A CLM, not just a certificate store.
Azure Key Vault is a solid place to store keys and request certificates from partner CAs like DigiCert and GlobalSign. It was not designed as a certificate lifecycle platform — it only sees Azure, does not discover certs it did not issue, and does not ship a compliance evidence pack. TigerTrust delivers full CLM across every cloud while integrating with your existing Key Vault deployment.
Keep Key Vault. Add the CLM layer above it.
Key Vault stores keys and requests certificates from integrated partner CAs. TigerTrust adds the lifecycle layer around Key Vault — discovery, alerting, cross-cloud coverage, and compliance reporting.
What changes when Azure is one cloud of many.
- Certificate visibility scoped to Key Vault-stored inventory
- Cross-cloud discovery is DIY (Azure only, natively)
- Notifications require Event Grid + Logic Apps or Azure Monitor plumbing
- No prebuilt compliance evidence pack (SOC 2, PCI, HIPAA)
- No unified deployment orchestration to non-Azure endpoints
- Every certificate — Key Vault or not — in one inventory
- Discovery across Azure, AWS, GCP, and on-prem
- Multi-channel alerts with owner routing built in
- Prebuilt compliance evidence packs, audit-ready exports
- Deployment to endpoints across every cloud and on-prem
Capability comparison, head to head.
Azure Key Vault does what it says on the tin. Here is where the scopes overlap and where they diverge.
| Capability | TigerTrust | Azure Key Vault Certificates |
|---|---|---|
Azure-native integration Key Vault is deeply integrated into the Azure control plane | ||
AWS and GCP integration | ||
On-premise / hybrid discovery | ||
Built-in private CA Key Vault requests certs from partner CAs but is not itself a CA | ||
HSM-backed keys (Managed HSM equivalent) | ||
Partner public CA integrations | ||
ACME issuance | ||
Expiry monitoring across sources | ||
Multi-channel notifications with owner routing | ||
Prebuilt compliance reports |
Add TigerTrust alongside Key Vault.
You do not have to leave Key Vault. Most Azure-first teams keep it as a keystore and add TigerTrust for the CLM layer.
Connect Key Vault
TigerTrust discovers certificates in Key Vault and inventories where they are deployed — App Gateway, Front Door, API Management, and beyond.
Extend discovery
Add AWS, GCP, on-prem load balancers, and Kubernetes clusters across the estate. One inventory across every source.
Keep Key Vault authoritative for keys
Managed identity flows to Key Vault continue unchanged. TigerTrust issues new certificates back into Key Vault at rotation time.
Wire up policy and reporting
Assign owners, connect alerting channels, enable the compliance evidence pack for your frameworks.
Frequently asked questions
Isn't Azure Key Vault a full CLM?
Not quite. Key Vault is primarily a secrets and key store. Its certificate feature lets you request certs from integrated partner CAs (like DigiCert or GlobalSign) and keep the private key inside the vault. It does not scan for certificates outside Azure, does not orchestrate multiple CAs beyond its partner integrations, and does not give you a compliance evidence pack out of the box.
Can I keep using Key Vault?
Absolutely. TigerTrust integrates with Azure Key Vault so certificates you want stored there stay there. TigerTrust adds the discovery, alerting, cross-cloud coverage, and reporting layer on top.
What about workloads that pull certs directly from Key Vault via managed identity?
That flow keeps working. Nothing about your Azure app-to-Key-Vault path changes. TigerTrust inventories those certs, watches expiry, and can also issue new ones back into Key Vault when it is time to rotate.
We use Azure Application Gateway and Front Door with Key Vault certs. Does TigerTrust see those?
Yes. Discovery walks App Gateway, Front Door, API Management, and other Azure certificate consumers so you get an accurate picture of where each cert is actually deployed — not just where it is stored.
Do we need to migrate keys out of Key Vault?
No. TigerTrust never requires exfiltrating keys from Key Vault. Keys stay where they are; TigerTrust orchestrates the surrounding lifecycle.
What about non-Azure endpoints?
That is where the difference is largest. TigerTrust can deploy certs to endpoints across AWS, GCP, on-prem load balancers, Kubernetes clusters, and IoT devices — Key Vault is not designed to do that.
Kept Key Vault as the keystore, unified certificates across every cloud they run.
“Key Vault was fine while we were Azure-only. Then acquisitions gave us AWS, GCP, and factory-floor on-prem. Cross-cloud discovery became the whole job.”
Azure-native, plus every other cloud you actually run.
Key Vault stays as your key store. TigerTrust ships the cross-cloud, on-prem, and Kubernetes surface it does not.
Also worth comparing
TigerTrust vs AWS Private CA
The AWS equivalent — same cloud-locked scope, same multi-cloud gap.
TigerTrust vs Google Certificate Manager
The GCP equivalent — the third of the cloud-native CLM trio customers evaluate together.
Certificate Lifecycle Automation
The CLM product that sits above Key Vault and every other cloud-native certificate store.
Multi-cloud
The buyer journey for teams unifying certificate lifecycle across Azure, AWS, GCP, and on-prem.