One of the key concerns people have when switching to e-signatures is whether they have the same legal certainty as a paper and ink signature. Ensuring e-signed documents are legally enforceable in a court of law is critical, as no company wants to see its documents disputed.

This is one of the most common questions we are asked. There is a clear difference between electronic signatures and digital signatures though, and confusingly digital signatures can be referred to as electronic signatures which does not help matters.

So what is the difference?

Digital signatures must provide a way to authenticate the signer’s identity.

This is done through the use of a unique PKI signing key for each user (PKI stands for Public Key Infrastructure, a technical framework of encryption and cybersecurity) and an associated digital certificate which acts as a digital identity embedded into every signature.

In an international business environment, signing solutions that work across borders are essential. And with approval chains growing, in size and complexity, solutions that save time whilst providing high-security, compliant signatures are invaluable.

On 5th November, Ascertia is launching the SigningHub Winter ’18 release (v7.7). This release includes the ability to support the new rules for Qualified Remote Signing with Level 2 Sole Control using the new ADSS Server SAM appliance which is currently undergoing EAL4+ Common Criteria certification (final stages!).