Digital Signing
Signing has been a mean of document authentication for centuries, and because the world has entered an era of digitalization, there is now a need to authenticate digital documents.
A forensically identifiable signature is much more than a digitized image of a handwritten signature. It requires recording the handwritten signature of a person using all available parameters, such as acceleration, and speed. These parameters are unique to every individual and cannot be reproduced. That’s why the digitized signature will be forensically identifiable.
A forensic expert can perform a deep manual signature verification at any time afterwards, using specialized software to get an admissible result just as the expert would with a signature on paper.
Microelectronic Solutions is the official partner and distributor of
- SIGNIFICANT - Digital signing solution by Xyzmo;
- WACOM - Signature pads with biometric features, for all the above solutions.
Uniserv, Significant, Biosigning are alternative Solutions for digital signing and they have different features and integration capabilities.
The above enterprise platforms for the electronic signing of digital documents make all types of signatures now allowed by law available to computer applications (business and workflow processes) and to users (ASP/SaaS service in cloud computing). These multimodal solutions allow the simultaneous use of all types of signatures now applicable:
- Qualified Digital Signature (with smart card and USB token)
- Remote signature (with HSM and strong authentication via OTP hardware, SMS OTP and other methods)
- Biometric signature (via graphometric tablet)
- Mobile signature (on tablet, pad and smart phone).
The platforms can be installed and made operative on the Data Centers of the client in HA (High Availability), D/R (with Disaster/Recovery on a secondary Data Center) and BC (Business Continuity) configurations.
Alternatively, the Digital Signing service can be supplied in ASP (Application Server Provisioning) and SaaS (Software as a Service) methodology, through the data center and server farm infrastructures that are already operative. The availability of the platform in SaaS mode allows the client to rapidly activate the service and permits a successive phase of insourcing (OnPremises) on the client’s own IT infrastructure.
The principal features of these system are:
- Online signing of one or more documents
- Server-side processing of the apposition of signatures on documentRestitution and download of signed documents
- Verification of one or more signed documents
- Apposition of the timestamp on documents
- Verification of the timestamp on documents
- Extraction of information from certificates
- Certificate renewal
- Authentication of a user from the certificate
- Registration of a new certificate on the server.
These Solutions manage all formats of digital signature prescribed by regulations:
CADES (pkcs7), PADES (pdf), XADES (xml signed) and various structures for multiple signing of the same document.
These platforms are hardware-independent, permitting the configuration of the system and the service to the technical components chosen by the client: smart-card, USB token, HSM, graphometric signature pad, tablet, slate p.c. and mobile devices (iOS, Android and Windows platforms).
These platform is CA-independent, permitting the use of signature certificates and cryptographic keys of the different national and international CAs (Certification Authorities).
For biometric signing, these platforms offer a client-side component that allows interfacing with local devices (signature pads, signature surfaces integrated into mobile devices and cash machines).
The client-side component allows:
- presentation of document pages
- navigation features with synchronization of the client’s pad and the operator screen
- acquisition of biometric signatures
- parameterization and configuration of signature proofs and of the signing sequence (workflow)
- construction of the coded biometric vector
- secure dialog between pad, client and server
- sealing of the document and of the biometric vectors associated with a technical digital signature
- possibility of automatically applying the company’s digital signature (HSM)
- handwriting verification instruments.
For biometric signing, the server displays specific additional features for the enrichment of the PDF’s to be signed, with the introduction of signing and workflow information fields which are based upon templates preconfigured by the client.
Through the above solutions, it is possible to organize and manage diverse scenarios:
- Completely online signing, by web Off-line signing, with the preloading and restitution of documents by web (auto synchronization, according to network availability)
- Completely local signing
- Signing via PC-Link mobile App.
This alternative Solutions can be easily integrated with business applications through web services. Native webpages can be rapidly personalized and inserted into the application process of the client. All of the operations undertaken by the Server and communications between the different components occur in a coded and secure mode.
Comparison of Paper and Digital Signature Properties
Property Paper Signatures Digital Signatures
Can be applied to electronic documents and transactions No Yes
Signature verification can be automated No Yes
Signature automatically detects alterations to the document No Yes
Can be used to signify a commitment to a contract or document Yes Yes
Can be augmented by use of a witness to the signature process Yes Yes
Recognized by legislation Yes Yes
Trusted by Leading Companies Worldwide
Unicredit (Italy)
Banco BMG (Brasil)
Poste Italiane (Italy)
BNL Italy (Banca Nazionale del Lavoro SpA)
GE Money Bank (CZ)
Tatra Banka (Slovakia)
CSE Italy (Banking Service Provider)
Cabel Italy (Banking Service Provider)
Central Bank of Honduras (CNBS)
Sabemi Group (Brasil)
HP purchased more than 22.000 Licenses for a large e-signature project in United Kingdom
NASK (Poland)
Maquet Carediopulmonary AG (Germany)
and many more ...