Digital Signatures: Everything you need to know

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Digital
Ebook
Signatures
Everything you need to know
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Table of content

• Digital Signatures Everything you need to
  know..............................................
  .................0
• Overview ........................................
  ..................................................
  ......................................2
• 1. What are digital signatures?
  ..................................................
  ...........................................4
• 2. Types of digital signature devices
  ..................................................
  ..................................6
• 3. Options to digitally sign your documents
  ..................................................
  .....................8
• 4. The importance and impact of digital
  signatures........................................
  ..................10
• How can you incorporate digital signatures in
  your business documents? ...............12
• Example Applying digital signature on SAP
  business documents .............................15
  
• About The author .................................
  ..................................................
  .............................19
• About Symtrax....................................
  ..................................................
  ...............................19

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Overview
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Digitization has been available for quite some
time now, and none of us are new to the
technological advancements that have appeared
since its beginning. We live in a time where we
not only use technology constantly but are often
almost entirely reliant on it. Its to the point
now where all information is stored, shared, and
accessed online, even when it pertains to highly
sensitive transactions involving legal
repercussions and compliance regulations. Of
course, with the rise of digitization, we face
constant documentation challenges surrounding
cybersecurity, threats, and identity theft.
Properly securing data is essential to
preserving its integrity, applicability, and
authenticity. Digital signatures can help
businesses harness the newest business technology
and make use of the information that comes with
it.
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1.
What
are digital signatures?
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In very simple terms, digital signatures are
concerned with verifying and/or identifying
everyone who needs to sign a document to confirm
its integrity. Before we move ahead, its
important to know that although digital
signatures are a type of electronic signature,
the two are not the same in terms of usability.
You can read this blog for a more in-depth
comparison. (https//blog.symtrax.com/whats-the-di
fference-between-digital-and-electronic-
signatures/)
How digital signatures work?
A digital signature is made from an encryption of
a signers identity created using a mathematical
algorithm, which is then validated upon
successful decryption on the receivers end.
Digital signatures use Public Key Infrastructure
(PKI) technology for validation. Each signer is
assigned a private and public key. When the
document is signed, a cryptographic hash is
generated, which is then encrypted using the
signers private key. Once the document is sent,
the recipient requires the signers public key
to then decrypt the hash and contrast it to the
initial one. If they match, the documents
integrity is verified, with signer authenticity
validated. These public and private keys are
essential to ensure that each document and its
contents are original. Because of this, they
need to be protected under specific restrictions
and criteria. Certifying Authorities (CA) are
industry-trusted organizations responsible for
issuing digital signature certificates that are
widely and legally accepted. A CA makes it
easier for business and government entities to
trust in their document security.
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2.
Types
of digital signature devices
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In compliance with the Indian IT Act of 2000
(which governs the usage, legality, and
regulations of digital signatures), its
important to note that only Class 3 digital
signature certificates can be issued under
certain given protocols.
Issuance of Class 3 digital signatures
Class 3 certificates are intended for high-risk
e-commerce applications. They are available to
both organizations and individuals, though they
can only be issued to an individual if they are
physically present before a Certifying Authority
(CA). Furthermore, Class 3 certificates are used
in circumstances that are susceptible to
extremely high risk of fraud and significant
monetary concerns. They are extensively used for
transactions like online commerce, e-auctions,
e-tendering, and online procurement.
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3.
Options
to digitally sign your documents
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You can add digital signatures to PDFs or other
documents using various options.

• Digital signature certificates (DSC) stored
  locally in USB tokens.
• Local server. Digital certificates contain user
  information, which is used to validate their
  identity by their Certifying Authority (CA).
  These certificates use public key encryptions to
  create signatures.
• PFX files are also used for digital signing are
  different from certificates in the sense that
  they contain the digital certificate along with
  its private key. A PFX is password protected for
  higher security reasons.
• Larger, more secure devices such as HSM (Hardware
  Security Modules) can also be used to centrally
  store signature certificates.
• If you want to know more about local and central
  signing options, read our blog to see

