)
SCEP (Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol) is a protocol used to automatically issue and manage digital certificates for devices and users. With Portnox Cloud, SCEP simplifies certificate-based authentication by enabling secure, automated certificate enrollment without manual provisioning. This allows organizations to scale passwordless authentication and device trust across networks and applications.
Portnox Cloud uses SCEP to automate certificate issuance for managed and unmanaged devices as part of its cloud-native access control platform. Certificates are issued dynamically during onboarding and used to authenticate devices securely. By integrating SCEP into access workflows, Portnox eliminates shared credentials and strengthens identity-based access without operational complexity.
SCEP is important for zero trust because it enables strong, device-based authentication without relying on passwords. Portnox Cloud leverages SCEP to ensure devices are uniquely identified and verified before access is granted. This aligns with zero trust principles by enforcing continuous verification and preventing unauthorized or spoofed devices from accessing protected resources.
Yes, SCEP with Portnox Cloud can replace passwords by enabling certificate-based, passwordless authentication. Certificates provide cryptographic proof of device identity, significantly reducing the risk of phishing and credential theft. When combined with device posture checks and policy enforcement, SCEP supports secure, frictionless access across networks and applications.
Portnox Cloud supports SCEP for BYOD and unmanaged devices by securely enrolling certificates during onboarding without requiring complex setup. This allows organizations to extend certificate-based trust beyond fully managed devices while maintaining strong security controls. SCEP-based enrollment ensures even unmanaged endpoints can be authenticated and restricted appropriately.
SCEP simplifies certificate management by automating certificate issuance, renewal, and revocation. Portnox Cloud centralizes this process in a cloud-native platform, removing the need for manual certificate handling or on-prem infrastructure. This reduces administrative overhead while ensuring certificates remain valid, trusted, and aligned with security policies.
Portnox Cloud scales SCEP effortlessly across distributed environments by delivering certificate services through the cloud. Organizations can enroll devices across multiple locations using consistent policies without deploying local servers. This enables secure, scalable certificate-based authentication for networks, applications, and remote users—all managed from a single platform.
