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Invoices, contracts, payroll or receipt of documents are just a few examples of the documents in which the digital signature can act as a secure, legal and firm method of authentication. What are the documents in which the digital signature is most stamped? Let’s have a look to the most relevant.
The digital signature has reached our days as one of the most practical and essential resources for document control of all types of business, as well as personal procedures.
If we had to refer to each and every one of the practical applications of the digital signature, we would end up with an endless list before our eyes, so we wanted to group the most common uses of the digital signature according to the nature of the procedures they solve. But not before putting ourselves in a situation with a summary of the evolution of the digital signature in Europe and Spain.
Historical review of the digital signature
To fully understand how we have reached the situation in which the digital signature is today, it will be convenient to look back and review both its origins and its evolution in the highlights.
The concept of digital signature was born in 1976 from Diffie and Hellman, to subsequently develop their algorithms, such as the RSA in 1978 and the laws that refer to it.
At European level, the first related law was Directive 1999 / 93CE of electronic signature, a legal development that culminated in the implementation of the European Electronic Identification Regulation (eIDAS) in 2014.
In Spain, it all started in 1995 with the appearance of the first Certification Authority. In legal matters, we highlight the emergence of the first law that refers to the digital signature, such as Law 59/2003 on electronic signatures and the application of the aforementioned eIDAS Regulation in 2016.
Viafirma offers since 2003 authentication solutions based on digital signature, electronic signature and biometrics. Solutions that have no other purpose than to facilitate the day-to-day life of individuals, companies and public administrations.
What types of documents are the most digitally signed
Human resources management
Undoubtedly, the control of everything related to the work teams of a company is one of the aspects of management that involves more documentation. We are talking about contracts, payrolls, penalties, entry and exit controls, withdrawals, registrations, confidentiality agreements and endless paperwork.
The digital signature acts here as a solution that brings great value to these administrative processes, speeding up these procedures thanks to aspects such as greater mobility and the possibility of delegation.
But these are not the only advantages, in addition, thanks to the digitalization of the signature processes, managers can access from any place to completely updated documentary information about the template and all this in a paperless environment, which will save costs of material, storage and labor and will accelerate work rates.
Nor should we underestimate that a digitalized human resources management gives a modern and efficient image of the company, which creates confidence in the workers and provides a current vision and commitment to the environment facing the outside.
Commercial operations documentation
Reaching agreements for the sale of products, raw materials or the contracting of services in the traditional way can be endless by requiring the authorization and face-to-face signature of one or more people who, in general, are very busy and it is difficult to coordinate them to the same geographical point at the same time.
The more the signing of these agreements is delayed, the more benefits we may be losing, to which we must add the possibility that the situation gets cold or that our interlocutor finds another competitor with whom to complete the process.
That is why the digital signature can provide resources for optimization, not requiring the simultaneous presence of all signers. In fact, it can even be executed during the celebration of events or fairs, making sure to tie up the first commercial opportunities.
Economic control
The financial aspects of a company are key for more than obvious reasons. Even so, we must be clear that the main mission of a company should not be to earn the more money the better, but it should be focused on providing services that help its customers solve their problems. While it is true that economic resources are required for this.
The documentary burden of the departments related to this sector is far from mild. We are talking about invoices, budgets, payment orders, expense control, forecasts, bank documents of various types etc.
We are referring to very delicate procedures, which often move large sums of money and, therefore, will require significant security measures and the participation of several managers in different business ranks.
It is also important to note the fact that fintech companies have burst into force as a result of these needs, providing additional accessibility and security in economic transactions thanks to, among other measures, the digital signature.
Logistic Documents
In companies that work with physical goods, the control of raw materials, semi-finished products, final and manufacturing materials will carry with it a negligible amount of paperwork.
The receipt and shipment of goods are frequent actions in which the digital signature of documents can fulfill an important function, in these cases the digitized or biometric signature is usually the main protagonist.
Variables that can be very important for the logistics department, such as geographical coordinates, time stamping or identification of the person receiving the merchandise, are registered with the digital signature.
Documents of the health sector
The world of health and related research has also benefited from the applications of the digital signature in it.
On the one hand we can highlight as a paradigm in this area the treatment of informed consent of patients to receive some medical services. Through the digital signature, the doctor can sign large amounts of this type of documents at once with the signature in batch. From the patient’s perspective, he/she can give his/her consent through the digitized signature.
If we move to the laboratory environment, we enter into a work methodology that involves a significant number of sensitive data that must be handled with great care. This need for strong security measures can translate into tedious bureaucratic procedures, which the digital signature can speed up significantly.
Solutions for digital signature of documents
Once you have seen the most popular documentary applications that the digital signature can provide, the next thing to consider will be the tools that will provide you with everything you need to carry them out.
In the case of Viafirma, we offer companies and citizens different signature applications that, in a simple and efficient way, provide customized solutions for each of the circumstances mentioned.
Creating a document for your signature, with added and very advantageous features, such as mandatory reading clauses and smart forms, as well as monitoring and auditing the signing process, are just some of the advantages that Viafirma Documents provides, all in accordance with the current legality defined in the aforementioned eIDAS Regulation.
In digital signature processes that involve numerous agents, having a digital signature such as Viafirma Inbox can be a competitive advantage that must be taken into account. Helping to manage the documents pending signature and their flows, as well as the delegation of it.
Finally, we should not leave behind the centralized management of certificates, so necessary for some signing procedures, with Viafirma Fortress. This is where the signature in the cloud takes center stage, which gives us the possibility of having these certificates available for use regardless of where we are.
In short, the digital signature is omnipresent in all sectors, and even more so in companies that have established a high rate of digital transformation, implementing with it a more agile, secure and adaptable service to the needs of each user.