Benefits of Using Electronic Signature

Electronic signature is defined as any electronic process that signifies the approval to terms or a document that is presented in an electronic format. They usually have an added advantage as they ensures the maintenance of integrity in the signed document, which signifies that the signer of the document cannot renege on the agreement by purporting that they did no sign the document. E-signature ensures that the signed document is not altered. Electronic signatures are a blend of technologies and methodologies. They contain an 'I agree' button which is found in the click-thru agreement, which then goes to the electronic tablet whose work is to accept an e signature (also referred to as the handwritten signature), and finally to the digital signature that usually has a tied up digital ID.

Electronic signature can be used internally for approval purposes in issues such as taking time off, in documenting formal documents and making requests. They also apply in account opening in a bank or any other establishment. Electronic signature plays a pivotal role in signing documents pertaining to critical infrastructure and planning processes. Each and every country has a mandate to ensure that its image and reputation is enhanced and for this reason, Electronic signature can be used to achieve this end through the protection of its electronic documents. This is through the certification of authorship, integrity as well as the status of such a document.

There are reasons why an organization would prefer to use an e-signature. These include ensuring that there is efficient workflow because it is much easier and faster for one to use a password in routing a document than using courier for the same. It also saves time because there is massive elimination of paper and printing. Document integrity is maintained even when it is available online because there are no alteration that can be made, something which of great significance in maintaining the integrity and reputation of an organization.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Selecting the Best Electronic Signature

Thousands of companies the world over have realized that the lean economic times call for saving money and time for a business to thrive and are looking for every opportunity to achieve this. This is where the electronic signature has come in handy in helping organizations replace paper work with e-signature. When an organization wants to transition from paper-based to electronic signatures, some considerations should be looked into to avoid the common pitfalls many find themselves in.

Firstly, a good electronic signature should be adept in the verification of documents that are from outside the organization. Employees require being flexible and so, the e-signature should enable them work on documents such as signing even when they are traveling. It should also create a leeway for the use of multiple applications such as Adobe Acrobat, TIFF images and Microsoft Word. There is e-signature that will allow only one signature once the signing, sealing of the document has taken place, and this makes the addition of more signatures quite impossible. Cross platform, capabilities should also be possible in an enforceable electronic signature.

The best e-signature is one that is compliant with the law. There is certain criterion that an electronic signature has to follow just as it is with the case of the ink signature. One of these requirements is the authenticity of the signature that looks at whether a secure process can authorize a certain signature. The integrity of the e-signature is also another factor to consider when selecting the best because will help in detecting any alteration of the signature during transmission. The signature should be the one that cannot be accessed by unlawful user or sources. The verification of e-signature is also very important. One should ensure that all parties could verify it. It should also be un-refutable, meaning that it cannot be denied.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Understanding the Law - E-SIGN Compliant Electronic Signatures

On June 30, 2000, Congress enacted the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act ("ESIGN" or "the Act"), to facilitate the use of electronic records and signatures in interstate and foreign commerce by ensuring the validity and legal effect of contracts entered into electronically. Yet many do not understand how their business can be compliant with the E-SIGN Act.

First we need to understand that E-SIGN (additional E-SIGN analysis here) [http://privasign.com/laws-esign.asp], in section 101(b) does not require people to use electronic signatures. When electronic signatures are used then Sub-section (c), in direct support of (b), requires a “Consumer Disclosure” that the consumer also "consent electronically, in a manner that reasonably demonstrates that the consumer can access information in the electronic form that will be used to provide the information that is the subject of the consent".

As we can clearly see, the law outlines a two step process to signing files electronically. First, disclosure of the consumer’s right to use paper, which is followed by their consent to the electronic process. The second phase is the actual capture of the electronic signature.

Once the signature is captured the law directs its attention to the electronic record that has now been created. This aspect of the law, while often overlooked, provides the true power and cost savings of electronic signatures – the ability to STORE electronic files. Printing and storing a paper copy of the electronic record defeats the achievements of this law. It is the accessibility and cheap storage costs of electronic files that really amount to long term cost savings. Sub-section (d) details the retention of contracts and records. If a “statute, regulation, or other rule of law requires” the file to be retained then “that requirement is met by retaining an electronic record”.

Accuracy and availability are discussed in both (d.1.B) and (e). The record must be available to all parties involved; this is easily accomplished by allowing each signatory to save an electronic copy of the record on their own computer. The electronic record and signature created must be in a format that is both accurate and accessible. Meaning that the technology to read, display and transfer the record is of a generally acceptable form. This aspect of the law requires businesses to choose electronic signature services that provide them with flexibility.

PrivaSign provides a multi-step approach to “Consumer Disclosure”, by providing multiple disclosure messages to the signatory. Acknowledgement of this disclosure is captured as proof that the consumer was informed, and did accept to use an electronic process.

PrivaSign's "electronic records" are compliant with both sub-section (d) and (e). PrivaSign stores all files for a minimum of 3 months. Additional storage maybe purchased or at anytime during the 3 months both sender and recipient may download the file so that they may be in compliance with any applicable laws. This downloaded file can be saved to their computer, saved to a portable medium (CD, DVD or others) or even printed to paper. PrivaSign captures file integrity hashes so that all parties can verify the integrity of saved files.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Electronic Signature Law in Real Estate: A Brief History

Samuel Morse sent America's first telegram in 1838, heralding the occasion with the words, "A patient waiter is no loser." By the late 1860s, a mere 30 years later, the telegraph had replaced the Pony Express, was in established use for commercial transactions, and had been accepted by the courts as a valid means for creating enforceable contracts.

Of course, the telegraph is sort of like an electric pen, and an electric pen is kind of like an ecclesiastical seal, which isn't far from Moses descending Mount Sinai with the decalogue written in stone. At each period in human history, we've deployed the technology available to us to memorialize important covenants in durable media for the purpose of creating reliable records of what occurred.

In those respects, the internet is no different from past media and the courts and legislatures have recognized that. As a curiosity, Silicon Valley's beginnings can be traced back to 1909 and the founding of the Federal Telegraph Company which was funded by Stanford's president at the time and several faculty members as angel investors. More on point, Congress enacted the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (conveniently, ESIGN) in 2000 whose main import was to declare electronic records and signatures equivalent to the pen and paper. Most states have passed the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, a model state law which also declares the electronic pen and ink pen as equivalents.

Commentators have pointed out, not for the first time, that federal and state legislatures acted too eagerly and wasted their efforts. Lawrence Lessig, in 1995, argued that the law of cyberspace should be developed through the common law, which is the process by which judges make case-by-case decisions drawing from past precedent. As with the telegraph, the courts were already reasoning by analogy that records could be created and signed on the internet. All they had to do was look to the telegraph! In fact, Mr. Jose Arroyo in Florida executed the first paperless home mortgage in 2000, before ESIGN had become law. The loan was closed and recorded in less than five hours down from the average of forty-five days it typically took.

Electronic signatures are now well-established as valid. The rise of electronic signatures mirrors the rise of the internet as B2B and B2C commercial transactions would be impossible without the legal foundation of the validity of electronic transactions. (Although, the, say, online mortgage space wasn't doing that great for awhile.) Nevertheless, the electronic signature is just a chapter in the long history of the writing and the signature.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Finding The Best Electronic Signature Provider

Due to the continuous adoption of technology over the past few years, many innovative web applications are being integrated into business processes. Electronic signature is one of the most important developments to have taken place. The implementation of esignatures has helped many individuals and companies to handle high-volume transactions and document processes with the click of a mouse button. Companies using electronic signature technology are also benefitting from greater efficiency in document workflows. E-signatures offer a host of advantages to document senders, as the technology helps in authenticating signing parties and securing various types of documents.

The popularity of e-signatures is growing rapidly, and many businesspeople are keen to learn more about this technology. As there are various providers of e-signature software, companies and individuals should exercise caution in selecting the best solution. Here are some tips which can help you in choosing the ideal e-signature provider for your business.

First and foremost, when selecting an e-signature vendor, check how compliant their services are with the laws governing the use of electronic signatures. In the U.S., there are two laws, the ESIGN Act and UETA, which define the legality of electronic signatures and protect their users. Your electronic signature provider should be established and clearly state not only that its application is compliant with the major legislation but also provide details on how the software works in accordance with the specific provisions of the laws. This will support your confidence in the product and ensure that documents you have executed on the service are legally defensible in the future. For the integrity of your business processes, it is worth taking the time to research your e-signature provider before signing up for the service.

