Microsoft ADCS was never designed for today’s zero-trust, hybrid environments. Its architecture creates a larger attack surface, leaving critical PKI components exposed. Misconfigurations can lead to privilege escalation, improper certificate issuance, and breaches that compromise entire digital estates.
“We are hearing the same story across industries: ADCS feels like a bottleneck,” says Amine Naak, Product Manager for Digital Services at Nexus IN Groupe. “Security teams want automation, compliance teams want auditable logs, and IT leaders want lower cost of ownership — and that’s exactly what Nexus PKI brings to the table.”
“Opting for the right PKI platform is a question of resilience, efficiency, and readiness for what comes next,” emphasizes Amine. “That decision shapes everything, from how quickly you recover from outages to how much audit effort your team spends and how prepared you are for new regulations.”
Nexus PKI is a purpose-built platform that closes the security, scalability, and compliance gaps that hold ADCS back. It’s designed for modern architectures, automation, and continuous availability. With support for use cases from workforce authentication to IoT device identity and DevSecOps pipelines, Nexus PKI is a dependable foundation for today’s enterprise.
The difference becomes clear when you look at the fundamentals:
|
CAPABILITY |
MS ADCS |
NEXUS PKI |
|
Architecture |
Monolithic: all components installed together |
Modular: CA, RA, DB, OCSP can be deployed separately for security isolation |
|
Scalability |
One CA per installation, high resource overhead |
Multi-tenancy: run multiple CA instances on shared infrastructure |
|
Protocol Support |
Primarily Microsoft-centric protocols |
ACME, EST, REST, CMP for full automation |
|
High Availability |
Mostly passive failover |
Active-active for continuous uptime |
|
Compliance |
No equivalent certification |
Common Criteria EAL4+ certified with cryptographically signed audit logs |
What these capabilities mean for your business
With built-in readiness for post-quantum cryptography (PQC), organizations can prepare for quantum-safe encryption now, ensuring their PKI stays secure and trusted well into the future.
“Crypto-agility means your PKI can adopt new algorithms as standards evolve, without costly overhauls or downtime,” says Amine.
PKI migration doesn’t have to be disruptive. With the right approach and expert guidance, it becomes a structured, low-risk process.
A successful move from ADCS to Nexus PKI starts with a clear picture of your current environment. Taking the time to assess your PKI upfront helps avoid surprises and ensures a smooth, structured transition.
Key areas to review include:
Nexus experts and certified partners guide you through every stage, ensuring minimal disruption and faster time-to-value.
With this groundwork in place, organizations can move confidently into deployment.
ADCS was not built for the modern enterprise. Make sure our PKI is >
PKI is too important to leave on autopilot. Every organization will eventually outgrow ADCS, the only question is whether you act now or wait until a compliance gap, audit failure, or outage forces the change.
According to Amine, PKI should be a source of confidence, not a hidden vulnerability. “The organizations that act before problems surface are the ones that stay resilient, compliant, and ahead of threats.”
With Nexus, the transition is proven, predictable, and designed to be disruption-free. Organizations get stronger security, easier compliance, and a PKI foundation ready for the future — from quantum-safe crypto adoption to automated certificate management — without disrupting operations.
A successful move from ADCS to Nexus PKI starts with a clear picture of your current environment. Taking the time to assess your PKI upfront helps avoid surprises and ensures a smooth, structured transition.
Published
01/10 2025
Replace hidden costs, security risks, and operational burdens of Microsoft ADCS with a modern, sovereign, and fully managed PKI as a service from Nexus.