With the growing demand for solutions to replace paper-based processes, electronic signature solutions are becoming a must-have for all businesses. But not all electronic signatures are the same, and in this first of a two-part blog series, we’ll introduce you to digital signatures and digital seals for documents, and we’ll highlight the benefits of document sealing.
What are electronic signatures, digital signatures, and digital seals?
Electronic signatures
These are simply an electronic version of a signature, displayed on a computer. An electronic signature can be a scanned image of your signature; a mouse-, stylus-, or finger-drawn signature; or even the action of clicking on a specific button in a form or in a webpage.
Digital Signatures
Digital signatures are a special type of electronic signature. They are not just a visual mark on a PDF document, but a cryptographic operation on the document, using PKI-based digital certificates that contain the verified identity of a person.
Digital seals
From a technical perspective, a digital seal is the same as a digital signature, but instead of representing an individual person, it represents an organization (a “legal person”). A digital seal is the electronic version of an old-fashioned rubber stamp – but instead of using a customized stamp and inkpad, you sign using a digital certificate that contains the details of your organization.
Digital certificates
Digital certificates are obtained via specific vendors called public Certification Authorities (CAs), or Trust Service Providers (TSP). They vouch for the accuracy of the details embedded in the certificate, this is why they will verify individual and organization details before the certificate issuance. Most e-signature service providers like Entrust have a partnership with one or more CAs or TSPs, so that the verification and certificate issuance process are tightly integrated to the e-signature workflows, ensuring a smooth and transparent user experience for the signatories.
Why use digital seals on documents?
Sealing a document means using a digital certificate to sign a document. The seal displays verified company information (such as name, address, country, email address) and can therefore officially bind the document to the organization.
Digital seals have many benefits over ink-based company stamps on paper:
Document authenticity
The seal can confirm that the document is genuine and belongs to the organization represented in the seal, because such company information has been verified prior to issuing the certificate.
Document integrity
Digitally sealing a document requires the use of cryptographic algorithms. This doesn’t mean your document will be encrypted, but rather that the content will be locked. The seal acts like a transparent shrink-wrap around it – you can read it, but you can’t edit it without breaking the seal.
Non-repudiation of the document
Digital certificates are issued only to individuals or organizations who requested it, and their details are verified, therefore all signatures based on the certificate can be considered genuine and can’t be easily repudiated. To go even further, seals can be timestamped to show the signature’s exact date and time. This makes it even more complicated to deny the existence of a document from the date and time it was sealed.
Formal recognition
Digital signatures and seals are generally accepted in many countries for official and legal purposes. The identity/company verification process for the digital certificate, combined with the cryptographic features of a signature/seal and the addition of a public timestamp make them legally acceptable in many use-cases. It’s always best to check local regulations to know the requirements of a legally acceptable signature/seal.
Which documents can benefit from digital seals?
Any document can be digitally sealed, as long as it’s in a globally accepted format such as PDF. All you need is a signing tool or a signing service like Entrust Signhost to get started.
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of documents for which digital seals can bring a lot of benefits:
- Invoices
- Purchase orders
- Diplomas and certificates
- Contracts
- Service agreements
- Tax documents
- HR documents
- Marketing assets
Once sealed, your documents will not only become tamper-evident, but they’ll also indicate your verified organization name and show the exact date and time the seal was applied – ideal for contracts, quotes, invoices and purchase orders, which usually have associated payment deadlines.
Want to see how to quickly seal documents? Contact us now to request a live demo with Entrust Signhost.
