Applying advanced electronic signatures

By Maeson Maherry for LAWTrust
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.

“Organisations are able to subscribe to public or private cloud signature process management services for these tasks, and even have them integrated into existing business systems that deal with electronic content management and workflow.

“Another implication of applying AeSigns to documents is that the recipient of them needs to be prepared to receive them and be able to test their authenticity with some form of verification tool,” continued Maherry. “In this regard, Adobe Reader is again a great option as it checks the validity and integrity of the received communication automatically, and clearly indicates if the document is unaltered and the signature is valid, or warns you that the document has been altered (accidentally or maliciously) and the signature is now invalid and should not be trusted.

“If you choose the most appropriate tool, the whole process is straightforward and time-efficient, and is far superior to relying on handwritten signatures, because you know that the signature is validated before you trust the content of the data message. Through the savings on time, courier costs, data capture errors and the potential for fraud in paper processes, you are able to reap substantial benefits from these signature initiatives,” concluded Maherry.

For further information, please contact Christi Peens; tel. (012) 676 9240; fax (012) 665 3997; e-mail christi@lawtrust.co.za.

LAWtrust

LAWtrust is a specialist IT application security integrator and developer, assisting organisations to create trust in their information and transactional systems, which will enable real business to be done securely and efficiently. LAWtrust, a member of the LAW Holdings Group, is the security partner of choice for organisations in the areas of cryptographic-based security such as digital certificates, PKI, digital signing, encryption, integrity and non-repudiation.

LAWtrust has become the first accredited Authentication Service Provider in South Africa, under the requirements of the ECT Act of 2002, for the provision of Advanced Electronic Signatures. Accredited Advanced Electronic Signatures (AeSigns) are the only signatures that are deemed by law to have been valid and applied correctly by the signatory. These high-assurance signatures are the equivalent of a handwritten signature verified to be true by a handwriting expert and thus can be relied on implicitly in all forms of transactions, approvals, contracts and certified copies.

LAWtrust is rated as a level 2 contributor BBBEE company and includes customers in both the public and private sectors such as the largest departments in central government and the 'Big Six' banks.

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Applying advanced electronic signatures

By Maeson Maherry, Solutions Director at LAWtrust.