Softpro's SignDoc: New Release for trustworthy e ... - openPR.com

Softpro's SignDoc: New Release for trustworthy e-Signing with
handwritten signature out now
Date: 09-04-2009 07:09 PM CET
Category: IT, New Media & Software
Press release from: SOFTPRO GmbH
BOEBLINGEN - More and more companies are embedding handwritten electronic signature solutions in their processes.
Within the last 12 months SOFTPRO's E-Signing solutions were rolled-out in banks, insurances, at the POS in the retail
sector, in the health, for service technicians and a lot of other purposes. The popular E-Signing solution SignDoc is now
available in version 3 for download on Softpro's website www.signplus.com/doc for a free 30 days test with full functionality.
SignDoc is the natural, simple yet effective method to sign digital which everyone understands. It is the equivalent to the
traditional signing ceremony on paper for the 21st century. SignDoc supports to fill-in forms, sign and seal documents with a
trustworthy legally binding electronic handwritten signature in various file formats.
In its standard version the rich client allows to manage and sign electronic documents in the formats PDF, TIFF and DOC
(Microsoft Word). This client is designed for usage in-office or in-the-field and also supports environments where users are
working partially offline
SignDoc Web is the covers the ultra-thin client that allows trustworthy E-Signing in the web-browser. It enables the seamless
integration in the electronic workflow, like the following process steps: Pre-filling form-fields with data (e.g. from a customer
relation management system), storing documents in a enterprise content system and the option for storing signature data found
in the documents into a signature database.- the ultra-thin client enabling these features in the web-browser - supporting PDF
and TIFF - for usage online - see also www.signdoc.de/signdocweb.
Handwritten Signatures in the Digital Workflow
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An increasing number of banks and companies in many other verticals have successfully integrated handwritten signatures in
electronic processes using SignDoc. It is easy to understand why, since handwritten signatures offer what Personal
Identification Numbers (PINs) or other Biometrics such as finger prints cannot provide:
Signatures are a non-intrusive proof of intent.
Signatures are culturally accepted and understood
Signing is the most personal way for authentication
The invisible biometric characteristics of signatures such as the different levels of writing pressure cannot be spied out.
These are reasons enough for more and more companies to take signatures seriously. SOFTPRO's SignDoc allows to trust in
the authenticity and integrity of electronic documents signed with the handwritten signature.
Attractive Paybacks
SignDoc enhances productivity and efficiency thank to a straight-through electronic document workflow. The use of paper
for the sole purpose of capturing a signature may be skipped easily. Electronic signing results in attractive paybacks. Some of
SOFTPRO's customers have calculated their savings which range between 1,50 and 2,50 Euro per document on average. They
have also gained time to focus on customer service instead of managing paper documents. The potential cost savings derive
from the avoidance of several steps in the document management process such as printing, storing, preparing, signing,
routing, shipping, scanning, indexing and physical archiving. In addition to these factors one aspect should not be
underestimated: The improvement of the service experience by customers. A significant reduction in paper usage in creating a
"green workflow" is likely to be a vital asset in a company's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy. Using SignDoc
results in an effective reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions and helps to save trees.
Unreliable Workarounds and Half-way solutions
The original aim of signing on paper is that the signer declares an intent which is related to the content of the document.
Nowadays many companies are capturing a signature image (graphic file, i.e. JPG, GIF) and paste it into documents or even a
e-mail message. This image will not allow any further verification process if its authenticity is in doubt. It is more or less
"decoration".
Handwritten signatures on paper are often also described as "wet ink signatures". The electronic equivalent is a "digital ink
signature". "Digital ink" became a common feature in the mainstream PCs with the launch of Windows Vista, e.g. for
comments or annotations. Digital is a feature which is available in Microsoft Office 2007 or in Adobe Acrobat 9 ("Apply Ink
Signature"). These features put a handwriting-like signature on a file that could be printed out or emailed, much in the same
way a fax signature might work. These signatures can be manipulated, duplicated or deleted. There exists no protection
against document tampering hence these kind of signature can be repudiated easily.
