Digital Signature: What is it? What are your advantages? - Quesoft Tech

Digital Signature: What is it? What are your advantages?

The reduction of bureaucracy in modern relationships and processes took place in several ways, one of 

them being the emergence and development of the digital signature.

It is responsible for providing security to businesses carried out virtually, eliminating the need to present physical documents and making life easier for several companies and professionals.

Understand what this subscription is, how it is made possible and its numerous advantages.

Digital Signature: What is it?

As the name implies, this is a signature that is added to documents digitally. It corresponds to an electronic identification that has legal validity and whose ownership corresponds to the natural or legal person (individual or company) for which it was issued.

In order for digital acceptance to be possible, the individual must have a digital certificate in their hands: ICP- an acronym that corresponds to Public Key Infrastructure.

This certificate has several relevant information consistent with the signature, the subscriber and the institution that issues this type of electronic authorization, granting it. It is essential to make it possible to add a digital signature to any document.

However, there are several types of digital certificate, as we will see below. First, it is necessary to understand the difference between electronic and digital signatures.

Digital Signature Vs Electronic Signature

It is very common for there to be confusion between the two types of signature, since their names are similar and refer to activities carried out electronically, outside of physical documents and papers.

The electronic signature simply corresponds to the identification of who sends a message. It is nothing more than that signature or identification at the end of emails, for example.

The password and the login are types of electronic signature, so it is concluded that this is any resource responsible for identifying the signatory. This does not guarantee the security of the information or hold legal values, as with the electronic signature.

What differentiates them is that while the digital one has legal value and requires a digital certificate, the electronic one is a simple identification without data guarantee.

Digital certificate types for the digital signature

Among the existing types of certificates, there are two categories that are considered to be the main ones for helping to issue signatures in a digitized and recognized form. They correspond to the A1 and A3 models, so it is up to the company to choose which one is most suitable for its reality.

1. Type A1 certificate

This type of digital certificate corresponds to the one that is installed on a computer and can be used from tablets and smartphones and is valid for 1 year. After that time, it needs to be upgraded or rehired.

For this type, there is a need for the established password to be presented only once, when the certificate is installed.

One of the great advantages of this certificate model is the fact that it can be used simultaneously both at the headquarters and at the company's branches, generating savings and convenience.

2. Type A3 certificate

On the other hand, the A3 type certificate must be stored in specific hardware. It is available in a token or Smartcard which, in turn, must be connected to a device so that it can be read and the signature recognized.

In this case, it can be used on only one device at a time, which makes it difficult for branches and headquarters to use the same certificate. It requests that the password be made available every time the device is used.

This version has the advantage of being valid for 3 years.

Although there are other types of certificate that allow digital acceptance, these are the main ones and it is up to the business organization that is interested in obtaining one to choose the most appropriate one for its situation.

If the company is small and the certificate is intended for a few people who will use it in the same place, the second type is more suitable. For large operations in which several operators and activities depend on it, the first model is more favorable, on the other hand.

Advantages of Digital Signature

There are several advantages for a company or professional who obtains a certificate that allows the digital presentation of a signature.

The first is that the bureaucracy, responsible for the delay in several processes of different natures, can be eliminated on a large scale. With this, obtaining such a type of certificate is important as it promotes the agility of operations.

It is worth mentioning that this can lead to a considerable reduction in the company's expenses with materials such as paper, printing ink and printer maintenance. It should be noted that in addition to being economical, this is an aspect that makes digital acceptance a sustainable option.

Expenses indicate that they are limited in relation to personnel costs. Obtaining and recognizing the validity of documents several times requires travel by an employee or hiring a professional who provides corresponding specific services.

The efficiency of the processes is another advantage offered by those who hire an electronic certificate service for signatures in digital media, as there is a simplification of a chain of activities that should be fulfilled.

It is thus not necessary to spend time obtaining different signatures from people who may be located in different places. Displacement is eliminated for signing contracts, agreements and other important documents and actions.

Know that the signature in digital format can be used in different types of documents, being extremely flexible and applicable. Among them are, for example, contracts, reports, powers of attorney, certificates, emails, reports, forms.

Mandates, images, balance sheets, petitions, declarations, notifications, medical records, test results, electronic files transferred between companies and insurance policies. Another advantage relative to it is the fact that it has legal validity.

How does the digital signature work?

As already mentioned, the signature does not need a digital certificate which, in turn, must be issued by a Certification Authority, which is responsible for proving the identity of the signer and bearer.

It works by getting a certificate from the company or professional and developing a signature for that user. Certifying companies charge users, a fee and guarantee the tool's operation and signature recognition for a period that varies between 1 and 3 years.

Afterwards, the contracting party is provided with the token, card, or software to install this card, which will then be able to print a signature in digital format. How it works and how long it lasts will depend on the model chosen, as explained above.

Legal validity

The signature gives the document legal validity, regardless of where in the world it was issued. It walks along with globalization.

It has the same validity as those signatures made on notarized documents, that is, conventional handwritten signatures.

Legal processes have even recognized, for some years now, the possibility of digitally presenting documents that are signed by lawyers. The same occurs with judicial publications and warrants that can be digitally signed without prejudice to their validity.

The documents that were digitally signed for the signing of the contract are recognized by the judicial sphere, so that their security and legal validity are guaranteed.