Electronic signature vs digital signature.
Germany’s Digital Signature Act (SiG) defines an electronic signature as an electronic declaration of intent or confirmation of a transaction by a natural person. An electronic signature may be given on your own or someone else’s behalf, but it is always tied to an individual. It is, in essence, the electronic equivalent of signing your name in ink.
A digital signature, however, is merely a term applied to the electronic signature’s underlying technology. At the heart of this is an encrypted checksum that allows the receiving system to verify the integrity of a signed document or detect if it has been tampered with.
Check lists and workshops for speedy implementation.
A receiving system is able to verify the authenticity of a signature e.g. through an electronic certificate or a copy of the sender’s handwritten signature that allows the signatory to be identified biometrically.
While many organisations shun away from the perceived complexity of possible concepts and approaches, today’s advanced signature mechanisms are pretty much available off the peg, and the exact type and scope of the ideal solution can quickly be determined through optimised checklists and workshops.
Some preliminary considerations can also make it much easier to choose a signature solution and thus dramatically speed up project turnaround. For one thing, this means identifying exactly what sort of documents must be signed. The so-called qualified electronic signature (QES), which was first introduced in Germany in 2001, is considered to be the most secure method. However, this extreme level of security is rarely needed in real-life scenarios.
