7 Benefits of Remote Online Notarization

7 Benefits of Remote Online Notarization

In today’s digital world, Remote Online Notarization (RON) is rapidly transforming how people notarize documents. This blog post discusses the advantages of using RON for Notaries Public with Secured Signing. It can help you make better decisions and enhance the efficiency of your practice.  

What is (RON)?  

RON allows you to securely notarize documents via video conferencing, eliminating the need for physical meetings. Signers verify their identities electronically, and digital signatures and certificates ensure document validity.  

Here are 7 ways Remote Online Notarization (RON) can improve your business by using Secured Signing. 

  1. Remote Online Notarization (RON) allows signers to easily sign documents from their own homes or offices. This saves time and eliminates the need to travel to a physical location. 
  2. RON makes this process easier by allowing electronic verification of identities and digital signatures. This helps to save time during the notarization process. 
  3. Security: RON uses advanced encryption and authentication technology to ensure the security and integrity of the notarization process, protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access. 
  4. RON platforms follow all legal and regulatory rules for notarization. This is only applicable if the notary public is in a state with RON legislation. 
  5. Say goodbye to travel, printing, and storage costs. Remote Online Notarization cuts out physical meetings and reduces paperwork.  
  6. Remote Online Notarization (RON) makes notarization easier for people who can’t travel to a physical location. This includes individuals with mobility issues or those living in remote areas. RON allows these individuals to have their documents notarized without having to leave their homes. It provides a convenient and accessible option for notarization. 
  7. Flexibility is key with RON. You can sign documents at any time, day or night. This helps accommodate clients’ schedules and meet tight deadlines. 

With Remote Online Notarization (RON), you can make your notary business more efficient and effective in today’s digital world.  

Secured Signing's reliable RON Platform

Why choosing Secured Signing’s reliable RON Platform  

Our platform is designed to be user-friendly, secure, and accessible from anywhere. In 2020, we revolutionized the industry again with the launch of our Remote Online Notarization (RON) platform. 

Today, Secured Signing stands as a global leader, trusted by some of the world’s largest companies in over 45 countries. Users annually sign millions of documents on our secure platform. 

With our RON platform: 

  • Easily notarize documents online, saving time and avoiding the hassle of in-person meetings. 
  • Securely sign and notarize documents from the comfort of your own home or office with just a few clicks. 
  • Benefit from step-by-step instructions guiding you through the process. 
  • Experience advanced security features that protect your documents at every step. 
  • By choosing Secured Signing’s RON platform, streamline your notary business and provide a more efficient service to your clients. You can now do everything from printing, scanning, to mailing documents digitally. 

Join the many happy users who have switched to Secured Signing and try out remote online notarization for yourself. 

When selecting a RON platform, prioritize security features, user-friendliness, and compliance with state regulations. Secured Signing offers a robust RON platform specifically designed to meet the needs of Notaries Public. 

William Gimbel is the VP of Business Development at Secured Signing’s US office, had this to say: His clients have had positive experiences with Secured Signing’s Remote Online Notarization platform. They have shared numerous success stories about the platform. 

The platform has greatly enhanced their experiences. They’re feeling liberated from geographical constraints, expanding their reach, and unlocking new earning potential. 

Our Secured Signing Notary Community is a powerful platform that helps notaries promote their business online. Our clients always give good feedback about our services. 

Listing yourself in a notary directory makes it easy for clients to find notaries like you in their area. This helps notaries attract more clients. Clients can easily locate notaries when they need a notary public. 

Whether you’re working from home or in the office, RON is just as effective remotely as it is in-person.  

William Gimbel and his team at Secured Signing are experts in providing a secure way for clients to sign documents globally. The platform specializes in ensuring that clients can sign documents from any location. 

Their expertise lies in offering a safe and convenient solution for clients to sign documents remotely. They allow clients to notarize documents from anywhere in the world. The platform ensures security for clients during the digital signing process.  

Remote Online Notarization has revolutionized the way businesses and individuals handle important documents. It offers convenience, efficiency, and cost savings while still ensuring the validity of the documents. 