It is important to keep in mind that a signature which was captured using digital ink is not securely bound to a document. A
simple click on an "I accept" button which triggers a signing process (often defined as "websigning") is not appropriate to
replace a paper-based process where the signature is documenting a proof of intent of a particular signer and not just a click of
a user (which could be theoretically anybody).
Important: Focus on Authenticity and Integrity
An electronic document is signed with SignDoc in exactly the same manner as it would be signed on a piece of paper. This
kind of electronic signature is also known as a "dynamic signature", "biometric signature" or "on-line signature". Signature
data is captured using one of many supported signature capture devices such as a signature pad, pen pad, an interactive pen
display or a Tablet PC. Softpro provides in its download section at www.signdoc.de/doc detailed information about supported
capturing devices.
A signature captured with SignDoc contains much more than just an electronic image: The signature contains biometric
information about how the signature was signed such as speed and pressure of pen strokes. These characteristics represent a
biometric profile which is unique to every individual and cannot be reproduced by a forger. The biometric information of
handwritten signature captured on appropriate devices includes signals of location (x, y coordinates), time (t) and pressure
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levels (z). The authenticity of the signature can be verified at any point in time either manually, or using SOFTPRO's unique
automatic combo-verification to provide a high level of trustworthiness. This process can be executed on demand or
pre-embedded.
The integrity of the signature and the document are secured using state-of-the art technologies for encryption and integrity
protection. SOFTPRO's technology secures non-repudiation of electronic processes to ensure that your documents are legally
binding. An easy integrity check within a standard PDF-viewer (like Adobe Reader) allows every recipient of a document
signed with SignDoc to verify if this document was tampered after the signing process. Softpro provides in-depth information
about the aspects of trustworthy electronic signing with the handwritten signature at www.signdoc.de/trust.
About SOFTPRO
The SOFTPRO Group is the worldwide leading vendor of systems for capture and verification of handwritten signatures. The
company is based in Boeblingen, Germany with local subsidiaries in North America (Bear, Delaware), the United Kingdom
(London), and Asia-Pacific (Singapore).
The group currently employs an international staff of over 60 people, enabling more than 200 companies worldwide to
streamline their document and transaction workflows.
With its "eSign Workflow" product line, SOFTPRO provides solutions for securing the authenticity and integrity of
documents within electronic processes, such as those required for legal contracts. For this purpose, a unique signature
technology is used to extract and evaluate both the static and dynamic (biometric) characteristics of handwritten signatures.
SOFTPRO’s "Fraud Prevention Solutions" portfolio provides a holistic approach to detecting and preventing fraud in
paper-based processes (such as payment transactions), as well as increasing operational efficiency using signature
management and verification solutions.
Among SOFTPRO’s customers are American Express, Bank of America, Barclays, Chase, Citigroup, Discover Financial,
Lloyds TSB, SEB, Standard Bank of South Africa, UBS and Wachovia.
Since 2002, the offer to secure electronic documents with handwritten signatures extended the customer portfolio of
SOFTPRO to other industries such as banking and insurance, telecommunication, health and pharmacuticals, retail,
government, automotive and logistics.
Frost & Sullivan, one of the leading growth consulting companies worldwide, presented SOFTPRO GmbH with its
"Customer Service Leadership Award 2007" for having excelled in serving its customers and gaining superior customer
satisfaction levels. This award recognizes the company that has gained the best insights into customer needs and product
demands.
SOFTPRO's partners include: A2iA, Adobe, Betasystems, Disoft, Fujitsu Gateway, Gijima AST, Gizmotech, HP, IBM,
Lenovo, Microsoft, Motion Computing, Siemens, Toshiba, TeleCash (First Data), Unisys and Wacom.
Please contact us for additional information:
SOFTPRO GmbH
Joerg-M. Lenz
Manager PR
mailto:joerg.lenz@softpro.de
Wilhelmstrasse 34
71034 Boeblingen
Germany
Phone: +49 7031 6606 0
Fax: +49 7031 6606 66
You can find this press release here
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