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The Difference Between Electronic and Digital Signatures

Digital Signatures
Digital Signatures

Documents required people to sign their names manually and by hand, and sometimes had to be notarized. Nevertheless, times have changed as a result of technology and the covid pandemic. Virtual closings are now legal in certain states. E-signatures are often associated with digital signatures when the term “e-signature” is heard. They aren’t exactly the same, though. You can look over them and decide which might be more suitable for your business.

What Is An Electronic Signature?

Electronic signatures are the way individuals attach their names to digital documents. It’s more of a security measure than a verification measure. Names can be attached to documents by anyone, which makes it less trustworthy than a digital signature. In this sense, it’s similar to signing a document at home. The signature is not witnessed by anyone; therefore, it could easily have been forged by someone other than you. Documents that are not critical or sensitive may be acceptable to have an electronic signature.

What is a Digital Signature?

It is not true that all electronic signatures are digital signatures. In order to be able to sign, a person must confirm his or her identity by using a digital signature. Certificates are used for authentication. PINs, passwords, and private access keys are examples of this. Taking the example of a notary verifying a signature, we can compare this. In the same way that a third person acts as a witness to your signature after checking your official identification documents, it confirms you are who you claim to be.

Benefits of Electronic Signatures

Electronic signatures offer numerous benefits. The first is their convenience. The seller of a house can move away while finalizing details with the other parties before closing on the deal. Documents are uploaded and shared online through a secure portal, eliminating the need for printing, signing, and uploading. This simplifies what had been a long and tedious process and speeds up its completion.

You can concentrate on what is most important rather than tracking down people and scheduling meetings. Depending on where you live, digitally signed documents can also be legally binding. In the United Kingdom (UK), for example, there are different laws that regulate how electronic signatures can be enforced.

However, only electronic signatures are accepted as valid in the UK, while digital signatures are accepted in the EU. Wet signatures, which are performed with a pen and paper, are sometimes referred to as wet signatures. Before using any type of electronic signature, it’s important to check local rules.

You Can Save Money With Electronic Signatures

Cost-cutting is an objective of every business. Electronic signatures can be used to achieve this goal when used on a secure and safe platform. Printing and ink, sheets and postage are required for in-person signing, while company time is spent on gathering employees in one physical space to collect signatures. The electronic signature, however, enables everything to be done online. Printing unnecessary items and extra labor are no longer necessary. As soon as a document is signed, everything stays in the cloud so you won’t have to keep physical files in your office.

Using electronic signatures can be beneficial for every department within your organization – HR for new hires, sales for closing deals with clients, and legal for contract finalization, for example. Increased efficiency and higher productivity will be achieved with more effective digital workflows. 

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