Second, the usability of the e-signature software will impact your use of the application over the long term. You should be able to try the software with a free trial to experience the ease of sending a document for signature and signing a document online. If you have questions about how to use the software, submit an inquiry for email or phone support to test the responsiveness of the provider's customer service department.

Lastly, another major aspect of your e-signature provider is the ability to integrate the application with your internal systems. Your investment in e-signature technology should enable you to tie the electronic signature application into your current business processes. One should understand that not all electronic signature providers allow such capabilities. Companies searching for an e-signature provider should first examine their common document workflows and think through how they are going to integrate e-signature technology in their business processes. Then, investigate the API, or application programming interface, of the electronic signature solution and review examples of how other businesses have integrated their systems with the e-signature vendor's API.

You may wish to incorporate other criteria, such as feature capabilities, mobile signing, or pricing, into your due diligence on e-signature providers. Regardless of how you come to your decision, the right electronic signature solution will help you in managing document workflows and transactions a lot more efficiently than with paper. Once you choose an electronic signature provider to sign up with, you can be assured that you're on your way to making your document workflow and other tasks a lot easier for your company.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Reducing Contract Turnaround Time With Electronic Signature Software

The development and eventual introduction of electronic signatures into the business market has led to a lot of other innovations in the software technology that many top companies make use of these days. The use of an e-signature has become quite convenient for many different ventures that have to deal with a lot of document processes every day. Since the passing of the ESIGN act, which protects the use of electronic signature software, more and more individuals and companies have grown more confident in using electronic signatures for authenticating and validating documents and forms online.

There are plenty of benefits that people get out of using e-signatures. With the help of electronic signature software vendors, it has never been easier for anyone to make use of such an innovative new technology to handle a lot of different tasks and processes with a lot more ease and flexibility. The ability to esign contracts and other important documents have definitely made a lot of business operations run more smoothly. One of the key positive advantages to using electronic signature software has to do with the amount of time that is saved. Companies in many different industries can attest to this, as well as clients and individuals who have made use of e-signatures in the past.

One specific example where saving time by using e-signatures has been crucial is with real estate companies. The real estate industry can be quite intensive when it comes to document processing, which is a key part of how they conduct their business. The transferring of properties can require an intense amount of paperwork, especially during sales and right before a contract is passed on to a new owner. Electronic signature software products help cut the contract turnaround time by allowing electronic contracts and other documents to be signed over the internet or other electronic means, eliminating the need for the physical presence of parties involved just to sign the paperwork with a pen. The amount of time that real estate companies save in such cases has really helped improve operations and their overall productivity.

Another area where the time consumed for contract turnaround between company and client gets significantly shorter is in car sales and distribution. Automobiles are important properties that also require a considerable amount of documentation before a sale is made. The ESIGN act's existence has really pushed for the use of e-signatures in many transactions that many automobile distributors utilize them in order to handle transactions much faster and allow their turnover of automobiles to their clients much sooner. This faster way of doing business gives such businesses more time to take care of their other clients, an advantage that can potentially provide more profits.

Many other big industries make use of electronic signature software products to better manage their time during the course of a transaction. Using e-signatures to cut the time in contract turnaround can definitely be beneficial not only for companies, but also for their clients whose time is just as important as theirs.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Advantages of Using Electronic Signatures

An electronic signature can be defined as an online process clearly indicating approval to a document or terms presented in an electronic format. Usually electronic signatures have an added advantage in that they ensure the maintenance of integrity in the signed document or contract. The person signing the contract is not able to revoke or destroy the agreement or deny that they did not sign the document. Documents signed electronically are more secure than paper documents and can't be altered during or after the signing event. Furthermore, electronically signed documents are as legal as those executed on paper.

The ESIGN Act, which came into effect in 2000, dispelled any uncertainty over electronic contracts. The law created a revolution in industries that were traditionally dependent on paper workflows. It has propelled the growth and efficiency of companies in the financial, insurance, real estate, and consumer services sectors. E-signatures, after gaining legal acceptance, have also helped B2B (business-to-business) websites grow at a faster pace. Many companies can conduct their business entirely online. Documents are exchanged within minutes and deals are closed quickly. By using electronic signatures, companies can save money and time. They can utilize their resources to generate more business, rather than manage paper logistics.

Other noteworthy benefits of e-signature technology include less dependence on printers and ink, minimizing the use of faxing which can be annoying to both parties, and closing deals in a few minutes even when parties are thousands of miles away. Also, electronic signatures facilitate tasks like e-filing and electronic file and database searches. This reduces time needed to find and verify data. Overall, these factors can reduce business costs.

Every day, companies are relying more on cutting-edge technology to produce goods and services and fulfill common business tasks. In this scenario, they can benefit immensely by integrating electronic signature services within their business processes. Companies around the world, in many sectors, have already adopted and are taking advantage of this revolutionary e-signature technology.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Benefits of an Electronic Signature to Businesses

In this era of increasing technological advancement, business and individuals are dealing with the massive challenge of online fraud and system hacking. Undoubtedly, these activities are costing them a lot in terms of money lost. The invention and application of the electronic signature came about to reduce these instances of fraud especially in the undertaking of government business and provision of services to the community. The increasing need to communicate over the web, send applications, invoices, debit receipts, confidential emails saw the adoption of electronic signatures as a viable means to keep online business as authentic as possible.

One of the obvious benefits if the electronic signature to businesses is that is reduces fraud substantially. Unlike the hand written signatures the electronic ones are impossible to fake thus an impostor seeking to defraud a business setting is unlikely to do so, unless the business is not correctly armored against internet fraud. It also goes the other way, business is able to raise it authenticity by showing an e-signature in its documents and in its dealings with other individuals or businesses. This is especially true for e-commerce businesses that have an international outlook but do not have physical address. Confidential emails are equally protected in this way from outside security threats. Therefore, businesses that can authenticate themselves in this way are more likely to succeed than those that do not.

The e-signature is also beneficial to businesses that are trying to cut down on printing and mailing costs. With the electronic signatures, the business requires only to make an identification that affirms them as the rightful owners or issuers of particular documents or correspondence. Therefore, the benefits of adopting the electronic signature method of authentication are a double advantage for the overheads and expenses of the businesses as well as its security.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Why Should I Use Electronic Signatures

Why Should I Use Electronic Signatures?

This is a rational question with rational answers, but not everyone has the time or the tenacity to sit down and read the Electronic Signatures In Global and National Commerce Act (“ESIGN”), Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (“UETA”) or the stacks of other regulations and guidance that make this technology not only legal, but also stress the vital importance of adopting electronic signature technologies.

Today the average American office worker consumes (12,000) pieces of paper a year, with an average annual printing expense per employee ranging from $600-$2000. Storing paper and retrieving stored paper is also quite costly. The U.S. government estimates that (1 Lbs) of paper costs ($19) a year to store and manage. At that rate, assuming your business stores only 60% of the paper printed by your employees, your business is spending $1,500 annually per employee on paper storage alone.

There are obvious other costs associated with paper, for example the costs associated with faxing, shipping, receiving and time factors such as waiting for a job to finish printing or waiting on a package to arrive. In the end all businesses feel these costs, but most look at it as a fixed cost of doing business. In reality this is a variable cost of doing business based on old fashioned processes, and the United States government along with virtually every other developed country has passed legislation and regulations encouraging businesses to change the way they do business today, and take advantage of new legal and secure alternatives.

All businesses are looking for a competitive edge, and electronic signature technologies can and will play a vital role in helping businesses find and achieve this competitive edge. Look at the simple cost savings your business can achieve by eliminating some of the hard and soft costs mentioned above. (1) Gigabyte (“GB”) of hard drive space costs ($.50), and this (1) GB of storage will store (100,000) pages of single spaced text. This is the equivalent of ($19,000) of storage savings, ($11,000) of printing savings, and countless savings on time and miscellaneous expenses. Using electronic signature technologies will allow your business to send the previously printed materials securely and immediately to anyone anywhere in the world. Once they receive the file the recipient can legally electronically sign the file, which allows your business to act immediately, and never wait for a package to arrive from the client or prospect again.

