Active Directory Certificate Services provides customizable services for issuing and managing digital certificates used in software security systems that employ public key technologies.

The digital certificates that AD CS provides can be used to encrypt and digitally sign electronic documents and messages. These digital certificates can be used for authentication of computer, user, or device accounts on a network.

You can use AD CS to enhance security by binding the identity of a person, device, or service to a corresponding private key. AD CS gives you a cost-effective, efficient, and secure way to manage the distribution and use of certificates.

Applications supported by AD CS include Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME), secure wireless networks, virtual private network (VPN), Internet Protocol security (IPsec), Encrypting File System (EFS), smart card logon, Secure Socket Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS), and digital signatures.