“Sign on the dotted line!” How many times do you hear that phrase when completing forms? You likely have had to sign your name countless times throughout your life, starting out by writing it at the top of your homework in kindergarten and then including it on nearly every form since.
Your signature is just as unique as your fingerprint, and it can hold a lot of weight. It’s your mark of commitment on contracts, your security on checks and credit cards, and your stamp of approval on office paperwork.
The problem with these traditional signatures though, is that they’re a pain. Typically these forms are piles of paper that someone has to go through and mark off where they need to be signed, and then you sit there, pen in hand, signing and initialing. It takes time that could be spent doing more valuable tasks, and it’s certainly not enjoyable.
Fortunately, E-Signatures alleviate much of that.
What are E-Signatures?
According to current U.S. legislation and the Electronic Signature & Records Association (ESRA), E-Signatures are defined in technical terms as “an electronic sound, symbol or process that is attached to or logically associated with a record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record.”
In layman’s terms, an e-signature is a mark on an electronic document that captures the signer’s intent to approve or accept the contents of that document. E-Signatures are just like a physical signature, just digital.
Do E-Signatures have the same weight as regular signatures?
E-Signatures have the same legal standing as a handwritten signature as long as it adheres to the requirements of the specific regulation it was created under. Some of these requirements might include:
- The document signer can be uniquely identified and linked to the signature
- The signer is the only party with access to the private key used to create the signature
- The signature must be able to identify if the associated data has been tampered with, post-signing
- If the data has been changed, the signature must be able to be voided
Fortunately, E-Signature software is designed to comply with these requirements and ensure that the documents being signed have the same legality of physical documents with pen and ink signatures.
How can I utilize E-Signatures?
With DocStar Enterprise Content Management (ECM), you also get an embedded electronic signature capability developed using the DocuSign E-Signature API. You can access DocuSign from within DocStar ECM workflow tasks and ad hoc actions for all DocStar ECM document content, forms, and packages.
This integration means that accessing and signing off on approvals and agreements is simple, quick, and secure. Need someone else’s signature? You can easily upload and send documents to others to complete anywhere at any time. No more waiting days for mailed documents or for them to print, sign, and scan, you can even send reminders and check on the status so you know exactly where the document stands.
The combination of DocStar ECM plus DocuSign eSignature allows for a comprehensive contract management system and facilitates end-to-end business workflows. In scenarios where content validation with eSignature is required for documents, forms, and packages, this integration shines.
Within DocStar ECM, DocuSign maintains a complete, automated history of every viewing, printing, sending, signing, or declining activity on a document. Once a document is signed, a certificate of completion is attached in DocStar ECM as proof of the signing. With DocuSign, you can be confident that your technology meets current regulations and statutes, such as the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), the U.S. Federal ESIGN Act, and E.U. Directive 1999/93/EC, and others.
Let us help
Being DocStar implementation specialists, Mosaic can help implement this integration and help your organization complete advanced workflows to automate your entire end-to-end process. Give us a call at 800.387.7859 to set up your customized demo.
