Applying advanced electronic signatures
[Johannesburg, 14 May 2012] -
One of the practical implications of using advanced electronic signatures (AeSigns) is that it is necessary to utilise an appropriate authoring tool that can be used to digitally sign a document. Several of these tools exist, eg Word, Excel or Outlook; however, how the visualisation of the performed signature is portrayed is often the key factor in deciding the most appropriate tool to use.“Adobe's PDF is a classic example of one of the best regarding this,” commented Maeson Maherry, Solutions Director at LAWtrust, “since not only does its format present the same on any computer, it also provides a tangible and visible trust indicator of a signature that can accommodate time stamping information. Time stamping information can be critical for 'time-sensitive trades', eg stock exchange dealings, and PDF refers to a trusted source for this, such as LAWtrust, so that the AeSign includes an embedded time stamp. Without such a facility, it would be comparatively easy to change 'times'.“Another advantage of using Adobe's PDF format for signing is that it can accommodate multiple signatures,” added Maherry. “This is often a requirement for, for example, board meeting resolutions; approval of board minutes; and IT change control procedures. However, in situations where multiple signatures are required, there are many Web-based services to manage this signature process, as handling the signature workflow manually is not only time-consuming, but also laborious.
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