This blog is relating to the communication sent on Thursday 16th January 2025 and was last updated on 16/01/2025 at 14:24pm.
In this FAQ, we’ll answer your questions about the service discontinuation, what it means for you, and how we’re here to assist during this period. From details on your subscriptions and services to information on refunds and potential alternatives, our goal is to keep you supported as best we can.
We’re committed to supporting you through this process and appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate these changes together.
1. Why is the Sectigo service ending?
Due to the early termination of the underlying contract between our certificate service supplier GÉANT and their provider Sectigo.
The current certificate service will stop on 9 January 2025 and be inaccessible from 10 January 2025.
2. When did it end?
The Sectigo service was terminated on 9th January 2025, with the service inaccessible from 10th January 2025. The Sectigo portal is currently in ‘read only’ mode, however we are unsure how long we will have access to the portal for. If you need support regarding your active Sectigo certificates, please contact certificates@jisc.ac.uk
3. What does this mean for the future of the Jisc certificate service?
Before Christmas, we announced that we had formally issued a voluntary ex-ante transparency (VEAT) notice communicating our intention to enter into a short-term contract with an alternative provider and we intended to go live with this new service, as soon as possible, in the new year
We have been prevented from awarding the contract following receipt of a legal challenge to the appointment of our chosen provider
We are hoping to launch a public tender procurement process to secure a viable, long-term provider for the certificate service. This will not provide an immediate fix; we are hopeful to provide a timeline in the next few weeks.
4. What does this mean for you, the customer?
In the meantime, we recommend you take a pay-as-you-go approach to your certificates as once the new provider is in place, we anticipate you will be able to make significant savings versus what you would pay as an individual institution on the open market.
We will continue to develop additional resources to support you in the interim over the coming weeks in addition to our up-coming clinics covering automation and the move to post-quantum cryptography.
5. Will I receive a refund for my certificate service subscription?
We have now issued pro-rata refunds to all impacted organisations. This will appear as credit on your account.
If you require these monies to be returned to your organisation by way of bank transfer, you will need to complete this email form, confirming your bank details.
6. What happens to my data?
Data will not be migrated to any new service. If you have not been able to download a list of certificates and their renewals dates, please contact certificates@jisc.ac.uk
There are two ways a certificate can be revoked after the 9th of January:
- Sectigo Revocation Portal – https://secure.sectigo.com/products/RevocationPortal
- Ticket Support – https://www.sectigo.com/support-ticket
Jisc will need to retain some records relating to the old service, for a period of time, for auditing and operational purposes.
7. I depend on this service—what alternatives do I have?
Unfortunately, Jisc are not able to provide an alternative solution for you at this time. We recognise the impact this will have on your organisation and apologise again for any inconvenience caused. Please know this situation is out of our control.
We recommend you take a pay-as-you-go approach to your certificates until a new provider can be appointed by Jisc. We anticipate you will be able to make significant savings versus what you would pay as an individual institution on the open market, once this service becomes available again.
If your concerns are predominantly focused on increased costs, there are some free alternatives that you may wish to consider, although they pose their own risks and limitations. For example, solutions like Let’s Encrypt or BuyPass. We have already developed some guidance on Let’s Encrypt and will be enhancing this over the coming weeks.
8. How can I get further support or ask questions?
You can reach out to our service desk at any time, via certificates@jisc.ac.uk
We’re committed to aiding and addressing your concerns promptly and will continue to run drop-in clinics to support the drive to automation, as well as addressing new topics such as Post Quantum Cryptography. More information will be provided about this in coming weeks.
9. Will the service return in the future?
Yes – We are now launching an open procurement process to secure a viable, long-term provider certificate service. This will not provide an immediate fix; we are hopeful to provide a timeline in the next few weeks.
10. Why weren’t members notified about the Sectigo termination earlier?
We communicated with customers that the Sectigo service would be ending within five working days of Jisc being formally notified.
In this time, we were working at pace to identify alternative options for customers, including initiating the process to secure a new provider, as well as developing the necessary guidance so that we were able to support customers effectively once notified them that the service was ending.
11. How can I stay informed about updates?
We will continue to email you with important updates about our procurement plans and drop-in clinics. Information about the drop-in clinics to support the drive to automation will also be published here – Drop in Clinics
Our team are also available to assist with any questions or concerns you may have about the process. You can contact the service desk team on certificates@jisc.ac.uk
12. Is there anything I need to do immediately?
No further action is required from Jisc’s perspective, however you should ensure you have another certificate authority in place, until Jisc are able to offer you an alternative solution.
You should continue to monitor your expiring Sectigo certificates. You may also wish to remove the CAA record that allows Sectigo to issue certificates on your behalf.
13. How can I revoke our certificates with Sectigo?
There are two ways a certificate can be revoked after the 9th of January:
- Sectigo Revocation Portal – https://secure.sectigo.com/products/RevocationPortal
- Ticket Support – https://www.sectigo.com/support-ticket
14. What if I want to voice my concerns or provide feedback?
We encourage you to share your thoughts and provide mindful feedback as we navigate this situation. Your input is important to us. Please submit your feedback through our feedback form so we can ensure your concerns are heard and addressed thoughtfully. Thank you for taking the time to share with us.
We deeply regret any inconvenience this situation has caused and appreciate your understanding. Thank you for being a part of our community. If your question hasn’t been addressed here, please share your feedback with us—we’re committed to responding to additional concerns as they come up.
If you have any feedback or questions in the meantime, please contact the service desk via certificates@jisc.ac.uk
(This blog was last updated on 16/01/2025 at, 12:24pm)