Is the way IBM implements WS-Security viable?

[Peter Hu]

In its WebSphere Application server IBM implements some of the WS-Security standard. Yet it uses the declaretive model, i.e. the aliases, passwords(encrypted) and names of certificates and keys are stored in the deployment descriptor XML file. Every time when a new certificate or private key is added, the descriptor file needs to be updated and the project has to be redeployed, needless to say the server has to be restarted. How does this approach can handle a broad consumer-based Web Service?

Paul