This simple process will have wide ranging effects on your business, and the businesses you work with. Sales and production cycles will be shortened, employees will be more efficient, and complying with strict federal and state guidelines will become increasingly easier as your business processes move toward electronic communications and storage.

In the end the decision is not whether to move to an electronic format, but which format is right for your business. Some may feel that electronic signatures are too expensive or complex to implement into their business, but this is no longer the case. There are several pay-as-you-go services on the market today that will allow you to send files and capture secure and legal electronic signatures regardless of your budget. For larger corporations these pay-as-you-go services offer fast, affordable convenience, and in many cases these services offer better options and are easier to use than large and complex in-house solutions.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Electronic Signature Solutions - Custom or 3rd Party

Many businesses, in an effort to reduce costs and improve efficiencies, are turning to electronic signatures. Keeping files electronic from creation through distribution and signature and into networked storage helps to eliminate expenses in almost every aspect of the business. Deciding how to implement an electronic signature solution into the business can be a daunting task.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Choosing an Electronic Signature Solution

The benefits of the electronic signature far outweigh the handwritten signatures. As a result, many businesses, government institutions, and individuals operating on the web are increasingly opting for the electronic signatures for their safety and security and long-term cost cutting measures. Electronic signature is a method of authenticating digital information using passwords and guarded keys. This method of authentication ensures that the sender or claimed owner of specific documentation or correspondence is actually himself or herself. Detecting authentic documents from those that are not requires specially designed devices and software. Here are some important factors to consider when choosing an electronic signature solution:

Legal issues and efficiency
There are different pieces of legislation that determine the operations of the electronic signature method; these vary from place to place. Therefore, before making a purchase on the signature software, ensure that it is legally recognized in your area of jurisdiction. In addition, research for software that is strong enough not be succumb to fraud and that can equally detect fraudulent signatures or persons. The more effective the software the pricier it will be but, for the sake of not losing to fraudsters, it is worthwhile.

Multiplicity
An e-signature solution that is effective is one that is compatible with all applications not just Microsoft, otherwise software that can only recognize or implant a signature one type of application will cost you money and inconvenience your business in the long run. Choose signature software that can make more than one signature and on an unlimited number of documents, this saves on time as well as the cost of doing business.

Simplicity
The best solutions are those that are sophisticated enough to do the job yet simple enough to operate and manage. So choosing a solution that will require very little input will save you manpower costs as well as time.
E-signature solutions are costly, and it is important to consider a solution that will accommodate your business infrastructure in its entirety.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Knowing What is an Electronic Signature

An electronic signature works the same as the usual paper contract only that it's done electronically. The uncertainty that hanged around such contracts was erased by the enactment of the Electronic Signatures in Global and International Commerce Act (ESGICA). Electronic signature was made legal and valid just as is the case with paper contracts. This came as good news to companies and organizations whose business lifeline is online.

The companies that benefited the most in the legalization of Electronic signature were mainly those in financial services, e marketing as well as those dealing with household services. The law also came as a shot in the arm to B2Bs whose business operations require agreements that are legally binding when it comes to supply of orders and services. Legalization of electronic signature therefore saw online business growing phenomenally. Tax departments have also benefited a lot from E-signature as are able to register fiscal cash by using a unique serial number that is written securely and the assigned to the owner of the cash register after purchase. Companies no longer need to keep papers and copies of copies of financial documents because the doubts of authenticity of documents are no longer exist with E-signature.

What exactly is an E-Signature? Simply put, it is an electronic process that ensures the authenticity of any electronic document either in form of an e-mail, a file in text format or spreadsheet. This therefore means that one is able to establish the creator of the document as well as that the document has not been altered since its creation. An E-signature is usually based on various types of encryption to guarantee the authentication of the document. Encryption means is defined as the process through which it is verified that information is from its original source. It involves the use of password where the user enters the name and the password when the computer demands.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Electronic Signatures-Esign Origins, Understanding Laws, and the Affects

On June 30, 2000 President Clinton signed the "Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act" (ESIGN) using his electronic signature ID, and thereby established the validity of electronic signatures for interstate and international commerce.

In the fours year prior to this Act's passage a dozen states had passed similar laws and guidance for state specific business purposes, and in the five years since the Act's passing every other state has passed similar laws and legislation. What does it all mean, and in the end how can it benefit businesses, individuals and the nation or world as a whole?

The best way to answer a question like this is to take a look at the origins of the law, and understand the reasoning behind its passage and the passage of the state specific laws.

The Birth of the Electronic Signature - Faxing

In the 1980's companies and even some progressive individuals began using fax machines for high priority or time sensitive delivery of paper based documents. Today, the fax machine is a staple of the business world. Most people do not even consider the original hurdles this new medium created, nor do they consider its impact on the speed of communication and the advantages of its use. However in its infancy many of the same issues surrounding electronic communications and electronic signatures had to be resolved when utilizing the facsimile.

When the first contract was signed and faxed it created the basis for the discussion of electronic signature validity. After all it was the first time someone could sign something, place it in a machine, send it from one phone line to another and deliver a digitally reproduced signature. The path this signature took was not controllable or traceable, and in most cases it traversed miles of wire before reaching its destination, so how could it be considered a valid signature? The intentions of the signature were clear to everyone, but businesses wanted to know they could count on the validity of the signature, and if no one actually witnessed the action of one individual or of a corporation how could a business put any faith in it? This of course caused quite a stir and in rapid fashion the courts ruled this signature carried the same validity as if the parties were standing in the room together. With this, the fax became standard operating procedure world-wide.

The courts found validity in this method of signature capturing and businesses also felt secure in this method. Quite a leap of faith considering the complications caused by fax machines early on. Many people didn't realize that the original fax paper's ink would vanish after a period of time and you had to make another copy of the fax using a copier if you wanted to store it permanently. Also many times the quality of the image was poor or barely legible, but businesses understood the intention and would consider it signed even if there was only a partially legible signature. So in essence you had a copy of a copy of a digital image, and even with so many loopholes for alteration and criminal malfeasance the fax still worked and business flourished.

The business logic behind this thinking was easily justifiable. Before the fax machine, the contract could have been signed verbally between the sales person and the client, and then somewhere down the road a paper copy would have been signed and mailed. Many sales before the fax machine were consummated with a simple "OK let's do it" comment over the phone. This drive to get business and make the wheels turn demonstrates the most vital point in an electronic communications based world, or for that matter in a digital world with no physical or direct contact, is most businesses can operate on trust. They provide a service to a customer and the customer trusts they will provide that service in a satisfactory manner, while the service provider trusts that the customer will pay for services rendered.

Trust is not a new thing in business; it was often indicated by a hand-shake or "You have a deal", and that was all you needed to get a deal done. Has that changed today? I believe the answer is no, but what about the courts, and their opinion on the validity of the electronic signature? After all the courts' goal is not just to keep the wheels turning and generate revenue, so why did they trust this type of signature and what was the legal question this signature answered? This line of thinking brings us back to Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act or as it is more commonly known, the ("ESIGN") Act.

Electronic Signatures, the Courts and the Government

The Government Paperwork Elimination Act ("GPEA"), Uniform Electronic Transactions Act ("UETA"), Electronic Code of Federal Regulations ("e-CFR"), as well as the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act ("ESIGN") are all attempts by Congress, federal departments and the states to define the liability and validity of an electronic signature, and help the courts answer the questions about enforceability. These efforts all center around three primary concepts authentication, integrity and non-repudiation.

Authentication

Authentication is the reasonable basis on which to believe that the entity electronically signing the file is who they say they are. This can be accomplished in many ways. In the traditional world it might be done by checking a driver's license or other form of identification, but in the electronic world this is not always an option, so other methods must be used.

The most common and popular way of accomplishing this identity check is to use an e-mail based identifier. This is a process most people have experienced at some point while using the Internet. If you signup for a web based service you generally need to create a user name and password. When you create this account many systems will send a verification e-mail to the e-mail address you entered for your record, thus proving that you own this e-mail address. You then copy and paste this verification information into the confirmation system provided by the web site and you become a verified member. That process and most processes that use your e-mail address are known as e-mail based ID systems.