The success stories shared by clients are a testament to the effectiveness of Secured Signing’s platform. Notaries can grow their business and reach more clients. They can also increase their opportunities for success. 

Clients can easily access notary services without needing to meet face-to-face. This makes the process more convenient for everyone involved. The positive feedback received by Secured Signing further solidifies their reputation as a trusted provider of online notarization services. 

Geekflare found Secured Signing very useful and listed it in the top 3 spots. What an honor! Read more about what they have to say about Secured Signing’s RON platform.

Secured Signing is a smart choice for notaries looking to grow their business. Their user-friendly platform and dedicated support team make the process simple and stress-free. Embrace the future of notarization with Secured Signing’s Remote Online Notarization platform today. If you’re interested in learning more about Secured Signing’s secure and user-friendly RON platform, contact them today.

Secured Signing introduces Multi-Factor Authentication

Launch of the newest security feature: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) via SMS or Authenticator App

This comes at a time where cybersecurity is front of mind for all in the digital workspace and provides users of Secured Signing with an additional layer of security on top of the current login process.

 

Users will then be prompted to confirm they are who they say they are by entering a short numerical code which is received via SMS or an authenticator app of the users choosing.

 

A combination of customer feedback and Secured Signing’s drive for continuous improvement and being the serious signing platform for serious documents played a part in the decision to develop and release an MFA solution.

 

“It is important for Secured Signing to provide our customers with the right tools to enhance their security within their organization,” says Mike Eyal, Founder, and CTO at Secured Signing. “We offer many security features to Enterprise customers such as integrations with Single-Sign-On providers, with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) being an extension of that.”

 

With a few clicks and minimal set-up, Secured Signing users can now utilize the MFA function out of the box with their paid Secured Signing Pay-as-you-Go, Business, or Enterprise account.

 

MFA is a powerful tool in reducing the risk of a security breach within an organization.

 

Secured Signing is not enforcing MFA or stopping non-MFA users from accessing Secured Signing. However, there is a plan to auto-enable and enforce MFA for all logins to Secured Signing in the future. This is to ensure that Secured Signing provides all customers with the highest level of security possible.


About Secured Signing

Secured Signing is a one-stop digital signature service that delivers a full range of form completion, eSigning, and Remote Online Notarization capabilities. Using advanced personalized X509 PKI Digital Signature technology, it is more secure than a plain electronic signature.

 

Secured Signing enables its users to use any device to capture their graphical signature, fill-in, sign, seal and verify documents anywhere, anytime. The solution streamlines business processes, reduces expenses, expedites delivery cycles, improves staff efficiency, and enhances customer service in a green environment.

Secured Signing achieves ISO 27001 Certification

Secured Signing is proud to be ISO 27001 Certified.

This is a monumental step for the Secured Signing team achieved through high commitment and leadership in establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving the Information Security Management System (ISMS).

Mike Eyal, Founder and CEO of Secured Signing said that

“it is important that our customers know that our platform will always support the signing of serious documents through information security best practices. We are a globally operating and growing business, and as we expand further into international markets, it is essential we establish information security processes, policies and controls to protect us and our customers.”


Secured Signing holds Certificate Number IS 747283 and operates an Information Security Management System which complies with the requirements of ISO/IEC 27001:2013 for the following scope:

“For the design, development, quality assurance, implementation, maintenance, and support of a Digital Signature and
Notary Platform delivered as Software as a Service, including platform infrastructure, in accordance with Statement
of Applicability, Version 1.1, dated 05 July 2021.”

In reception of the ISO 27001 certification, Secured Signing must maintain and continually improve its information
security management system with annual external audits as a control for this requirement.

Gal Thompson, General Manager of Secured Signing is excited to see what will happen over the upcoming years. “Secured
Signing will continue to meet industry standards and now looks forward to meeting other compliance standards such as
HIPAA, MISMO, and SOC-2. Continually improving and innovating is at the core of what we do here at Secured Signing,
so naturally, we will continue to strive for better and work together toward a common goal – to be the number 1
digital signing platform for serious documents and to give each business the help & support they need to become
paper-free.”