which option best suits your business
(https//blog.symtrax.com/digital-signatures-a-sec
ure-reliable-solution-for-your- business/)
needs.
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4.
The importance
and impact
of digital signatures
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Security concerns have become more urgent over
time, creating the need for businesses to
implement relevant measures. When it comes to
document reliability, digital signatures have
established their niche in this market as a way
to handle all business approvals, transactions,
and processes. Creating a trustworthy environment
for documentation personnel helps maintain
advanced traceability. A digitally signed
document serves as a trustworthy source. If the
integrity of a document is intact, any
discrepancies discovered later can be checked
against said document to confirm
authenticity. Furthermore, verified documents are
crucial for audit compliance needs. This can
apply to terms of an organizations internal
functioning, business deals, and even legal
concerns. Whats more, digital signatures help
save resources in an organization. You can reduce
processing time by eliminating the need for a
physical signature for your business documents.
Going paperless also aligns with digital signing,
so you can get rid of unnecessary printing and
filing needs, along with any other manual
redundancies for that matter.
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5.
How
can you
incorporate
digital signatures in your business documents?
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Digital signatures can become an integral part of
a modern digital working environment. Document
distribution is becoming more and more
synchronized with the use of digital signatures.
With business needs growing, automated digital
signature software is taking shape in an
effective way to include document compliance
concerns. The digital signature process should
offer complete automation that meets your
business needs. You shouldnt have to make major
system changes to internal network requirements
to complete business documents. A digital
signature software should ideally be able to
seamlessly integrate with your ERP and process
documents externally without any programming
efforts. Whats more, using a suitable digital
signature solution enables your entire process,
from document formatting to authoritative
signature and completion, to be done
electronically. This means there is no need for
manual intervention at any point, freeing up
resources and time for your business. Of course,
this implies that, with the right signing
solution in place, a digitized workflow should
provisionally be established for all approval
procedures. Each document, thereafter, can be
automatically routed to the next person involved
in the business process. Advanced features, such
as email notifications to concerned authorities
and easier user interfaces for document viewing
and signing, make the end user experience even
more smooth and easy. The final PDF with digital
signature and the information that it contains
upholds business integrity and authenticity.
This also serves to make the process transparent,
as every department involved in a digital
signing process is connected via a secure line of
functioning. Whats more, flexibility with
regards to the conversion of digitally signed
PDFs into desired file formats is not just a
convenience but also a necessity. Higher
hierarchies can have an overwhelming number of
documents to take care of. Under such
circumstances, there
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should be a provision to digitally sign PDF
documents in bulk for faster overall
turnaround. The benefits of this can be felt
throughout your company. For example, signing
multiple invoices and purchase orders digitally
becomes makes sales departments tasks easier. HR
can carry out employee onboarding faster.
Finally, Accounts Payable can validate payments
and requisitions within a few clicks. Other
compliance protocols can be met across
departments. Distribution also needs to be secure
and reliable. With digital signature automation,
document distribution should be automated as
well. Each business document is sent to the
correct recipients for subsequent business
processes and/or related actions that
follow. Also, the document lifecycle becomes far
more manageable with digital implement.
Digitally archived documents have improved
accessibility and can be stored and searched far
faster than their physical counterparts.
Furthermore, archiving solutions makes audit
compliance and future referencing easier. If you
look at the bigger picture, the result of all of
these advantages is a secure digital document
management solution to help reinvent your
companys foundational processes. Moving
forward, lets see how you can apply a digital
signature to SAP business documents with our
comprehensive solution Compleo Hybrid.
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6.
Example
Applying digital signature on SAP business
documents
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• With a complex SAP document approval process,
  defining the endpoint can be time- consuming and
  difficult. Using an External Document Management
  solution to interact with document attributes
  and SAP User ID Location provides a flexible
  signature workflow along with security and
  authentication rules.
• User-friendly workflows are easier to implement
  with a coordinated solution. Compleo Suite, SAP
  Certified Software, traces SAP document
  properties and prompts corresponding SAP Users
  with digital signature requests. In addition,
  Compleos RFC BAPI interaction helps to request
  more details for a secure document routing and
  governance.
• Questions to consider for finding and identifying
  a signer
• What happens if an SAP user has multiple
  sessions? Which one will be used to request a
  document signature?
• What happens if multiple documents are released
  by a background job? Which SAP user is
  authorized to sign which document?
• What if the signer has an SAP Indirect License
  only? How will the signed PDF be returned
  securely back to SAP? Via Archive Link or DMS?
• What if the SAP signer wants to approve bulk
  documents all at once? How do you know the SAP
  signer addressed as having a valid signature?
• Document traceability involves multiple metadata.
  This metadata can refer to
• SAP systems
• Spool Request
• Output Request
• Spool attributes
• Document Content
• WorkStation address
• PCs name
• SAP User ID or Job ID,
• All these parameters help the system determine
  who or where the signer is. You can enhance
  workflows with the ability to read signature
  details embedded in each PDF once it is
  digitally signed.

Individual or Repeat Process? Both Options
Should be Available
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SAP users are liable for any documents
distributed with their signatures, and their
preferences may vary. They may want to be a part
of the process interactively or wish to allow
partial automation with some controls instead.
Compleo Remote Agent grants users the ability to
make that decision themselves to automate the
process or to check each document individually
before applying signature on. This robust and
fully compliant process leaves no ambiguity
about the authenticity of the signatures. This is
a simple document validation process for the SAP
user. Validation creates confidence and adds
credibility to the overall business process, all
while maintaining compliance with relevant laws
and regulations. A unique identifier ensures the
process is reliable identifies each SAP user.
The SAP user interface pop-up contains a list of
documents available for approval and signature.
Once a document appears in the Waiting list,
clicking on it creates a preview. Simply click
the Sign button and the end users process is
completed.
e.g., Generated invoices will have a digital
signature including details about the signer and
additional information. This can be configured
per specific business requirements.
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Conclusion This process, based on an SAP
Certified Solution, is fully compliant with all
legal and business needs. One of the principal
strengths of a digital signature is its ability
to precisely verify and prove the signers
identity. Documents can then be distributed as
desired, whether through email, Print, SAP DMS,
MS SharePoint, Web Service, and more. Digitally
signing documents can help your business improve
accountability, data integrity, and efficiency.
To learn more about our digital signature
solution, visit our solution page. Contact our
experts to schedule a free demo
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About The author
Priyanshu Anand Technical Writer Priyanshu
Anand works as a Technical Writer for Symtrax and
writes engaging content to express and convey
precise information to readers.
About Symtrax
Symtrax is a worldwide software company helping
organizations enhance document management
processes with cloud-ready solutions in mind. Our
ever-expanding range of connectors establishes
compatibility easily, and our Compleo Suite
software can address a wide range of challenges
through its specialized modules. For more
information, visit our site or contact us at
sales_at_symtrax.com.
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