Another way to verify an identity is to use a known third party validation mechanism. In other words, use something that presumably has already verified the entity in question. There are several common methods for achieving this type of authentication. You may have experienced it with a web site requiring you enter in your home zip code, an account number or in some cases a credit card number. Many web sites will have you enter your credit card information into a form, allowing them to cross reference the information you provide them with a credit card merchant. Presumably if you told the credit card company the truth about you, then it will match with the information you provided the website.

The methods available and in use for identifying and authenticating individuals are countless, and presumably the higher the value of the transaction the more authentication methods should be implemented.

Integrity

Integrity simply means providing a reasonable belief that any file electronically signed on a system cannot and has not been tampered with by anyone or anything. The concept is easy to understand and the requirement for it is certainly justified. When you are dealing with paper it is easy to give everyone a copy, and any discrepancies are easily found, but with electronic records it can be difficult to manually or even visually tell if the file has been altered. To demonstrate integrity electronic signature capture services generally use an encryption algorithm to lock a file once it has been signed. Even better services will continually validate a file all the way through the signature process and then create a final version once all signatures are finalized. Most technology used today for identification purposes can be more accurate than human DNA.

Non-repudiation

Think back to the Fax machine illustration. Someone can always say, "That is not my signature" and claim that the signature was forged. After all, someone could have placed an image of a signature on to a document, and faxed it back to you. The point is, under most circumstances you can never be 100% certain the person you are doing business with is who they say they are. Even in-person transactions can be at risk. Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime and criminals are not just buying and signing things online, they are going into banks, opening credit cards and walking into retail establishments. So what can be done to help protect businesses against fraud and abuse if they use electronic signatures?

Just as a notary verifies the intent of the signatory, electronic signatures can use verification methods to insure the signatory understood the purpose and the intent of the signature process. However, the road to a successful electronic signature implementation lies in the careful understanding that the electronic signature super highway has a minimum of three lanes. Each of the signatories has a lane of relationship "traffic" between them and the electronic signature service provider. The lane dedicated to the relationship between the sender and the recipient is just as relevant and important. It is this relationship that will help to legally define the intent of the signatories in various legal matters. Therefore, combining good business practices with a solid electronic signature capturing service will make non-repudiation less of an issue.

How Electronic Signatures Can Help You

In order to fully understand how electronic signatures can help you and your business we need to take a look at why we want to use them in the first place. Electronic signatures offer a wide variety of benefits to everyone involved in a transaction. They reduce costs associated with signing files by cutting overhead. Electronic signatures allow us to cut hard costs like paper, ink, printer wear, staples, pens, shipping and handling, but they also allow us to cut soft costs like storage, copying, filing, retrieval, auditing and tracking. Overall electronic signatures can save hundreds of dollars on a single contract for small contracts and thousands or tens of thousands for large contracts.

Let's demonstrate how the savings can be realized. A business sends out 100 proposals per year that are approximately 150 pages long. It is primarily black and white ink. The client prints the 150 page proposal on regular stock paper 1 and binds it 2. The proposal is then placed in an overnight delivery envelope and shipped next day air, with a return envelope provided, which is also next day air 3. Once the client receives the proposal, reads it and signs their acceptance, the proposal is then shipped back to the business 4 in the provided overnight envelope. Once the proposal arrives at the business, the sales team and managers need to be notified, so they can engage the client. The proposal then needs to be filed and stored in a safe place. The person working at receiving desk will make three copies of the proposal 5, and distribute them to the required personnel, and subsequently file the original proposal in a filing cabinet 6. So what are the costs?

Total Cost of Using Paper = ($112.50) x (100) = $11,250

(1) 150 + Ink + Paper + Wear and Tear on printer = $3.

(2) Binding = $1.50

(3) Outbound Overnight Shipping = $20

(4) Inbound Overnight Shipping = $20

(5) 3 x 150 + Ink + Paper + Wear and Tear on printer = $9

(6) 150 Pages Storage Using Government Estimate = $19

Labor @ 2 Hours for Total Process = $40

2 Days Opportunity Time for Best Delivery Option = $Unknown

Total Cost of a Paperless Transaction = ($10) x (100) = $1,000

Labor @ 15 Minutes for Total Process = $5

Sending File Electronically = $5

Delivery Is Immediate = No Lost Opportunity Costs

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Total Savings Using Electronic Signature Service vs. Paper = $10,250 Per Year

Having a technology available to your business that will reduce overhead on a single expense by 90% is attractive for any business, especially one that will benefit other areas as well.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Get Your Terms Straight - Digital and Electronic Signatures

However, when you talk about these terms in relation to signatures, digital signatures and electronic signatures mean two very different things. In the most basic level, all digital signatures are signatures in electronic form. There are various methods by which a document can be authenticated with the use of signatures. A digital signature is a mathematical system that denotes the authenticity of a digital document. It does not necessarily have to look like a traditional signature with letters or scribbles, but it is more like a badge that is affixed onto a document. This badge certifies that the document was not altered before it was sent. These badges are very important to businesses that make transactions for software delivery, payments and documents that should not be tampered or forged.

An e signature, on the other hand, is a broad term that covers any sort of mark or badge that has the intent of authenticating a document. In many countries around the world, these signatures actually carry legal significance and have the same weight as handwritten transactions. However, electronic badges are not necessarily encrypted like digital ones.

A digital signature uses asymmetric cryptography and, just like handwritten signatures, is very difficult to forge. If a signature is cryptographically created, then it must be affixed to a document properly for it to actually matter. Both digital and electronic signatures provide the signer non-repudiation, especially if a special key is required to access the signature. That means that the signer cannot really claim that he did not sign the document because he is the only one who knows the private key. Some non-repudiation formats have a time stamp for the digital signature. If the private key is made known or leaked out, the time stamp will be able to determine if the signature was valid at the time it was created.

Electronic and digital signatures may be created as a bitstring like in email, digital contracts and other messages sent over an encrypted protocol.

Individuals or businesses who want to try using an electronic signature often wonder whether or not these forms of authentication are legally binding. In the United States, for example, they are legal as long as they were affixed using a process that clearly shows that the signer had the intention of signing the document. The signatures in electronic form must also be compliant to the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act of 2000 and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. These two acts have been adopted by most states in the US. All signatures in electronic form are legally binding and are audited regularly.

Electronic or digital signatures, no doubt, will make your business processes more effective. It streamlines your processes and makes them run more smoothly. No more countless exchanges of documents to sign, scan and review. All these can be done automatically. Using an e signature is a good idea for offices that want to go completely paperless to help the environment and cut costs.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Complying With Davis-Bacon: Electronic Signatures Are More Than Just for Saving Paper

With most states now adopting the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) and the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN), the use of electronic signatures are legal and widespread in both commercial and payroll-related records. These two acts establish the fact that electronic documents signed using software are legal and carry the same weight as traditional physical documents with handwritten signatures. It is specified that a document or signature cannot be legally denied of effect or responsibility simply because it is in electronic form.

However, an electronic signature is only legal if the signer wanted to sign the document in the first place. If there was no intent to sign or there was force in acquiring the signature, it is considered null and void. For example, if a person accidentally chooses someone else's signature profile to sign his own documents, the documents will be declared void because the owner of the electronic signature profile did not want to sign the document to begin with.

This is especially important for contractors who have to process the payroll for a large number of people. Under the Davis-Bacon Act, all contractors who will work on government projects will need to pay their employees the prevailing wages for similar projects in the area. This act ensures that citizens are given fair wages and that there are no "kickbacks" in the payroll process. However, this will mean that employers will have to get their employees to sign their payroll reports every cycle. Using an e signature system will save them a lot of time and will generally make their process more organized.

Does the Davis-Bacon Act allow electronic signatures? In Section 4-4 of the deskguide released by the Department of Labor, it states that companies are required to submit a Statement of Compliance that is signed and submitted after every payroll cycle. This document must be signed by someone who has direct authority to release funds or salaries to the employees. The deskguide specifies that an electronic signature is acceptable on certified payrolls and related compliance statements as long as the owner of the signature has the actual intent to sign the document. As stated in ESIGN and UETA, electronic signatures have the same legal weight and effect as handwritten ones. Using an electronic system reduces the risk of getting the payroll report returned due to missing signatures or delays, making a company's payroll system more efficient.

