Electronic signatures are used to provide a layer of legal binding and reliable verification to important documents, such as contracts and agreements. Through automation of business processes, electronic signatures speed up the turnaround time, while saving money and improving efficiency. They also assist organizations in meeting state, federal and industry-specific compliance requirements.
There are a number of different e signature technologies, but the most secure options are certificate-based digital signatures that meet the standards of a number of heavily regulated countries and industries. These e signature solutions use public key infrastructure (PKI) to create a signature certificate that is linked to the signer’s personal electronic identification. This link authenticates the signature, ensuring that only the signatory has access to the private key that validates the signature.
In addition to the added security, these varieties of electronic signatures also offer many other benefits that make them stand out from the more standard alternatives. They include audit trails, encryption and other security features for backends that ensure authenticity. They also can include pen-like strokes and inks for an authentic look.
Alongside speeding up processes and eliminating the requirement for paper, e signatures can also increase the efficiency of teams and to please customers, employees and other stakeholders with seamless and paper-free experiences that are simple to use on any device. Certain e-signature applications, for example, feature bulk signing, which allows senior executives to sign basic contracts in only a couple of seconds using just a few clicks.