About Secured Signing

Secured Signing provides a one stop digital signature service that delivers a full range of form completion and eSigning capabilities. Using advanced personalized X509 PKI Digital Signature technology, it is more secure than a plain electronic signature.

Secured Signing enables its users to use any device to capture their graphical signature, fill-in, sign, seal and verify documents anywhere, anytime. The solution streamlines business processes, cuts back on expenses, expedites delivery cycles, improves staff efficiency, and enhances customer service in a green environment.

To learn more about Secured Signing visit www.securedsigning.com

Court Case showcases Digital Signing’s shortfalls but there is a Solution

Digital Signing adoption across the world is rowing with Government Regulations being adapted to allow a huge range of documents to be Digitally Signed.

Getting documents signed digitally is not without risks however and if you use the wrong provider or software solution to
get your serious documents signed you could find yourself in trouble in the future.

One recent court case in Australia involving a business lender who was using DocuSign and it perfectly highlights the possible repercussions if incorrect signing processes are followed or the wrong software selected.

Read on for details of the case plus how they could have avoided the issue in the first place.

Marketlend Pty Ltd v Blackburn [2020] NSWDC 358

The business lender Marketlend advanced credit of $600,000AUD to a company called Blackburn, run by a husband and wife. Using their standard digital signing process and DocuSign software the loan documents including personal guarantees were sent for signing to both the husband and wife who both signed digitally. Blackburn later went into liquidation and were unable to make any significant repayments to Marketlend, with the debt growing to over $700,000.

A court case ensued.

Marketlend felt they had a viable case – relying upon the wife’s personal guarantee as proof of initializing the loan agreement. According to the wife, they were separated at the time of the loan agreement and the wife denied signing anything or being liable for the $700,000.

Although Marketlend had a digitally signed document by both parties, it was later found that the husband had access to both her company email and DocuSign account, and signed the documents on her behalf. Utilizing information saved by the e-signing company and mobile telephone location evidence – the court corroborated the wife’s stance, which in turn meant the loan agreement was not legally binding.

In this case, the lack of signer authentication and identity verification throughout the business loan signing process was Marketlends downfall.

So, what could they have done differently to ensure the identities of Blackburn’s signee’s were correctly verified, and that the digital documents were executed in a way to protect from forgery?

 

How to Avoid this Issue by Verifying Who is Signing a Digital Document

There are a number of different techniques Marketlend could of utilised to verify the documents were digitally signed by
the right person – if they were using software which offered those features such as Secured Signing.

Along with email verification and document passwords, Secured Signing offers two additional options to verify the identity
of who is signing:

SMS Verification

As this case showed, company email addresses are not 100% secure and although email verification and password protecting documents is a good start – including a mobile verification step takes verifying who is signing to the next level, after all it’s not often people are without their phone.

Secured Signing’s SMS Verification feature sends an SMS code to the signee’s mobile phone which is used to access the document before signing can take place.

Video Confirmation

Having both email and SMS verification add a layer of protection during the initial phase of digitally signing a document, but access to both can still be compromised.

For the ultimate protection, Secured Signing have created a feature called Video Confirmation which can verify & prove who signed a document easily in the future.

With a simple tick of a box when signing documents – signees must record a 10-second video of themselves performing a specific random gesture during the signing process. The recording is easy for the signee to complete and can be done on any device so adds no friction to the signing process.

Watch the full Video Confirmation demo video here!

The completed video recording then attaches automatically to the signed document and can be accessed at the time to verify the identity of the signee and in the future as long-term evidence that proves exactly who digitally signed the document.

Had Marketlend been using Secured Signing’s Video Confirmation feature they would have quickly seen it was not the wife signing the document and never would have advanced the $700,000 avoiding this issue completely.

Worried about your own digital signing solution or digital signing in general?

If you’re getting serious documents signed,  successfully verifying a signee’s identity is an important step in the digital signing process and ensures a digitally executed document can be upheld in court, or in general business proceedings.

Secured Signing are the only digital signing platform offering the Video Confirmation feature and it’s actually just one of the many features we have available to ensure non-repudiation of contracts.

If after seeing this court case you are worried about your current digital signing solution and are serious about safeguarding your business, signatures and documents, get in touch today and we’ll work with you to ensure your company is protected.