Saving paper and cutting costs in the workplace is not the only reason why companies should switch to electronic systems. By going completely paperless, they are helping the environment more. However, the convenience that e signature systems provide is what gives it more value, rather than fact that it cuts cost.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Electronic Signatures In Cloud Services

Access to a robust API is increasingly becoming a requirement for any company offering its services on the web. So what is an API and why is it useful? An API, or application programming interface, is a set of instructions for accessing a web-based software application. APIs are created to give developers access to these instructions in order to use that specific application. Developers can then design products around that application without rewriting existing code and functionality. This is important because it eliminates redundant work and provides the framework for developers to use their creativity to build other products powered by that application.

An API can be grouped into two categories. It can either be a language dependent API or a language independent API. When an API is language dependent it means it can only be called using one specific type of programming language. However, when an API is language independent it means the API is not limited to the capabilities of a specific system or language. Language independent APIs help in communicating and interacting with other applications and have greater functionality because they can be called from several different programming languages.

So how do you know when a developer is using an API? If you are a user, the answer is you wouldn't know. An API simply allows applications to work together. It is not something you, as the user, is able to 'see' working. In fact, its purpose is to simply run in the background so that the user has the functionality of an application without seeing any changes in the way things are displayed.

The use of an API is invaluable to most cloud computing services and the customers they serve. Most of the services offered by cloud companies depend on APIs as a means of integrating various programs within their systems. This allows their customers access to more functionality, providing the ability to handle various tasks electronically and directly within the cloud. Cloud services mainly use three types of APIs; data APIs, application functionality APIs, and control APIs.

To illustrate an example, lets say a cloud services company helps its customers with billing. The developers of this cloud services billing company want to allow their clients to get contracts for billing signed online. The first option would be to build an e-signature tool themselves. This is both time-consuming and costly. Instead of building this application themselves, they could integrate with an existing e-signature vendor's API, contracting out the work. This saves time, money, and most likely ensures quality by recruiting a vendor that specializes in that functionality.

In fact, electronic signature vendors are among the most prominent third party applications to be used within cloud services. As businesses continue to migrate their records and daily workflows online, e-signatures are an increasing necessity to streamline this move to go 'paperless.' Electronic signatures also make the processes of verification and authentication a lot easier with the use of biometric recording and even optional picture taking. By integrating with open APIs, a lot of web-based companies have been able to provide even more value to their clients.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Do Your Electronic Signatures Hold Water?

When you use an esign, it performs significant legal functions. E-signatures form a huge part of your electronic records and procedures. They are not marks or badges that make your documents look formal. They are legally accepted badges that are enforceable and carry the same sort of responsibility that handwritten signatures do. When an electronic signature is attached to a document, it makes the document legal and binding. It shows that the parties involved in the transaction are responsible for the changes done in the document.

This technology is very important for businesses that have online payment systems. E-commerce sites get so many benefits if they use an e-signature system. However, as either a business owner or a consumer, how do you know that your signature is legitimate and legally binding?

There are laws governing the use and the regulation of e-signature systems. These regulations have been laid down by the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act or the UETA and the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act or ESIGN. Most states have adopted these laws. They have changed the way electronic transactions are completed by making them more secure but still very convenient.

Both laws were created so that electronic signatures would have a specific legal structure to follow. It allows signatures in electronic form to have the same value as traditional, handwritten ones. The UETA and the ESIGN acts give the use of electronic signature software a procedural approach. Both of these regulations state that documents signed with an electronic signature cannot be voided exclusively because it is in electronic form. A document that used an electronic record in its creation also cannot be voided under the law. This means that if a document is signed with an electronic signature, it cannot be denied legality because it was electronically generated. If a contract was drawn with the use of both electronic documents and traditional paper documents, it is still considered legally binding.

Note that an esign does not only have to consist of letters or scribbles. Under the UETA and ESIGN acts, a document is considered electronically signed if it comes with an electronic sound or symbol. This is also the case if it went through an electronic process that expresses the signer's intent to indicate his agreement with the document. That means that an electronic signature can be a badge or a cryptographically embedded symbol or an electronically printed name that was authorized by the party involved in the document.

The signature used in the document must be attached or associated to the document being signed. It has to be captured with electronic signature software that keeps an associated record of the process used to capture the signature. The software has to make a statement or report of the signature added to the record. The program used to generate the signature acts as its guarantor and should have a system (using serial numbers, timestamps, etc.) that can track down where the signature was captured and whose account it is associated with. Your electronic signature may be invalidated if the software you use does not follow these standards.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Go Green With Electronic Signatures

Electronic signatures can transform businesses, streamlining processes, cutting costs, and improving customer service. Recently a leading financial services company deployed e-signatures as part of an enterprise paperless initiative. This innovative project helped the company to reduce its paper expenses and slash cycle times to below the industry average. This deployment helped the business deliver meaningful financial results without significant capital investment and also increased the competitiveness of the company.

By minimizing your organization's dependence on ink and paper, you can reduce the environmental impact of doing business. In today's world, people look upon environmentally conscious companies with respect, and implementing methods to protect the environment enhances the reputation of a company. Over the years, there has been a marked increase in the number of people who prefer buying products or services from companies that use environmentally safe business practices. According to a recent study, over 80% of American consumers are concerned about environmental issues and consider global warming as a serious threat to our planet, and the number of concerned consumers is on the rise. A study by Yale University has shown that people want corporations to solve environmental problems and step up efforts to address climate change and other environment-related concerns.

Paper and paper boards are the largest contributors of landfill, and only about half of paper waste is recycled. The Environmental Protection Agency's WasteWise Program has identified organizations that strive to reduce the use of virgin paper and overall consumption of paper in their business processes. Bank of America has curtailed its paper consumption by more than 25% over the last three years by introducing online forms and continues to expand its environmental leadership role. Verizon and Bell Atlantic are some of the other large corporations that have implemented online business processes, thereby contributing towards environmental safety.

If your organization is considering reduce expenses by going paperless, you can take advantage of revolutionary electronic signature technology to increase efficiency, close deals quickly, and also create a positive impact on the environment.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Use Electronic Signatures to Save Time and Money

Business owners are always on the lookout for new tools or best practices to save time and money without sacrificing quality or customer service. If your business requires signatures on contracts, NDA's, or any other type of documents, you are in luck. Developments in new technology (and legislation to validate its use) has made it possible for your business to procure these signatures entirely online through the use of electronic signature tools. These tools allow you or your clients to sign contracts online with a mouse, track pad, or mobile device. This saves your business time and money without sacrificing quality or service.

In fact, the benefits of integrating electronic signature tools are so great that it could be the most important practice you adopt this year. Digital storage is significantly less expensive than traditional filing cabinets or filing services required to store paper documents. Your business can also save a significant amount of money on reducing paper consumption and printing costs. Companies can also focus less on managerial tasks like filing, organizing, and maintaining paper files. By going paperless, companies have found that they save valuable time and money.

Security is often a question of concern for many business owners making the transition. However, some companies are using electronic signatures to increase security by collecting information through electronic signatures that can verify and authenticate an individual signer. Through this process, businesses are actually increasing security and helping to protect themselves and their customers better.

In the end, the money spent on implementing electronic signatures within your business is minimal compared to the long-term savings in both time and money. Have you looked at how your business can benefit from adopting this technology? This year might be the year you should.

Mr. Moore is an expert in online technologies, including web applications, cloud computing, and business software. His articles on innovative products and new technology including those on electronic signature have been published on leading online sites.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Increasing ROI for SalesForce With Electronic Signatures

A number of companies that exist these days are constantly looking to rework and update their business operations, improving how they provide their services to their clients. Many organizations understand that every second they save in every part of their operations can positively impact their company's efforts to become successful. Due to the high demand for products and services that can potentially help speed up many different business processes, a number of providers and vendors have developed tools for these companies to achieve their needs. Most of these service providers and vendors have developed applications and software products that improve the office work flow by a tremendous amount. One of the most popular vendors found these days that provides quite a unique product is SalesForce.

