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Digital Signature? No problem! But Waterproof Control, please.

Digital signature? No problem! But we'll make sure it's watertight, please.

The digitization of correspondence makes our (business) life a lot easier. The times of the ticking machine, tipp-ex and fax are far behind us. The signature also makes a journey through time. The cap no longer needs to be removed from the fountain pen to give an agreement to the content of a document. The digital signature has the unconditional, binding and legal force that equals the paper signature.

The digital signature requires a strict, watertight organization. Because, to give an example, are the signers really the people who have to sign the document? How does everyone know that he or she is facing the only correct version of the document in question? And who guarantees that, after the signature has been placed, the content of the document will not change?

Integrity

The guarantees requested here must provide the document management system and the associated digital signature protocol. The DMS regulates the integrity of the submitted document: yes, this is the latest version and no, the content will no longer be tampered with. The authenticity of the document is recorded, certified and thus guaranteed.

Silent cooperation

Documentaal, which supports companies with document creation and management, links its own document management system dStyle to ValidSign's digital signature platform. The seamless cooperation between these two organisations provides full control over the authenticity and integrity of documents, as well as the authorisation and identification of authorised persons for signing. After signing, the documents and signatures are automatically and carefully archived in such a way that they can be retrieved in no time.

Three levels

Digital signatures can be divided into three levels.

The first is the ordinary, non-qualified electronic signature: an e-mail message with your name or scanned signature under it. As long as these are non-legal documents, this is sufficient.

The third level, qualified electronic signature, is intended for judges, notaries, lawyers and other office-holders. Their identity is personally established in advance by a notary.

The second level relates to a digital signature which has legal force, for example a contract, an official letter, a declaration or any other document of that nature. The advanced electronic signature is personal. The Certification Service Provider, a so-called Trusted Third Party (TTP), takes care of this. The verification that you are the person you say you are is guaranteed by this party through all kinds of theses and codes. DMSs and digital signature platforms focus mainly on this level.

Phenomenal profit

The benefits of working with digital signatures are phenomenal. Where companies need days, if not weeks, to get all the necessary signatures under a paper document (think of internationally oriented companies: FedEx spins yarn...), the digital signature takes a few minutes.

Each signatory can sign at a location and at a time that suits him. Whether from behind his desk in the office in Amsterdam Zuidoost, or from his holiday address in the Bahamas, as long as he has a smartphone or other device at his disposal, he can sign (and no one has to wait for him).

After all, it doesn't matter how many people have to sign: two, ten, three hundred? No problem at all. The digital signing is not limited to numbers. And those signers can do it all at the same time; come on!

One condition

In today's business and service life, it is impossible to imagine doing without digital signatures. There is one condition. Problem-free working with the digital signature, where all legal rules and privacy regulations are taken into account, requires a document management system that can fulfil this care.

 

Reinoud Wouters,
partner Documentaal.

 

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