How to Keep Your Business Documents Safe

Are your business documents protected against breaches? You may have heard about the data breaches hitting big enterprises, but small and medium sized businesses are at risk too.

SMEs are dealing with:

●     Increased hacks; hackers see SMEs with little security as easy targets,

●     Poor data security is a business risk: hacked SMEs soon go out of business.

Document security doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.

In this post we will discuss three ways you can start securing your business documents today.


1.  Have a Document Management Plan

Seventeen percent of businesses admit to storing paperwork in a shed; a further 16% keep business documents in a garage. These were some of the most shocking findings from a Cleardata Study.

Most of the businesses surveyed kept documents in costly filing cabinets, drawers and cupboards. While these are better choices than a shed, they’re still expensive and inefficient options.

A good document management system would include the following:

●     Destroying dated client documents,

●     Ensuring you have easy access to documents,

●     Indexing and labelling documents.

An easy way to get the job done is to digitize your document storage.
There’re a few reasons this might be the better option in the long-term:

●     In the U.S, 98% of data breaches in one government division involved paper records, majority of document security breaches come with paper,

●     Over 60% of business who suffer a breach will go out of business within six months,

●     Managing paper documents cost U.S. businesses $8 billion annually. 

Going digital means less storage costs, improved security and increased productivity as staff spend less time searching and refiling documents through filing cabinets.


2.  Use Digital Signatures

On top of making it easier and safer to store your digital documents, a digital signing platform makes it easier to do business and protects your firm against fraud.

A  couple, from Canada, leased a BMW but then stopped making payments. The BMW dealership seized the vehicle and ended up selling it at a loss on the open market. The car dealership opened up a case to reclaim their losses from the couple. The couple then alleged BMW had forged their signatures onto the lease applications.  Eventually BMW won, but only after a court battle that tested the evidence.

Let’s consider how digital signatures – which come with an audit trail – might reduce your vulnerability to potential fraud.

While electronic signatures come with its own risks, and can be easily falsified, digital signatures offer unique protection.

When you use a digital signature tool, a Certificate Authority binds your identity to a PKI-based Digital Certificate. Users end up with a unique digital fingerprint. PKI technology is the only technology in the world that makes it impossible to forge signatures.

Using a tool like Secured Signing also lets everyone who has signed the document know when any changes have been made. All documents come with a complete digital trail.

3.  Password-Protect Your Files

Password protecting your client data is a simple way to start securing your documents today.

This is one of the practical tips from the Federal Trade Commission in the United States of America.

To mark National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the FTC launched a new resource to help 32 million businesses across the US protect themselves against hacks.

It doesn’t have to be hard.

In Microsoft Word and Excel, click:

  1. File
  2. Info
  3. Protect document
  4. Encrypt with password

Add an additional form of security by introducing different access levels for staff. It may not be necessary for all employees to have access to client’s personal information.


Conclusion

Securing your business data – and private customer information – has never been more important. The digital age has given rise to affordable technologies to keeping your business documents safe.

By protecting your customers’ data, you’re investing in protecting the future of your company.

Secured Signing’s Digital Signatures are Legally Binding

We are often asked if our digital signatures are legally binding and have the same legal effect as pen and paper signatures.

The answer is yes, they are!

 

Today, most countries worldwide have welcomed the use of electronic signatures as a way to move beyond a paper-based environment. They have passed legislation and regulations such as Electronic Transactions Acts regarding the signing of documents in electronic format. These Acts recognize the legality of digital signature and deem it to be a binding signature.

These legislations also create a uniform standard for all electronic transactions and require the following criteria to be met for a digital signature to be binding:

1.  Identification of signatory

2.  The intent for signing

3.  Signature creation is directly to the person signing and no one else

4.  Signatory is in sole control of the signing process

5.  Any changes to the signature or and changes to the document are detectable establishing data integrity.

Whilst there are number of ways to sign electronically, Secured Signing is considered to be the ONLY digital signing platform that complies and exceeds these requirements.

With Secured Signing’s trusted digital Signature solution, you will have peace of mind that you are signing digitally in the most secure way. 