The main products provided by SalesForce are their CRM applications, which are sales applications that can definitely help many business operations run more smoothly. Created with such benefits in mind, SalesForce's CRM applications also allow a company's products to become more accessible and visible. The main CRM provided makes it possible for both employees and clients to be able to interact and collaborate on a project electronically and in real time. Both the service provider and the client can also track all the events happening within the project. SalesForce applies other third party software programs into their system to provide more convenience. One of the most common software applications they integrate with their framework is electronic signatures software, which makes it possible for collaborators to verify and authenticate contracts and other documents with secure electronic signatures.

Businesses that invest in SalesForce's services can definitely make the most out of their investments when the use of electronic signatures comes into the picture. A secure electronic signature can be incredibly useful in so many ways. People will almost immediately experience the benefits they're getting out of the money they paid for services. With the integration of electronic signatures software in SalesForce's CRM application, businesses are given the ability to manage a number of different document processes electronically and save themselves from having to deal with physical paperwork. This integration between the two applications can really save companies a lot of time and money.

Once a company has a secure electronic signature, they can also close transactions a lot more easily within a cloud. Transactions are now a lot easier to handle through SalesForce's cloud services, as contracts and other important documents can now be authenticated and verified electronically with the use of electronic signatures. This eliminates the need for physical meetings just to close transactions and sign contracts, and it provides a business's clients the benefit of being able to handle their end of the transaction more conveniently. This feature can even help companies draw in more clients, further increasing the value of their investments.

Investments made in SalesForce's services and all other applications they support can quickly turn any business around for the better. The amount of money that companies spend on these services is certainly worth the investment, as the advantages become apparent as soon as they start utilizing such services.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

The Advantages of the Electronic Signature

Though the advantages of the electronic signatures far outweigh the disadvantages if any these were felt even more during the First World War. This is due to the fact that Morse code was used as a major form of communication as was the case in WWII. In the case of war the message needed to be an original and an electronic signature was the only way to ensure this happened.

Even though the computer was a few years away the codes had to have a signature that was unique to the sender of the instructions. This still proves to be a necessary component not only in war fare but in business as well and it has not changed much in the 20th and 21st century but it has greatly been improved.

The electronic signature options that are currently available are in the form of a sound and even image that is unique to the original user. This is a fool proof solution for the originator of the information and the end user. It keeps documents in their original state as they can not be changed once the signature has been put in place. If a person should attempt to alter anything on the document than it is null and void.

This is as legally binding as the regular hand written signature and it shows that the signer is completely aware of what they have gotten into and the consequences surrounding their actions. If there is any need to sue the signer then this is admissible in court.

Other forms of the electronic signature are an electronic process or symbol that is logically associated with a report or contract.

The electronic signature could include one or more characters or letters, numbers or any other digital content the owner may wish to incorporate.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Use Electronic Signature Services To Close Deals Quickly

Many people are aware of the fact that faxed signatures are legally binding, and the courts have ruled to this effect. The same law and fact holds true in the case of Electronic Signatures. E-Sign Act and UETA have clearly stated that electronic signatures and digital signatures "may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form." Electronic Signatures are gaining popularity and proving their usefulness in this fast-paced world.

This service helps in closing deals quickly, reduces the expenses of paper and ink, circumvents fax problems, cuts cycle time from weeks to hours, and also creates a positive impression upon your clients. This new and effective online document signing service is providing convenience to its users and creating a revolution in the office space. More and more professionals in real estate, finance, and other fields are using this service to do more business in less time.

Contracts, forms and documents are signed electronically and exchanged quickly using this service. One of the most important features of this service is the ability to store and manage documents in the secure virtual filing cabinet. Documents signed electronically can never get lost as is the case with pen-and-paper signed documents. Documents and contracts signed using this e-signature service are more often secure than documents signed the traditional way using pen and paper, as alterations to the executed electronic documents are completely prevented.

This revolutionary service has been getting widespread acclaim from major media sites and adoption from leading corporations. Undoubtedly, this web based application is changing the way the world does business.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Mobile Devices With Electronic Signature Software Helpful in Real Estate Business

Real estate businesses face a lot of challenges in the current market. Due to the high level of competition in the industry, professionals who offer better customer service will stand out from the crowd. One way to better serve clients is to reduce sales cycle time and provide faster service. Innovation in technology can help business professionals accomplish this goal. One such innovation is the use of online signatures. Real estate professionals can now work more efficiently by sending and receiving documents for signature, saving a lot of time and simplifying the sales cycle.

The use of electronic signature technology helps in minimizing the time required for executing contracts and agreements. This is not only beneficial for the real estate professional, but for the client too. Real estates transactions involve a lot of paper work and this can usually mean significant time in meetings to get the documents signed. This is definitely an arduous task for people in property business as well as for their clients.

Development in mobile technology is one of the most important innovations used by real estate professionals. Mobile devices have led the way in recent years, allowing professionals to work from anywhere as well as on the go. This means less time wasted in meetings and more deals getting closed as a result. Companies have been quick to understand the benefits of this new technology and adopt its use in everyday business operations. Combine mobile technology and innovative applications like electronic signatures and real estate professionals have a powerful tool to work on the go.

Using mobile devices with the latest technology developments can create a huge difference in the way business is being done. By saving time and money for your business and serving customers faster, mobile technology and applications such as electronic signatures are a must for professionals in property business looking to stand out from the crowd.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

The Processes Taken Up Towards the Creation of an Electronic Signature

Since time in memorial, signatures have been used as a key pointer in any business transaction. They started from the use of fingerprints to individual designs that are perfectly mastered over time of writing and rewriting them. The shift from paper has led to the development of the electronic signature. As the name suggest, this verification solution takes up the use of the latest technology through the computer. Coming up with an electronic signature is simple. The very first process entails enrolling the signature.

This takes up the use of a registration system that stores the signature. A given writing pad as well as a digital pad is used to connect the individual making the electronic signature and the computer. A number of practice runs are often done before actual signing in. the next process entails profiling as well as handling of the signature. Once the signature has been written on the pad provided, it is analyzed. A number of software can be used to do that. It is then converted into a usable template.

The templates are used to create a profile that is synonymous to a user. With the profile that contains the electronic signature, a number of dynamics are managed. The very last process entails verification of the signature. Through the creation of a profile, a saved e-signature can be used to verify one that has been newly written. This provides a system of checks and balances to ensure that it is indeed the individual.

The rise of fraud has led to the development of the e-signatures systems as a mode of identification. Companies that transact online businesses have often been left vulnerable but thanks to this kind of system, they have been able to fend off fraudsters. Organizations can hence operate at an optimum level knowing that the process of document verification has been made easy.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Electronic Signature - Sure Way of Authentication

Technology has taken a great step in ensuring that data is original and legally transmitted. Today, there has been a wide range of computer crimes that has pressed on the creation of the electronic signature. Life has been made easier to the web servers in that documents files and software is kept original. An electronic signature is defined as a legally recognized means of electronics in which an individual can adopt the contents of any electronic message. It is normally used in authenticating the identity of the one who sent the file or document that has been sent without any alterations.

It is important that security needs to be enforced on any information. This only makes it fair for those who came up with the brilliant ideas that made up that particular document. It is also important that individuals need to know how the electronic signature works. There are various ways in which one can apply the electronic signature. The enforcement of user names passwords is a very common method of ensuring that security has been enabled.

Authentication by the use of passwords is very easy. What normally happens is that the name and password are normally counter checked in order top confirm whether they match. In case the user name and password do not match, the one who is trying to access the file will not be allowed to view it.

The other incredible method of authentication is the use of checksum. This is one of the best yet the oldest methods of authentication. It has been proven to be effective due to its strict commands. It mainly works by providing a form of authentication because an invalid or incorrect checksum normally gives an option that the data has been presented in a certain style. The checksum of 1 byte of information normally has a maximum value that amounts to 255. The electronic signature is the best way in which electronic data can be authenticated.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

Mid-month eSign Check-in

We’re midway through the month – the holidays are upon us, the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl will kickoff soon! So while the weather’s getting cold, what topics are hot? iPad or iPhone apps, closing a round of funding, and Dreamforce have kept us busy!

Using DocuSign on your iPad can help you e-sign documents during this holiday season! You may not want to boot up your laptop but you need to sign documents. What do you do? Use DocuSign’s iPad app to get your documents signed! You can also download this eSign app for your iPhone!

