Entrust

What is Entrust?

Entrust is a global cybersecurity and identity solutions company that helps organizations secure identities, data, and digital transactions. It offers products like identity verification, digital certificates, encryption, multi-factor authentication, and secure payment solutions. Enterprises, governments, and financial institutions widely use the platform to protect sensitive information, manage digital identities, and ensure compliance. With a focus on zero trust security and cryptographic protection, Entrust enables businesses to operate securely in a digital-first and increasingly connected world.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and led by President and Chief Executive Officer Todd Wilkinson, Entrust has spent over 50 years at the forefront of trusted transactions. Operating across 150+ countries with over 2,800 global employees, Entrust secures more than 110 million workforce and consumer identities, protects data for more than 50% of the Global Fortune 100 with its nShield HSMs, and powers the issuance of over 20 billion payment cards. With its strategic acquisition of Onfido, Entrust unified enterprise cryptographic security with AI-driven digital identity verification and biometric fraud prevention.

• Leadership: Todd Wilkinson (President & Chief Executive Officer)
• Corporate Heritage: Founded originally as DataCard Corporation in 1969; combined with Entrust in 2013; acquired Onfido in 2024 to create Entrust IDV

Use Cases:

• Automating customer identity verification, document checks, and biometric liveness detection for banking, fintech, and crypto onboarding
• Managing enterprise Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and certificate lifecycles to prepare organizations for Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)
• Securing cryptographic encryption keys and digital asset signing using FIPS-certified nShield Hardware Security Modules (HSMs)
• Issuing high-security physical and digital credentials, including government e-passports, corporate employee badges, and instant financial debit/credit cards

Technology:

• Entrust Real Identity Platform (formerly Onfido) powered by AI-driven document analysis and biometric facial verification across 2,500+ ID types
• Cloud-native Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM) and PKI-as-a-Service automating short-lived digital certificate renewals
• FIPS 140-2 and FIPS 140-3 Level 3-certified nShield HSM cryptographic processors protecting data in transit and at rest

Target Users:

• Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and compliance directors safeguarding enterprise systems against account takeover and credential theft
• Fintech product managers and risk teams building frictionless, fraud-resilient KYC onboarding funnels
• Government agencies and border authorities deploying biometric travel credentials and national ID issuance programs
• Content creators using writing tools to draft cybersecurity reports, post-quantum readiness guides, and regulatory compliance whitepapers

Corporate Entity: Operates as Entrust Corporation (Minneapolis, MN, USA & Global)

Key features of Entrust

Entrust's key features are

• Entrust Identity Verification (formerly Onfido): AI-powered biometric face matching, iBeta-compliant passive liveness detection, and automated document authentication covering 2,500+ document formats in 195 countries.
• Workflow Studio (IDV Orchestration): Visual drag-and-drop orchestration canvas allowing security teams to build custom KYC/AML verification journeys with adaptive risk scoring and automated fallbacks.
• Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) & PKIaaS: Enterprise digital certificate management automating TLS/SSL, code signing, and device identity issuance across hybrid multi-cloud environments.
• Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) Readiness: Quantum-safe cryptographic algorithms and Crypto Agility tools designed to help organizations transition ahead of quantum decryption threats.
• nShield Hardware Security Modules (HSMs): High-assurance hardware and cloud HSM-as-a-Service delivering certified cryptographic key generation, encryption, and secure signing operations.
• Identity & Access Management (IAM): Adaptive multi-factor authentication (MFA), credential-based passwordless access, and single sign-on (SSO) enforcing Zero Trust security policies.
• Financial & ID Card Issuance: Central and instant issuance platforms for physical payment cards, smart identity badges, and mobile wallet credentials.
• Digital Signing Solutions: Cloud-based, eIDAS-qualified electronic and digital signature platforms ensuring document integrity and legal non-repudiation.

Entrust Pricing

Entrust operates on a customized enterprise SaaS and commercial volume pricing model tailored to institutional scope, verification throughput, and infrastructure deployments.

Identity Verification (Entrust IDV / Onfido):

• Billed on a transaction volume or annual subscription basis
• Priced per successful verification check with tiered volume discounts for enterprises processing tens of thousands to millions of checks annually
• Custom proof-of-concept (PoC) sandboxes available for qualified engineering and compliance teams

PKI, HSM & Certificate Lifecycle Management:

• Available as managed cloud services (PKIaaS, nShield as a Service) or on-premises appliance procurement
• Modular subscription licensing based on active digital certificate counts, hardware modules, and operational SLA tiers

Disclaimer: Entrust is an enterprise-level identity and security provider. Pricing schedules, custom enterprise SLAs, and developer API trials are quoted directly upon commercial evaluation via entrust.com/contact.

