Digi-CA™ is probably the most modern Certificate Authority [CA] system currently available in the market. It is modern because it leverages the many advances in open source technology including Linux, SQL and PHP.
Unlike Traditional CAs, the Digi-CA™ system can create multiple instances of unique CAs in a single Digi-CAtrade; system. The Digi-CAtrade; model imposes delegation of trust downwards from CAs to their Subordinate Certification Authorities [Sub-CAs].
The same Digi-CAtrade; system also enables any CA or Sub-CA to be signed or cross signed by an external third party CA. And any number of CAs can have any number of cross signed Sub-CAs. As a result of this design principal, the Digi-CAtrade; model for trust levels increases towards the highest authority. This type of arrangement facilitates easy deployment and scalability of any PKI requirement from the smallest to the largest.
The following provides a high level overview of a typical Digi-CAtrade; Server installation at a Trust Centre:
The Digi-CAST2™ Team will install the Digi-CA™ PKI software and to do this the first data centre must be constructed 100%. This must include all power, cabling, fire detection, fire depressant and that the air conditioning is installed and fully tested. The air conditioning system testing is very important, as it can cause water issues if not fully tested.
The Trust Centre must then be cleaned to medical/hospital standards before any hardware is installed. The construction on the second disaster recovery data centre (if required) should start at the same time, or no more than two weeks after the first data centre. It is not required that this Disaster Recovery data centre is completed before the Digi-CAST2™ Team arrive at the Trust Centre, however it must be finished no later than one week after the Digi-CAST2™ Team arrive on site and again must be 100% finished and cleaned in that time.
Nothing will happen with the Digi-CA™ PKI software installation until the Trust Centre completion and cleaning date is confirmed. Once this date is confirmed and the hardwre is ordered, the Partner should be capable fo getting all the servers, switches, network and server software, HSMs, etc delivered within 2-3 weeks of the contract being signed.
After the contract is signed the Trust Centre should be ready so that the installation of the IT infrastructure can be completed within 1 week. By the beginnning of week 4, the entire of the main Trust Centre is active and ready for the installation of the Digi-CA™ software.
Week 5 the Disaster Recovery data centre should be completed and the the Digi-CAST2 Installations Team will then arrive to begin work on the Trust Centre whilst the Digi-Trust™ Partner to complete the second data centre IT infrastructutre totally and ready in one week so that by week 6, the second week for the the Digi-CAST2 Installations Team on site, they can begin the configuration of this Disaster Recovery Digi-CA™.
In week 7, after the contract is signed, the Digi-CAST2 Installations Team will be finished and can seek to have the User Acceptance Testing [UAT] sign off, to officially complete the installation process.