I have general questions concering AD CS. I have read alot about processes for implementing ceertificates in an organization etc. My question is what exactly are certificates for and who should implement them? In everything that I've read I've only seen how to implement them, not exactly what their purpose is and why they are used. The setup and management seems very intense. I'm just curious what's it all for? What function does having certificates serve?

Hello. Please, use Security forum and ask the question. Here is Security forum link: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winserversecurity/threads Regards

Hi, Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) Overview http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/1137.aspx Active directory certificate services 2008R2 overview http://ahmedhusseinonline.com/2011/02/active-directory-certificate-services-2008r2-overview/ Also you may confirm in security forum as suggested by Patris_70. Regards,Abhijit Waikar - MCSA 2003|MCSA 2003:Messaging|MCTS|MCITP:SA

Certificates are used for securing the information when they are into transit it can be internet,intranet,extra-net or between the applications. When information is exchanged there is possibility of potential security threat like eavesdropping, unauthorized access and modification of data, masquerading etc. in order to secure the information during transit certificate services are used which is installed on the server/client and there is private/public required to encrypt/decrypt the data. Even your local lan is secured but still chances of some employee running some tool and capturing the info for wrong reason, in order to prevent those from happening CA services are used. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc875810.aspx http://awinish.wordpress.com/2010/12/29/designing-and-implementing-a-pki/ Regards Awinish Vishwakarma MY BLOG: http://awinish.wordpress.com/This posting is provided AS-IS with no warranties/guarantees and confers no rights.

I have general questions concering AD CS. I have read alot about processes for implementing ceertificates in an organization etc. My question is what exactly are certificates for and who should implement them? In everything that I've read I've only seen how to implement them, not exactly what their purpose is and why they are used. The setup and management seems very intense. I'm just curious what's it all for? What function does having certificates serve? A digital certificate is a digital form of identification, much like a passport or driver's license. A digital certificate is a digital credential that provides information about the identity of an entity as well as other supporting information. A digital certificate is issued by an authority, referred to as a certification authority (CA). Because a digital certificate is issued by a certification authority, that authority guarantees the validity of the information in the certificate... read more about: Understanding Digital Certificates http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123848(EXCHG.65).aspx /Hasain