Who is using Entrust?

Entrust is designed for enterprise leaders, government agencies, and regulated industries, including

• Commercial Banks & Fintech Unicorns: Remotely verifying retail banking customers, issuing instant digital cards, and defending against account takeover (ATO) attacks
• National Governments & Law Enforcement: Issuing biometric passports, driver's licenses, and border control credentials across international ports
• Healthcare Systems & Pharmaceutical Providers: Protecting confidential patient records, hospital IoT devices, and digital medical credentials
• Global Cloud Providers & Defense Contractors: Securing sensitive root cryptographic keys and communications using post-quantum-ready nShield HSMs
• Content Creators: Using writing tools to draft cybersecurity reports, post-quantum readiness guides, and regulatory compliance whitepapers
• Enterprise IT & Security Teams: Automating certificate lifecycle renewals and rolling out phishing-resistant passwordless authentication

Best Entrust Alternatives

Some of the strongest Entrust alternatives include

• Incode
• Trulioo
• Persona
• Jumio
• DigiCert 
• Thales (for HSMs and cryptographic data protection)

Pros and Cons of Entrust

Pros

• Comprehensive identity ecosystem uniting digital onboarding (Onfido), physical credential issuance, and hardware encryption
• Proven enterprise track record backed by over five decades of securing global governments and financial institutions
• Extensive global ID coverage validating over 2,500 government document formats across 195 countries
• Industry-leading post-quantum cryptography roadmaps and cryptographic agility toolkits
• FIPS-certified nShield HSMs provide institutional-grade protection for high-value encryption keys and digital assets

Cons

• Enterprise procurement model lacks instant self-serve credit card signup for small startups and indie developers
• Broad multi-product portfolio can feel complex to navigate for teams seeking only a single point solution
• On-premises hardware deployments and custom enterprise integrations typically involve longer implementation cycles
• Pricing structures are structured for large-scale enterprise volume rather than low-volume hobby projects

Why Choose Entrust?

Entrust is the premier choice for organizations and governments seeking an established, end-to-end security partner capable of protecting physical credentials, digital identities, and cryptographic infrastructure under one roof.

• Combines 50+ years of institutional trust with modern AI-driven identity verification (Onfido)
• Protects enterprise assets with post-quantum ready PKI and nShield Hardware Security Modules
• Verifies global users seamlessly across 2,500+ document formats in 195 countries
• Provides carrier-grade security trusted by over half of the Global Fortune 100
• Unifies physical card issuance, cloud IAM, digital signing, and KYC compliance into a single partner

Entrust vs. Competitors

The main difference between Entrust, Incode, Trulioo, and DigiCert is that Entrust provides a full-spectrum security portfolio spanning AI identity verification (Onfido), physical credential issuance, and post-quantum cryptographic infrastructure (PKI and HSMs), whereas Incode specializes in sub-second in-house AI biometrics and deepfake defense, Trulioo centers on global authoritative database checks for KYC/KYB, and DigiCert focuses primarily on web PKI and digital certificates. Entrust stands out for its enterprise breadth, hardware security heritage, and comprehensive identity lifecycle governance.

How do we rate Entrust?

Entrust Review

Entrust occupies a uniquely comprehensive position within the global cybersecurity landscape. While many contemporary security vendors specialize exclusively in a single niche—such as digital certificates, AI identity verification, or hardware encryption—Entrust connects all three into a cohesive identity-centric architecture. Its acquisition and integration of Onfido significantly strengthened its AI-driven digital identity verification and biometric fraud capabilities, allowing enterprise clients to onboard customers securely while relying on Entrust's proven PKI and HSM infrastructure to encrypt data and protect transaction integrity. For multinational institutions, banks, and governments requiring institutional-grade security and post-quantum preparedness, Entrust is an exemplary enterprise platform.

Conclusion

Entrust is a global leader in identity-centric security, digital trust, and cryptographic protection that safeguards the critical interactions between people, organizations, and devices. By unifying AI-powered digital identity verification (featuring Entrust IDV / Onfido), post-quantum ready PKI, nShield hardware security modules, and credential issuance into a consolidated platform, it delivers end-to-end assurance for the modern digital economy. While small startups seeking lightweight point solutions may explore self-serve options, Entrust’s institutional reliability, comprehensive technology portfolio, and global compliance standards make it an indispensable security partner.