The value of independence in eSigning

Do you still have your very first email address? From memory my first email address came with dial up internet access from a service provider called PowerUp. That company has long since ceased operations. It is a fact of life that companies come and go. 

 

Nowhere is this more true than in the rapidly changing landscape of information technology and the internet in particular.  If youre old enough, you may remember chatting with friends on ICQ and sending them a link to a great new website you found on Alta Vista which they could browse in Netscape Navigator on their Gateway PC.

 

When you sign up for any online service, understanding where you will be left if they arent around any more is important. One of the things I love about Secured Signing is that we give you complete independence in e-Signing. 

 

Every document you sign with Secured Signing comes back to you with personal, standards based, PKI digital signatures.  Everything you need to verify those signatures next week, next year, next decade is contained within the document. You dont even need to be online to verify the signatures. Just start up any PDF reader that supports the digital signature standard and you can check the document has not been tampered with and verify the identity of the signers.

 

Not all electronic signatures give you this degree of independence.  Some e-signature services rely on keeping a copy of your document to be able to prove the validity of the signature. They may also use proprietary methods in their signatures that are supported only by their software. Clearly this creates a high degree of dependence on that company and their service to prove the reliability of your signed documents. Having a copy of your document retained permanently on a system you dont control may also have implications in terms of privacy legislation.

 

An independent e-signature service that uses public standards means you can be confident in proving the integrity of your signed electronic documents in the long term. It also means you arent locked in to continuing to use a specific service.

 

Signing documents online is so much quicker and easier and saves you time and money. Just make sure the service you choose offers you the independence you deserve!