What is a digital signature?
Digital working is the norm for most companies today – New Work has long been more than just a buzzword. Regardless, document security, traceability and legal compliance continue to play a major role at work. Digital signatures act as an important link between maximum flexibility at work and maintaining reliable compliance: it’s a secure method for signing documents electronically. Just like conventional paper signatures, digital signatures offer assurances on authenticity and the integrity of data and information, but they’re digital and therefore don’t require signatures by a physical hand at a specific time and place.
Based on asymmetric cryptography, a digital signature supports the unique identification of a signatory and protects against subsequent changes to a signed document. It also acts as a solution for end-to-end digital processing with a consistent, shareable digital format. This is an accelerated improvement on a process relying on the physical transfer of documents from one signatory to another.
The wide range of digital signature use cases
Banks
- Banks
- Insurers
- Auditors
- Healthcare
- Industry
- Authorities
- Public administration
Documents
- Applications
- Offers
- Contracts
- Protocols
- Service Level Agreements
- License agreements
- Annual financial statements
Contact
If you have any further questions about digital signatures, please get in touch with our experts.
How do digital signatures differ from online and electronic signatures?
Digital signatures, electronic signatures and online signatures are often used interchangeably. However, while “electronic signature” is a legal definition for the general electronic signature process, “digital signature” refers to the technical encryption process behind an electronic signature. Online signatures can be a form of electronic signature executed online.
Your digital signature advantages
- A consistent, shareable digital format
- Optimised processes
- Traceability, transparency and compliance
- Cost savings from reduced printing and shipping requirements
- Time savings in the signing of documents
- Conserving resources through reduced paper consumption
- Improved security
- Increased customer satisfaction
The different types of electronic signatures
Simple electronic signature (SES)
The simple electronic signature (SES) is the most basic form of electronic signature. It’s used to source any electronic data that indicates consent or approval, such as scanned signatures or tick boxes in online forms.
This type of signature offers a simple and cost-effective solution for many digital processes and isn’t complex to implement. However, it only offers limited legal certainty due to the lack of signatory identity verification. It is sufficient for routine processes where reliable authenticity verification is not absolutely necessary, such as orders in an internal merchandise management system or registration for company services.
Advanced electronic signature (AES)
An advanced electronic signature (AES) comes with significantly stricter requirements compared to simple electronic signatures. It requires verified identification of signatories, through digital certificates from recognised service providers, for example, to ensure a high level of authenticity.
The signatory has full control over the signing process and sole access to any required keys or passwords. The involvement of a recognised service provider is required. A documented AES is considered evidence in the event of a legal dispute and offers a high level of security for contracts and agreements. It is commonly used in confidential business agreements, sensitive internal documents or documents in internal approval processes.
Qualified electronic signature (QES)
A qualified electronic signature (QES) offers the highest level of security and trust. It requires the use of special, certified devices or services after prior personal identification. The identity of the signatory is verified in person with an official ID document at a trusted service provider or via a video identification procedure.
Legally, it is equivalent to a handwritten signature and therefore fulfils the requirements of legal formalities. A QES is particularly important in the conclusion of contracts with significant financial or legal implications, such as the purchase of real estate or formal registration of company data.
In practice: How does a digital signature work?
Digital signatures are based on asymmetric cryptography, which guarantees the authenticity and integrity of information. The signature is generated by an encryption process that checks whether the signature originates from the specified author (authenticity) and whether the document has not been changed in the process of signing (integrity).
The nscale solution allows companies to integrate digital signatures into existing systems and applications and thus fully map digital processes. This limits the need for additional manual effort, boosts employee satisfaction and ensures that teams really can work when, where and how they want.
What is a digitisation platform?
The legal basis for digital signatures is the EU regulation eIDAS (Electronic Identification and Trust Services), which came into force in 2016. It is binding for all EU member states and the European Economic Area. The regulation defines the legal framework and requirements for digital signatures and their individual forms.
Simple and efficient: nscale makes digital signatures simple
nscale offers a user-friendly platform for the seamless integration of digital signatures into existing systems. Kick off your digital transformation with nscale and experience the benefits of an efficient, paperless working environment.
Get in touch.
"*" indicates required fields
Ceyoniq Technology GmbH is a group company of Kyocera Document Solutions.
Ceyoniq Technology GmbH
Boulevard 9 | 33613 Bielefeld
Together we develop strong ideas and implement tailor-made and individual solutions for companies and public administrations – contact us, we look forward to hearing from you!
Have you thought about e-billing today?
By using e-invoices, companies can automate their invoice processing procedures.