As always, if you have specific questions, please get in touch and someone will contact you personally.  

Signing Documents Online, How do you know Who was Behind the Keyboard?

Many of our customers have asked us how do you know who signed the document? Who was behind the keyboard?

With security features such as two factor authentications, identification verification and SMS passcode, Secured Signing offers multiple levels of security to identify the signer.

Personalized PKI X509 Digital Signature technology means that once a document has been signed the document content is sealed and any changes to the document it will invalidate the signature.

To provide additional evidence to prove exactly who was behind the keyboard / device during the signing ceremony, we have created video confirmation as an add on feature, this records the person who is signing the document.

So how does video confirmation work?

To enable video confirmation with Secured Signing, you simply tick the box to add video confirmation to the signing process and the signee will be asked to record a video.

It will activate the camera device and will capture a short video of the signer and require unique confirmation gestures to be met. The video has a unique URL link and to watch the video you have to enter a password. These 2 elements are embedded in the document and become part of the document itself.

After signing you can watch the video and compare the person in the video with other forms of identification. Video confirmation provides you with additional evidence to prove the signers identity in case of a dispute.

Digital Signature with Video confirmation provides the strongest digital signature solution in the market. Secured Signing are the first in the world to combines both technologies.

With Secured Signing’s trusted digital Signature solution, you will have peace of mind that you are signing digitally in the most secure way. 


As always, if you have specific questions, please get in touch and someone will contact you personally.  

Stop risking your business by using scanned signatures and switch to Secured Signing today

Tim Osborn, of Osborn Law, wrote recently in the Newcastle Herald about a court case that highlights the risks in relying on scanned signatures as a form of signing. It’s a reminder that if you need to sign, then you should sign with a tamper proof digital signature that is unique to you and your document. Nothing else is worth the risk.

 

In the case in question, an electronic image of the signature was readily accessible on the corporate network. The court held that documents signed by simply pasting the image into a document, were not legally binding. It was not possible to demonstrate that the owner of the signature had personally applied their signature to the document or given their explicit consent to do so. The result was a loss of business and a costly court case. It could have all been avoided by using a digital signature service such as Secured Signing.

 

Signing a document using Secured Signing is as a simple click to sign process that differs from scanned signatures in a number of really important ways.

 

The first is that Secured Signing gives you an automated log of every action performed in the signing process. This is one of the key pieces of advice Mr Osborn gives in his article.  Good quality record keeping is invaluable in demonstrating that a signed document is evidence of a legally binding agreement.

 

Secured Signing completely automates the logging of every action so your people don’t have to waste their time, keeping manual records of who did what and when.

 

The second is validating the identity of your signer. A key problem in the case referenced is that it could not be demonstrated that the person who applied the signature to the document was the owner of the signature. Secured Signing creates unique credentials for each person who will sign your document that only they can access.

 

Adding video confirmation to your signing process captures a brief video recording of the person signing your document, to give you a signed document that cannot be reasonably challenged.

 

The final thing I’ll mention is the inherent authenticity and reliability of PKI based digital signatures. A digital signature is much more than a graphical representation of a person’s signature. It provides sophisticated methods to seal the signed document from tampering and creates an irrevocable, unforgeable and no transferrable link between the signer and the document.  

 

As you know, inviting people to sign your documents with Secured Signing is quick, simple, inexpensive and reduces your risk. Share with your friends and colleagues that they too can enjoy the benefits Secured Signing, help us spread the word and they can be signing documents online today with one of our Freeway evaluation accounts.

Know Your Customer (KYC) with Video Confirmation and Secured Signing

It seems obvious but it bears repeating. Being absolutely clear on who is signing your document, not only makes good business sense, it is also a compliance requirement for many industries. Adding video confirmation to Secured Signing’s usual signing process ensures there can be no doubt about who signed your document.

 

Even if your business is not subject to anti money laundering and counter terrorism financing (AML/CTF) legislation, robust customer due diligence practices will give you a competitive advantage, limit your exposure to the risk of loss and protect your business from damage to its reputation. It’s also just plain good sense. If there is ever a dispute, being able to simply and clearly demonstrate who signed your document will ensure you are best placed to recover monies owed or the return of equipment hired or leased.

