Depending on the HSM, Key Storage Provider, driver, and AD CS configuration, interruptions in connectivity to a network Hardware Security Module can affect the availability of the Certification Authority’s private key.
If the CA service cannot access its private key, certificate issuance and other signing operations may fail until connectivity is restored. This may also affect operations such as signing Certificate Revocation Lists.
For this reason, network HSM integrations should be designed with suitable redundancy, availability, monitoring, and recovery mechanisms to ensure reliable PKI operation.