Fastest Growing Electronic Signature Solutions Company Expands its Leadership in Cloud Services
DocuSign® (www.docusign.com) announced today it has closed $27 million in Series C financing. The investment was led by Scale Venture Partners with continued participation from prior investors—Sigma Partners, Ignition Partners, Frazier Technology Ventures and salesforce.com.

There is an App for It!
Panelists discussed how the AppExchange is the innovation hotbed for the latest sales productivity tools, with more than 1,000 pre-integrated apps, of which 300 apps were for sales. Attendees learned about this Sales 2.0 ecosystem and how customers have quickly added AppExchange apps to increase productivity and improve the top line.

Expanding Your Reach: How to Build a Killer Listing on the AppExchange
5 Steps for Listing Success:

Keep it simple: communicate a clear value proposition, optimize your listing for search and make pricing transparentShow ‘em what you got: use screenshots, demos and resources as well as cross sell other listings.Incorporate a customer voice: ask your users to provide reviews.Make your listing more “you”: add your customized banner to incorporate your branding and promo buttons to drive current promotions.Be responsive: follow up with leads and user reviews.

Building the Case for Electronic Signature-as-a-Service
Best practices to deploy electronic signature, as shared by Nucleus Research’s Rebecca Wettemann:

Use Business Case to guide deploymentIntegrate Electronic Signature with your CRMTraining is not just functional: consider internal sales processes, internal motivations, and client communications

Electronic signatures can deliver positive ROI. Building a structured business case can both justify and guide a deployment so focus on breadth, repeatability and remember to leverage the cloud!

Heroku: Acquired by salesforce.com for $212 Million
Part of Cloud 2’s new offerings include Database.com, a database for the Cloud. salesforce.com added Ruby-on-Rails – the console for Database.com was built on Ruby. More than one million developers use Ruby and they love it.

Heroku, salesforce.com’s seventh cloud, is the number one platform for Ruby with 105,000 apps,

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

DocuSign Authentication Options, Part Two

Often people ask, “How do you know who signed?” when using the DocuSign e-signature system. By using one or more authentication tools available to all senders, you can verify and have a record of the identity of your signers!

The authentication checks applied for a Recipient are logged in the Envelope’s Certificate of Completion, offering evidence of the measures the Recipient passed for access to the Envelope. When an external service is used, such as ID Check, STAN and Phone Authentication, an identifier from the external system is included in the evidence to enable cross-reference to those systems for additional details.

Additionally, each passing or failing authentication attempt is included in the Envelope’s audit trail.

In the case of Embedded Signing, where the Recipient navigates into the DocuSign Envelope via a web portal (such as a browser), the authentication performed is also logged into the Certification of Completion.

Several other features relate to User authentication before allowing access to Envelopes. A Sending Account administrator configures these features.

In-Person Credentials
When using the DocuSign In-Person signing process, the administrator can define the credentials the signing witness must collect prior to witnessing the signature. This can be any form of authentication, such as Drivers License, Social Security number, account number, etc. The system then stores this information into the audit trail. This feature is specific to In-Person Recipients.

Integrated Authentication
When integrating DocuSign into host applications using embedded signing, DocuSign can leverage any authentications provided by the host system, such as login or other forms that were required to reach the embedded signing session.

Multi-Layer Authentication
DocuSign can also be configured to request multiple layers of authentication for signers. This means they must pass more than one level to access and sign their documents. This is often used when dealing with financial transactions that require a high degree of certainty. Multi-Layer authentication is required by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) for example.

Security Workflows
The DocuSign system enables the creation of hierarchical workflows that will adapt the authentication features based on whether the Recipient passed/failed previous authentication checks. For example, the Recipient will go through ID Check. If they pass ID Check, they can continue. If they fail ID Check, the Recipient would go through Phone Authentication.

Recipient-based Authentication
The Authentication options described above are tied to a Recipient on an Envelope. For Envelopes with multiple Recipients, you can apply different options to each Recipient.

Login Requirements
Three options can describe how Recipients should log into the DocuSign system prior to accessing Envelopes. They relate specifically to Registered DocuSign Users, who have created a DocuSign password.

Not Required to Log in: With this configured setting, an Envelope sent to a Registered User behaves similarly to one sent to a new User, i.e. they would enter the Envelope directly without having to log in.Required to Log in: With this configured setting, an Envelope sent to a Registered User results in the User going to Login screen before accessing the Envelope.Must Have an Account: With this configured setting, the Sending Account can only send Envelopes to Registered Users.

Login Requirements do not apply to Embedded Signers.

You can set the length of time a successful authentication will be valid, so that even if you set an authentication for the signer, if they have previously passed authentication inside the time window set (a week, month, etc.), they will not have to re-authenticate.

Another setting can ensure that not only do signers have to authenticate the first time they access an envelope, but also they must pass this authentication EVERY TIME from then on. They can still log into their console, but to view the contents of the envelope, they must pass whatever authentication was set. This should only be used with highly sensitive documents, and using authentication methods that make sense for repeat accesses like Access Code or perhaps Phone Authentication.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

DocuSign Power Tools: Negotiation and Agent Managed Envelopes

In the fast paced business world, some contracts are negotiated right down to the end. Not only will a signer sign where requested, but also he or she will make small edits such as changing the closing date or governing law, then initialing next to the changes. The other party then has an option to accept the changes and sign to complete the transaction, or make alternate changes. This type of last minute negotiation, often called ‘markup’, happens every day.

One of the challenges with Markup is that it can get messy. If you’ve ever seen a Real Estate contract with Markup on a fax of a fax copy, then you know the documents can become nearly illegible.

What if you can get the speed and benefit of last minute negotiation, but keep everything clean and tracked? With DocuSign’s Collaboration Tools, you can! DocuSign provides two methods of online collaboration – document level or field level markup – set by the sender of an envelope.

With Document Markup enabled, recipients can use a ‘markup tool’ to white out, edit or add new document text. You can easily change a closing date by placing the new date right over the old one by dragging the markup field into the document. You can markup a single word, or entire paragraphs. To help you keep it legal, DocuSign requires all parties to initial all document markup. In addition to information about who made the change, all changes are also time stamped and recorded in the audit trail.

Using the Field Markup feature, the sender enables only certain fields as editable, designating only certain fields in the document as negotiable. Field markup is enabled in the field properties dialogue. To enable field markup, open the properties dialogue box for the appropriate secure field and select “allow all to edit.”

DocuSign will ensure all changes to a document are initialed by the person making the changes and approved by all other recipients. Recipients who signed the document before the changes were made can review and approve the changes before documents are finalized. This may go back and forth several times before all have agreed to all the suggested changes.

When complete, the document will have initials from all parties by any changes, and the history will show all of the changes that took place. Also, the final email notice will list all changes.

For some business transactions, brokers or agents manage the transactions and assist the signers on both sides to reach agreement. In these cases, the Agents for both sides need to review and advise their clients during the signing process. Often, only the Agents, not the signers, know the contact information for both sides. In these situations, the Agent Managed role is important.

!nsurance transaction: The insurance carrier can generate an envelope and send it to an insurance agent to use with customers, without knowing any information for the customers. The agent can later add the customer information and send the document for the customer’s electronic signature.

Real Estate transaction: The buyer’s agent may originate the documents, send them to the buyers to eSign, and then hand the transaction off to the seller’s agent. The seller’s agent reviews the documents, adds the signer’s contact information and sends the documents for their electronic signatures to complete the transaction all in one envelope.

Legal transaction: One attorney creates a document for electronic signature and sends it to a second attorney for review and, if approved, the second attorney can send it to his customers for their electronic signature.

When a sender creates a new agent managed envelope, a manager must be added as one of the recipients. The two recipient types that can act as a manager: an Editor or Agent. The recipient type selected by the sender depends on what the changes and additions the sender wants the manager to have and the manager’s access to a DocuSign account.

There are two types of Agent roles – Agent and Editor:

Agent: The Agent recipient type doesn’t require a DocuSign account, so anyone can be an agent. Agents can add name and email information for other recipients and can only send an envelope when the information for the remaining recipients is filled out.

Editor: The Editor Role must be sent to a person who already has a DocuSign account. Editors are a type of ‘super agent’ having the ability to make changes to the envelope before sending it along to their customers to sign. Like Agents, Editors can add the name and email information, add or change the routing order and set authentication options for the remaining recipients. However, Editors can also edit signature and initial tabs and data fields for the recipients and add additional documents to the envelope.

