A root certificate is a specific area within a digital certificate which is created whenever you generate a new digital certificate. In order to create the root you have to use a certificate authority system. You have several options for gaining access to your own CA system including using a managed service. A managed service is hosted outside of your company and provided by a third party, like us. For several businesses this type of solution can be cost effective for operating their own CA system.
A Root Certificate Authenticates Against the CA System Which Created It
A root certificate created by one certificate authority system is often not compatible with another CA system. This is because the root contains specific types of data used to authenticate your digital certificates against the CA system used to create the certificates. In certain cases you may still be able to use your existing certificates, like if you were switching from a managed CA service to your own internal CA system using the same CA software you used through your managed service.