 

It is not just banks and other lenders that need to comply with the customer due diligence requirements of AML/CTF legislation. A recent mutual evaluation of Australia’s AML/CTF frameworks gave an overall pass mark, but highlighted key areas of concern. Research by AUSTRAC, the Australian government’s financial intelligence agency, indicates the outcomes around customer due diligence (CDD) vary from very high confidence to closer to 50% confidence in customer identity. This is an area that needs to improve as AUSTRAC rightly identifies that knowing your customer is “the cornerstone of an effective AML/CTF regime.” It is not surprising that regulatory reform proposals recommend both more explicit CDD requirements and the application of CDD requirements to a broader range of industries.

 

Secured Signing’s video confirmation capability is a simple yet powerful tool to demonstrate you know exactly who is signing your documents.  

 

Customers expect to be able to transact business with you online. Inviting your customers to sign documents online with Secured Signing gives you the capability to meet this expectation of customer convenience while enjoying the security, authenticity and reliability that only tamper proof digital signatures can provide. Adding a video confirmation to your online signing process gives you complete confidence you know who you are dealing with and in particular who signed your agreement.  

 

When you ask customers to use video confirmation in the signing process, they are prompted to record a short video before they sign the document. The whole process takes no more than 10 seconds. The video records a specific gesture which is recorded in the Secured Signing document log and the video’s secure location is appended to the document and sealed with the PKI digital signature, ensuring the details cannot be modified without invalidating the signature.

 

If your non face to face transactions don’t give you this degree of confidence in knowing who your customer is, it is time to closely evaluate the benefits Secured Signing can give you. The best first step is to open a free evaluation account and try video confirmation of signing yourself.  Secured Signing’s website provides a lot more detail on how video confirmation works to deliver unquestionable confirmation of signer’s identity. 

 

As always, if you have specific questions, please get in touch and someone will contact you personally.  

Video Confirmation of Identity a must have for financial services teams adopting eSignatures

Financial services companies must know who is signing their documents. If there is any doubt that the correct person has signed the loan, agreement, authority to proceed, or whatever the document may be, the business leaves itself open to fraud, is exposed to unnecessary risk and faces the possibility of loss, not to mention becoming non-compliant with ‘Know Your Customer’ legislative requirements. Secured Signing provides the most robust verification of signer identity with the world first use of video confirmation as part of the signing process.

Online signing by its nature provides much stronger confirmation of who is signing your documents than simply sending documents by post or email and taking it on faith they have been signed by the correct person. The addition of video recording of the signer, in a way that is uniquely and irrevocably tied to the document being signed, provides a degree of confidence in signer identity that cannot be reasonably challenged. It is a genuinely innovative approach that provides a degree of confidence in identity that is unmatched by any other signing method. It builds on the already robust authenticity of the underlying PKI Based digital signatures used by Secured Signing and existing additional identity verification tools such as two factor authentication and identity document searches.

Let’s drill into how the process works to really appreciate how robust and reliable this new approach is.

Video confirmation is quick and simple for the signer. They are asked to activate the camera on their device and record themselves performing specific gestures. It takes less than 10 seconds. The required gestures are specific to the document being signed, recorded in the document log and are analysed in real time. The nature of the verification and the changing requirements make it impossible to pass the verification using an image or pre-recorded video. Video confirmation provides much stronger confirmation of identity than static biometric verification such as facial or fingerprint recognition.

The confirmation video is retained in a secure, encrypted repository. The signed document contains both a reference to the location of the video confirmation and the password required to access it. The tamper proof mechanisms inherent in PKI based digital signatures means neither the reference nor the password can be modified, without invalidating the signature. All documents signed with Secured Signing can be verified independently to confirm the document content is unchanged. Video confirmation enhances the inherent security and authenticity of PKI based digital signatures with the recorded video of the person signing the document.

Video confirmation is available to all Secured Signing customers now. Once enabled in My Settings, the option to require a signer to provide video confirmation is available on the signing workflow screen. You can try Secured Signing, including video confirmation of identity for free.  Register for your account now.

‘Til next time
Cheers, John