Agent managed envelopes empower you to keep your document signing processes completely paperless, even when you don’t have the information of every signer!

When creating an envelope, add the recipient and assign them a role of Agent or Editor. Any recipients sequenced after this role does not require contact information provided by the initial sender because the Agent or Editor will add it when they get the envelope to sign or review.

In the figure above, the Sender doesn’t have the contact information for Signer 3 and 4, so he creates an envelope, adds the recipients he knows (Signer 1 and 2) add the Manager, adds the roles for Signer 3 and 4 and then sends the envelope.

The Manager receives the envelopes after Signers 1 and 2 sign the document. The Manager adds the contact information for Signer 3 and 4 after receiving the envelope, but does not see the contact information for Signer 1 and 2.

Agent managed envelopes allow agents or brokers from both sides of a transaction to manage the signing process through DocuSign to support brokered or channel transactions.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

DocuSign Power Tools: Email to DocuSign, @me, and Print Driver

We know, it can be annoying – despite the fact you have DocuSign, people still email attachments with the instruction to sign and return! DocuSign had a feature designed to solve this. You can simply forward the email, and sign online!

By forwarding those email attachments to the email address “drafts@docusign.net”, from the email address associated with your DocuSign account, DocuSign will take the attachments from your email, and put them into a new draft envelope in your drafts folder in your DocuSign console! Just tag it up and send, and you are done!

Forward an existing email or create a new email. Fill out the Subject line with the subject you want to use for the DocuSign envelope, add a message, and attach the document(s) to be signed. Send the email to DocuSign at: drafts@docusign.net.DocuSign takes your email and creates a draft envelope with all the attachments added as the documents for the envelope, the email subject you sent as the envelope Subject, and message added as the envelope message.After creating the draft envelope, DocuSign sends an email to you with a link to the draft envelope, or you can just log into your account and look in your drafts folder.

Once you open the new draft you created, simply add the recipients and Stick-e-Tabs as you would normally. Review, send and done – you’ve sent an envelope with Email to DocuSign!

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Like shortcuts? If you need to route the document to yourself for electronic signature, just type “@me” in the email field when you designate recipients. This auto-fills your email address and name!

Did you know that there is an alternative to ‘uploading’ documents into your DocuSign envelope? You can literally ‘print’ right from any Windows application directly into your DocuSign envelopes, skipping the need to save, open browser, and upload files. Just install the DocuSign Print Driver into your Windows system.

Once you’ve installed the Print Driver, you can use it to load any document that can be printed into DocuSign by simply going to “File”, selecting “Print” and selecting the printer “Send In DocuSign Envelope” to load the document into your DocuSign console!

The key benefits of using the Print Driver are:
1. Speed – it can be faster to print directly from your Windows Application into a DocuSign envelope. It eliminates the need to save, launch a browser session, create a new envelope, and upload. Using the Print Driver does all this in ONE STEP! If you use DocuSign often, you will love the Print Driver.
2. File-less Applications – some applications such as loan processing, etc do not really save ‘files’. The files are in the application, making it impossible to ‘upload’ files. With the DocuSign Print Driver, you can print directly from these applications to DocuSign.
3. Instant Integration – Using the Print Driver makes ALL applications feel like they are integrated directly into DocuSign!

The Print Driver can be used to not only print one document into an envelope. As long as the envelope is open in your browser, all documents printed from any application will continue to add to the open DocuSign envelope. It can also be used to create templates, by first creating ‘new template’, and then printing into it.

Later this week, we’ll discuss mobile features, collaboration features and some highlights regarding policy relevant to the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) during 2010!

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.

‘Tis the Season: Recent DocuSign Giveaway Winners

by An Bui, DocuSign Social Media on Tuesday December 21st, 2010

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DocuSign regularly holds giveaways for the various events we do. Recently, we hosted a developer meetup with Force.com, where Deborah Orth won a brand new unlocked Galaxy S phone!

Our winner from Dreamforce, David Perez, also won an unlocked Galaxy S phone as well!

In addition to Droid based Galaxy S phones, we also gave away an iPad last month, during the REALTORS® (NAR) Annual Conference and Expo, also known as NARdi Gras!

Cynthia Hadley of Slidell, Louisiana won an iPad for stopping by the DocuSign booth!

Congratulations to all of our winners and we hope to see you at our next event!

View the original article here

DocuSign Recipient Authentication Options

 Phone Authentication

Often people ask us, “How do you know who signed?” when using the DocuSign electronic signature system. The answer? Use one or more authentication tools available to all senders.

DocuSign offers several authentication options designed to help our customers verify the identity of their signers. These signer authentication features are optional to the Sender, and can be based on the Sender’s assessment of transaction risk or need to comply with any relevant business or regulatory requirements. If applied, a Signer will have to satisfy the authentication steps before they can access the documents of a DocuSign Envelope and the results f the authentication written into the record.

DocuSign provides the most robust authentication options of any electronic signature provider in the market.

Email
For Recipients who access their Envelopes through DocuSign-generated email notifications (or “Remote Recipients”), their email address provides an implicit level of authentication. Because each email address is unique, when a person accesses an Envelope through the link delivered in email, he or she has demonstrated that he or she had access to that email.

This is a common practice for website interactions with their users, and is sufficient in many cases.

Access Code
In order to increase authentication over email, the sender may create an Access Code. Here, the Sender (sending application) establishes an Access Code or “shared secret” for a Recipient at the time of Envelope creation. The Sender must share this secret word or code with the Recipient via a phone call, email, or text message (commonly called “out of band”). Before the Recipient can access the Envelope, he or she needs to enter and validate his or her Access Code. If the signer does not know the Access Code, they cannot view or sign the document. They can request a new access code from the sender if they forgot it.

Access Code is very effective in situations with a touch-point between the Sender and Signer. Effectively using Access Code in a “touchless” solution is more challenging, such as when the Recipient is triggering the Envelopes through self-service processes.

ID Check
If a higher level of authentication is needed, Senders may choose ‘ID Check’. The ID Check process will request the signer provide some information such as last 4 of social security number, and a date of birth, and from this information along with the name being authenticated, will create a set of questions only that person could answer.

These questions are known as ‘out of wallet’ questions because they are based on information that cannot be found in a wallet. A Recipient must answer enough of the questions correctly—within a limited time– to access the Envelope. Considered “Knowledge-Based Authentication,” ID Check is provided through an integration between DocuSign and Verid, owned by RSA, and used by many of the top financial institutions nationwide. Because ID Check identifies a specific person based on background information at the time of signing, it provides very strong authentication.

As with the other authentication forms, the record of passing ID Check is written into the record.

STAN Authentication
STAN Authentication, specific to student lending and based on a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (“FAFSA”) PIN and the student’s basic personal information, is similar to Access Code and ID Check. Using this form of authentication incurs an additional per use fee and is only available via the DocuSign API.

Phone Authentication
With nearly everyone having a mobile phone with them all the time, Phone Authentication provides an excellent option for signer authentication. Phone Authentication ties the person to a known phone number that he or she has access to, and requires that he or she provides a biometric voice recording. These two elements combine to make Phone Authentication a very powerful, easy to use authentication option.

In a phone authentication session, the DocuSign service presents the signer with a validation code in the browser, then places a phone call to the signer. The signer is told to speak or enter the validation code tying the phone to the session. It also records the signer’s voice, creating a biometric ‘fingerprint’, stored with the record.

A key benefit of Phone Authentication is that it can be used anywhere in the world, compared to ID Check, which works with signers who have a US Social Security number. Some signers may also find Phone Authentication easier to use. There is an additional per-use fee for using this authentication check.

Custom Question
This feature is specific to In-Person Recipients, in the same place with a User of the Sending Account. During the signing process hosted by the Sending Account User, the Sending Account User is prompted to collect information that demonstrates the Signer’s presence. (Valuable because the Envelope is actually delivered to the host’s email address, not the Signer’s). Questions, such as “What is the Signer’s driver’s license number?” posed to the Sending Account User are fully customizable. DocuSign does not validate the answer, which is logged within the Envelope’s audit trail.

DocuSign is more than just electronic signatures, it's a complete web-based eSign solution working to help you close more business and make more money.