Who is responsible for managing SAML certificate expiry, management, and renewal?

The responsibility for managing SAML certificate expiry, management, and renewal typically lies with the customer. This responsibility involves overseeing the lifecycle of the SAML certificates that authenticate users within their environment. The customer must ensure that certificates are properly renewed before they expire to maintain secure authentication processes without interruptions.

SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) relies on certificates to sign assertions that authenticate users. If the certificate expires and is not renewed, it can lead to authentication failures, which may impact user access to applications. Therefore, managing this aspect is crucial for maintaining security and user access integrity.

The customer is also responsible for ensuring that their integrations with Identity Providers (IdPs) are functional and secure, which includes monitoring and renewing certificates. This proactive management forms part of a broader security strategy to safeguard user data and ensure seamless access.

Other entities such as the IdP provider may supply the certificates and handle some elements of their management, but the ultimate responsibility for renewal and expiry management rests with the customer. A system administrator might assist with the technical aspects or implementation, but the overarching accountability remains with the customer. Similarly, a support team would offer assistance but would not typically handle certificate management directly.