In recent years, thanks to the advancement of new technologies and the encouragement of institutions and governments, the internationalization of companies is becoming more and more common. You no longer need to be a company with a lot of infrastructure to be able to go out to other markets. This is partly due to what we know as digital transformation and solutions as Viafirma available in the market that allow it to become a reality. We explain why the digital signature is one of your best allies to achieve international expansion with your company.
In this last century, the world has become a global village and, thanks to globalization and other political, social, cultural and economic processes of enormous complexity, there have been many changes in the way we understand and relate to the rest of people, both socially and economically. Today, companies expand globally at an impressive rate, thanks mainly to the advancement in the telecommunications industry.
What would have cost several generations now is achieved in a few years: Uber reached 77 countries in six years and Netflix reached more than 190 countries seven years after launching its streaming platform. The way of doing business has completely changed … and continues to do so.
Globalization right now is also undergoing certain modifications due to the expansion of digital technologies and the changing behavior of customers. Governments are well aware of this. Not in vain, the Digital Agenda for Europe is one of the seven initiatives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. In it, the EU recognizes the importance of the use of ICTs to ensure a secure, open digital environment and impartial.
In this sense, the Strategy for the Digital Single Market was elaborated, whose objectives are the improvement of the access to the digital goods and services, the creation of the ideal conditions for the success of these and the exploitation of the growth potential of the digital economy .
Digital transformation is another of the processes that have helped and driven this internationalization of the economy and the activity of companies. The objective is to integrate in a structured and radical way the new technologies, so that the way of work and culture change profoundly and thus make the most of its benefits.
The smartphone has been one of the greatest advances in this regard and the one that has allowed greater mobility for any entrepreneur. International expansion becomes much easier and more accessible. Thus, anyone can have his office in his pocket wherever he is, in addition to other applications that greatly facilitate the work.
Mobility eliminates the limits of the office and has changed the way of doing business. Now, agreements can be closed anywhere, which makes certain jobs that require constant movement, such as commercial work, especially easier.
The mobility of the digital signature
Within that portable “office”, the digital signature is one of the essential tools to carry out your work outside the office, anywhere in the world. The digital signature has the same validity as a handwritten signature, as well as a series of added advantages. In the case of the internationalization of a business, it is practically obligatory to make use of it.
When it comes to taking your business beyond national borders, you need help and collaboration from other companies, with which to sign agreements of all kinds and establish beneficial business relationships for both parties.
Fortunately, the European Union and all its members recognize the legal validity of the digital signature, comparable to that of the traditional signature if it meets a series of requirements, thanks to EU regulation 910/2014. As for countries that are not within this territory, a recognition agreement is needed by the relevant authorities.
It is not always possible to coincide in the same place or even in the same country. As the meetings can be done through videoconferences, agreements can also be signed remotely, from anywhere in the world, thanks to the digital signature. This supposes a great saving in transport costs and avoids that important processes are delayed waiting for a day and an hour in which all the parties can coincide.
The specialized fairs are other places where representatives of the company usually go to establish new business relationships. No need to go with a folder full of contracts for the case in which an agreement is reached. All the documents are on the mobile or on the tablet, and modifications can even be made if necessary. It is signed at the moment and the copy can be sent to those involved by digital means instantaneously.
The importance of delegating
Normally, high-level executives are those who have to travel more for meetings, events or close agreements, but they also have other responsibilities within the company, so they cannot be long outside and disregard their other obligations.
The delegation of the digital signature is another feature that makes a digital signature tool really useful and versatile. Thanks to this, minor tasks, but that also need the signature of a person in charge; can be carried out even though he is not present. For example, the CEO can delegate his signature to his secretary to avoid unnecessary delays.
All these advantages offered by the digital signature can be achieved with viafirma solutions, thanks to its innovative concept of universal signature. All users can use it on any computer, tablet or mobile device, no matter what your operating system is.
The internationalization of a business has never been easier thanks to the technological advances that we have at our disposal. The disappearance of borders is not the only condition to achieve this goal, since a series of tools is needed to make it possible.
In addition, in today’s world, competitiveness is an essential feature for the survival of a company, and this is achieved, among other things, by implementing innovative technologies that make their performance more efficient than the rest. Thanks to these, cost savings and flexibility are achieved, which directly affects the company’s profits.
Finally, the digital signature has more advantages that do not directly affect the internationalization of the company, but its organization, such as the reduction of paper use, space saving and simplification of bureaucratic processes. In addition, all this has a positive effect on the image that the company projects to the public.